Tag archives for Fantasy - Page 2

Going to Sea [Write Club]

Going to Sea is a fairy tale set as background for my fantasy novel. It is written for the Write Club Surrey challenge for the July meeting on Saturday. It was quite hard writing a decent fairy tale, and I'm not claiming that Going to Sea is a decent fairy tale. My first two attempts ended up more like Icelandic sagas than fairy tales. I ended up reading a book about what the Icelanders call the hidden people for inspiration. That was really interesting, but turned out not to be that useful. In the end I abandoned my earlier attempts and just wrote this instead. I'll probably finish the other ones though, I think having this sort of detail helps add depth to a fantasy world. Going to Sea, or how people started worshipping Kari Replica Viking Longship (Photo: archiwum…
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The Seven Virtues – or a guide to Skyssian attitudes

The Seven Virtues are how a good Skyssian models their behaviour. Told from infancy through the fairy tales, and reflected in the glorious deeds of their heroes, every Skyssian is aware of them. Origins of the Seven Virtues A while back I thought it might be useful to sketch out the core beliefs of Skyssian attitudes so that I could use them as guiding principles for how minor characters could be expected to act. They also help to set direction for officials and institutions, after all if they aren't virtuous who else would be? At the time I stole the Skyssian attitudes from the Old Norse. A sort of set of Viking Virtues. That gave me the first five below. The local Write Club prompt is to write a fairy tale for the July meeting. So, I thought there ought…
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Gudrid’s Prophecy for Yngvild [Fantasy]

I've been working on the second draft of Yngvild the Fierce (for which I still need beta readers - it's not too late to volunteer). One of the things I've produced is a prophecy that explains some of the behaviours of a powerful supporting character. I've tried to write it as ambiguously as possible if you don't know the story, and also in iambic pentameter. I'm not entirely sure that I've managed the latter. Gudrid's Prophecy Lost yet found, he stands tall far from the sea In among the ghosts of fallen spear carriers Where, women witness and are spared to bear daughters descended from god's fire made flesh. The father’s myriad faces are bent on elevation making kings, princes, cities. His lover's fierce flame flowers vigorously when her sacred sword sings in the old ways. Sacrifice to the old…
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Straven – Chapter 1 Fierce [Fantasy] [Updated]

Bryggen in Bergen, Norway. Over a thousand years old and the inspiration for Straven. (photo: James Kemp) Straven is the title of the first chapter in my fantasy novel, provisionally titled Fierce.  I'm still looking for beta readers to read it. If you liked Chapter 1 - Straven, and would be willing to read the whole novel and provide constructive feedback please get in touch.  The story starts in Straven, the home of both Yngvild and Noren. I've linked to some of the story background I've put on my wiki. This isn't the final version, but a second draft. There'll be at least two more versions before it gets published. One after I've had feedback from beta readers, and another after a professional edit. Update 24 Mar 2024: This is a revised version of the chapter from the original posted years…
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Yngvild Needs Beta Readers [Fantasy]

My son sketched out Yngvild's story arc on a napkin when we having a coffee in Norway. (photo: James Kemp) I'm looking for s few people to beta read the second draft of my fantasy novel, currently titled "Yngvild and the Forest of Dreams". It started life as my 2016 NaNoWriMo project and has been added to and edited over the last three years. Inspired by a trip to Bergen in Norway and a box set of Game of Thrones, it's now in a near complete second draft. Yngvild weighs in at about 70,000 words before it goes into a final edit, then proofreading ahead of publication. I'd really like some people to read it and tell me what they think of it. Before you send the email volunteering you'll want to know more about the story. It's probably only…
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