WooHooMan
Auror
I meant in a way that detracts from story.
I guess if you want to be part of that, or any trend, more power to you.
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Escaping the "Tolkien Trap"
- Thread starter P.A. Trujillo
- Start date
I guess if you want to be part of that, or any trend, more power to you.
elemtilas
Inkling
Heh. I could give that a try!
Saigonnus
Auror
Personally, I respect Tolkien as much as anyone else, but truthfully, I try not use his tropes when writing a story. Humans are interesting and diverse enough in regards of ideologies, religions and culture that it affords plenty of opportunities for drama and conflict.
I do have other ”races”, though two are derived from human stock, like homosapiens and homo erectus sharing the world, though with more genetic differences due to a longer period of genetic drift.
I do have other ”races”, though two are derived from human stock, like homosapiens and homo erectus sharing the world, though with more genetic differences due to a longer period of genetic drift.
Faye
Acolyte
To take another twist on dwarves, my guy and I were recently playing a game of microscope (world buiding pen and paper game that I would highly recomend as a creative excercise) and he came up with an idea that the dwarves of our world would be very World of Warcraft-esk. Engineers basically. But that instead of dwelling in caves and mining, they were long ago banished to the coasts were they made under water engineering. They now have an Atlantis style city underwater and use water elementals to help mine for deep sea minerals and gems. So in a round about way, I guess in my mind staying away from pre-established sterotypes means taking a version of the race that you like and twisting it slightly. Simply said, perhaps in this common struggle we are better served by focusing on the "I likes" rather than the "I don't likes." I would be wise to take my own advise on this one.... xD
simonhard
New Member
Personally, I fell into the Tolkien trap 10 years ago and still do not plan to get out of it! I read his books over and over again and watch movies based on his books over and over again! These are masterpieces! How I would like to get into that beautiful world written by him! I just admire him! I remember how my cousin showed me the Lord of the Rings movie for the first time. I went under the impression for at least a month! Christopher Tolkien really was a genius in his field. Rip! And how wonderful it was after reading another book or movie to go to my favorite forum on his works! I spent 5 hours a day there! If anyone is interested, here is the link: Wargs
Almyrigan Hero
Minstrel
I'd say whether Tolkien tropes are a 'trap' comes down to what sort of fantasy you're writing.
If your world is meant to be enigmatic, or a draw in and of itself, or if the plot is mystery-driven, then by all means, homebrew it up. That doesn't mean you should be afraid of remixing old archetypes to fit your new story, but giving creatures strange names, interesting behaviors, and exotic appearances can help invest people into your setting. Tolkien could've just rewritten Beowulf, and Lovecraft could've just done horror about how the literal Greek pantheon is still transforming unfortunate people into bugs to this very day, but would either of those have captured people's imaginations in the same way?
On the other hand, if your story is just a straight, banter-packed action-adventure from point A to point B, people probably aren't reading it to be swept up into an immersive world of terror and whimsy in the first place. They just want to follow a cool knight on a thrilling adventure with his witty friends. If it's a comical story, or just a straight up comedy, then you actually benefit from doubling down on the tropes. An elf joke is probably going to be a lot funnier than a Reticulated Were-Geldroth joke, to the first-time reader.
If your world is meant to be enigmatic, or a draw in and of itself, or if the plot is mystery-driven, then by all means, homebrew it up. That doesn't mean you should be afraid of remixing old archetypes to fit your new story, but giving creatures strange names, interesting behaviors, and exotic appearances can help invest people into your setting. Tolkien could've just rewritten Beowulf, and Lovecraft could've just done horror about how the literal Greek pantheon is still transforming unfortunate people into bugs to this very day, but would either of those have captured people's imaginations in the same way?
On the other hand, if your story is just a straight, banter-packed action-adventure from point A to point B, people probably aren't reading it to be swept up into an immersive world of terror and whimsy in the first place. They just want to follow a cool knight on a thrilling adventure with his witty friends. If it's a comical story, or just a straight up comedy, then you actually benefit from doubling down on the tropes. An elf joke is probably going to be a lot funnier than a Reticulated Were-Geldroth joke, to the first-time reader.
