Recent content by Mythical Traveller

There's so much here - all great insight, BTW, so I will simply say thanks to you all in one post. I feel much better about the prospects of my story now. Thank you, everybody! :)

Having recently re-watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umpteenth time, I've once again found myself in awe over the number of times Sam and Frodo leave me in tears. (They aren't the only ones who do that, but they are by far the biggest offenders). I would love to be able to write a...

I agree. The only thing better than having autocratic control over a country is having autocratic control and a society the believes they have their own democratic power. This greatly reduces your risk of an uprising or coup against your government because the masses already believe they are...

Well no, it's not really meant to be nonsense. It's meant to be about being confronted with nonsense. It's the tale of that struggle to escape a situation where absolute confusion has gone beyond novelty and become distressing. It's about trying to vanquish a foe that defies understanding and...

Well, that's just the thing, I don't think my characters will understand the reasons; I think it will be a case of the deeper they explore these people the less and less they can make sense of them. Every answer raises more significant questions. The dynamic I envisage is basically starting off...

No, because they are too integral. They serve as the backstory for one of my primary characters and they generally play several important roles throughout the story, and in at least 2 such cases, it's important that it is the same tribe/cult as before that the story harkens back to. Excellent...

Food for thought. "Original sin" doesn't exist in my world, but you've certainly given me a basis that I might be able to build upon. I shall have to think more on why they might believe that the suffering is a due they need to pay. I had considered this; the ingrained upbringing/tradition...

Yeah, but in those cases, there's still a certain degree of logic that, even as an outsider, I can appreciate. Like venturing in to the plague to help others is a sacrifice that, theoretically, pays off by lifting someone else's quality of life and making the world a better place. Even from the...

Thanks everybody for some really insightful points of view. Reading your responses has solidified my initial suspicion that at the very least I have to understand why these people do what they do for the story to have integrity. Some of you have asked for more details so here are some of the...

I am wrestling with a particular aspect of my story right now - a community that plays quite an important role. The thing about this community is that much of their behavior is utterly mystifying. And the significance of this concerns me because some of this nonsensical behavior is key to...

Hi Gqz and welcome to the community! Writing about mythologies and gods is no more cliche then writing about cops trying to solve crimes. Strictly speaking, it's probably all very cliche, but that by no means means it will make for a dull or tired story. Utilizing a writers' staple is not by...

Just to expand on what CupOfJoe said about your idea, the focus of this city seems to be religion, so the heart of this place really should be a cathedral or high temple that the citizens are committed to protecting at all costs. Such a cathedral would probably be a bastion in itself, to protect...

If you are looking for scary Irish spirits, you can't go wrong with the Banshee, with her blood-curdling wail that warns that someone is about to die.

Will do. Thanks, Reaver! :)

Thanks, @skip.knox. It looks like "niche" or the Islamic version, "mihrab" is the best match I have at the moment. I, too, have learned something through this discussion as until now, I did not know that the designs on prayer rugs are meant to represent the mihrabs, or Mecca direction markers...