[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Has anyone noticed how high the percentage is of fantasy readers who want to be writers? It seems higher than any other genre of books. About everyone I know who reads fantasy has at least a small aspiration to write it, this is not the case for other kinds of books. Thoughts?

[Aptorian]

I started out wanting to write Sci-fi, still do. But the relative freedom of fantasy, I think is more appealing for people.

In Fantasy you still have to read up on what living conditions there were 500, 1000 years or further back. What was their economic and social konditions. How did they wage war, etc. But in Sci-fi, what I call Sci-fi anyway, you have to gain a fundemental knowledge of quantum physics, astrophysics, advanced possibilites of tecnology, biologi, geneologi and generally you have to get pretty original for it to not just become the preverbial star was / alien invasion clone.

[jscottnelson]

I think you're right, Raymond. It seems everyone I've met on myspace with interest in fantasy says they have ideas to write about to.

Personally, I think folks that enjoy fantasy have better and more active imaginations than those who don't like "made-up" worlds and such. So many people I know who DON'T like fantasy don't like the "weird" names for everything and everyone, and the fact that they can't use any context for place or societies because they aren't "real".

So, it stands to reason that if more imaginative and creative people are the ones who enjoy reading, that they are probably formulating ideas of their own that they think would be interesting as well. And I think that's great.

[Malarion]

Fantasy is both the lazy man and the idiots form of writing. No other genre is as easy to get into writing as fantasy, because you can just make it all up, right? And then the sucker blow strikes. You make something up and think, "but what about..." and before you know it you've written hundreds of pages without even starting your story.

Fantasy is both the easiest and hardest form of writing. It begins and stops with you. No excuses...no restrictions...no limitating structure.

Don't let it put you off. 'Tis fun...soemtimes.

[Abyss]

I suspect it's because would-be writers think they can get away with little or no research and 'just write'. Sometimes they are right. Most times they are not.

- Abyss, does not consider reading other writers' work 'research'.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

So this thread died a quick death. Oh well. It's always a little nice when you start a thread and it spawns pages of conversation. THis was clearly not one of those times.

[Wiggles]

Well, this forum's always been a bit... shall we say, dead? At least for the last 2 years.

[Abyss]

Braaaaaaaaaiiinzzzzzzzz.......

- Abyss, well, you did say 'dead'....

[Wiggles]

I'll give you brainz if you read my stories...

[Cold Iron]

Theres also the dedication involved in fantasy. A true fan has spent most of his free hours reading, there is thus a logical reason for wanting to grow up and be a writer.

[Wiggles]

Ick. Do you really spend most of your free time reading?

[Gem Windcaster]

Science fiction and fantasy have the same category of problems (or opportunities if you're feeling optimistic ) - creating new worlds, complete with races, social hierarchies, belief systems etc. Sci-fi has the technology while Fantasy has the magic. Otherwise they are very similar. At least they should be. Fantasy without a technological aspect is dull --- Sci-fi without magical aspects is boring. IMHO both should contain sociological or cultural or psychological or philosphical issues. Or all four. Without these, for instance fantasy gets dull indeed - what is why we can't go back to reading Eddings after reading books written by people like SE.

[CopperStone]

I think in truth you can't be too lazy, once you set up your world you start to have rules you've set for it and everything then has to fit into it... And once you start you wind up with quite a complex world and you have to think of all the details of well if I've made A like this then B + C are going to have to fit in with A or else it won't make sense... perhaps though you get to start with the fun imaginative things and then you work out the logistics of it as opposed to starting with the logistics and then working the fun stuff out...

But I think I agree with the statement that those who like reading fantasy have more active imaginations and therefore are all the time envisaging their own little worlds...

[Obdigore]

Wow, thread necro -

Anyway... I personally think it is because, as posted above, those with more active imaginations are generally drawn towards fantasy, towards 'what could have been' or 'alternate worlds', and so they decide they need an outlet for their imaginations... more creative sided if you know what I mean.

[Dancer+]

There's been worse thread necro's though With some people bringing back threads from 2004 or 2005 etc. I think even before the forum was moved over.

I think half of the people on this board aspire to be writers or at least to get a book published. It's the way of the world

[Dag]

The Cult of Dessembrae;213090 said:

I think half of the people on this board aspire to be writers or at least to get a book published. It's the way of the world.

There's nothing bad about it. I wish them good luck with it - at least I'll have enough good stuff to read when I'm grey and old... and nice stories to tell my grandchildren:
Oh, you're reading the latest bestseller by XXX YYYY... Good old XXX... Sure I know the guy, he used to hang around on the Malazan forums... was a no-good alcoholic and a pants fetishist... And once, when he was reeeeally really drunk, he...

But, seriously: I think this thread wasn't very long-lived because jscottnelson nicely & precisely formulated the diagnosis for this pheonomenon right at the beginning, and, I believe, most of us will agree with him. And I also agree with Abyss that many "would-be [fantasy] writers think they can get away with little or no research and 'just write'." With stress on they think. It is a dangerous misconception IMO.

[CopperStone]

yeah I lost touch with the moving board thing... surprised my login still worked...
And yeah why not I'll be one of the half who aspire to having their own words neatly folded into a set of pages...

[Dancer+]

I'm one of those who aspires.

But luckily for me you haven't got any dirt on me not yet, at least.

[Grimjust Bearegular]

I do want to write, but not fantasy actually... not true fantasy anyway. I'm aiming for a sort of realistic fantasy "horror" thing, like that of Stephen King, Clive Barker, Poe and Stoker..

and my want to become a writer did not come from reading fantasy, it came from watching movies... The movie that actually pushed me into writing was Dracula2001, not a very good movie, but there's something about it. I wrote a 26-page "fan story" after watching it:P

[Anomander Rake]

I think there are many reasons why this is, why many of them already mentioned.

1. As a child you read about stories, you watch movies, cartoons set in other worlds with elements of magic etc. Therefore you're drawn towards fantasy as its helps your imagination grow, and lets you be in a world of your own.

2. People who read fantasy/sci-fi probably tend to day dream a lot more than others, therefore stories, scenes, or a characters is constantly being created in their imagination.

3. The books that have been made into movies and made big hits have been fantasy/sci-fi, e.g. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter etc. Also with the J K Rowling being so sucessful the fantasy genre is seen by newbies as being a great genre to write in, as a story can cover all age groups.