Bluetiger Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Hey guys I am writing a fantasy novel at the moment, and I am stuck with giving a learned class a name (like maesters in ASOIAF). Any ideas where I could start? Sages? Scholars ? Mages ? The Wise ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dany's Golden Fleece Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Sages? Scholars ? Mages ? The Wise ? Thank you. I was kinda looking something more unique like maester, I did think of Scholars though, but not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Hey guys I am writing a fantasy novel at the moment, and I am stuck with giving a learned class a name (like maesters in ASOIAF). Any ideas where I could start? You can use a variation of the word "mage." Joe Abercrombie uses the word "magus" which is really the Latin word (though also used in English). From wikipedia the English variations are: magian, mage, magus, magusian, magusaean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dany's Golden Fleece Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 You can use a variation of the word "mage." Joe Abercrombie uses the word "magus" which is really the Latin word (though also used in English). From wikipedia the English variations are: magian, mage, magus, magusian, magusaean. Thanks guys, I am just trying to avoid standard fantasy names, warlock, wizard etc etc. Magusaean sounds awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnar of Skagos Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 To expand on that, does anybody have any ideas for a more black magic-oriented group? I'm not satisfied with anything I've come across in some of the name generators online. I'm looking for something short, like one or two syllables, that sounds menacing, possibly even serpentine. Everything I see on name generators looks like this: Yuiqhty or Xerltixhu As if anybody would use that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 To expand on that, does anybody have any ideas for a more black magic-oriented group? I'm not satisfied with anything I've come across in some of the name generators online. I'm looking for something short, like one or two syllables, that sounds menacing, possibly even serpentine. Everything I see on name generators looks like this: Yuiqhty or Xerltixhu As if anybody would use that. Crawlers or Spitters, if dealing with non-human dark creatures. For dark wizard groups: Skan - inspired by the word 'snake' Shifters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selysin Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 If the name generators aren't working then I'd recommend Google Translate. Once you get away from the Latin based languages some of the words can be really interesting (and occasionally unintelligible if you can't read other alphabets) and then you can chop them up and recombine them to suit your needs. I tend to just throw words at it until I get something I like - a lot of the names in my current project are based off Yoruba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnar of Skagos Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 If the name generators aren't working then I'd recommend Google Translate. Once you get away from the Latin based languages some of the words can be really interesting (and occasionally unintelligible if you can't read other alphabets) and then you can chop them up and recombine them to suit your needs. I tend to just throw words at it until I get something I like - a lot of the names in my current project are based off Yoruba. Ah yes, I am trying that too. I have based a few names in the story already on Icelandic and Irish Gaelic, and it gives some unique results. So I finished a 22,000 word story, which I guess is technically a novella, a few weeks ago and I'm planning on using my spring break to edit it. This probably doesn't seem like much to some of you guys that have written full length novels, but it's the longest thing I've ever finished so I'm pretty excited about it, although some characters wound up at such a different place than what I planned on when starting I'm going to have to rework a lot. Anybody have any tips on the editing process? Finishing a story of any length is always something to be proud of! I remember how pleased I was when I hit the 20,000 word mark. I felt like a god. Just keep working on it and polishing it off! Can you tell us a little bit of the premise? Are you gunna submit it to a magazine or anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnar of Skagos Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Well it's a post apocalyptic story that takes place thousands of years after the global collapse of society. People have devolved into tribalism, attributing traces of the world as we know it now to the supernatural. The planet's going through another ice age and the central conflict revolves around the ethical questions behind using recovered technology in a conflict with a hostile "tribe" of people. I doubt I'll try and submit it anywhere. I've only been writing for like a year and my prose is still a pretty sloppy. Maybe someday though :) That actually sounds pretty interesting! Most of the post-apocalyptic stuff I've read are stories which take places only a few years after, but what you're talking about is in a whole different ballpark. I like it! Keep being optimistic, and don't be afraid to step away from that particular story every now and then. Sometimes all it takes is some fresh eyes to really figure out what you need to do to improve. Good luck man :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoë Sumra Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 So I finished a 22,000 word story, which I guess is technically a novella, a few weeks ago and I'm planning on using my spring break to edit it. This probably doesn't seem like much to some of you guys that have written full length novels, but it's the longest thing I've ever finished so I'm pretty excited about it, although some characters wound up at such a different place than what I planned on when starting I'm going to have to rework a lot. Anybody have any tips on the editing process?Firstly, close the file and ignore for at least a fortnight. You need a mental break from it in order to edit as objectively as possible.Some authors attack structural issues and text issues (structural edit and copy-edit) at the same time. I can't do that, and if you've never done this before I suggest you don't do it either. That being so, attack the content/structure first, before the nitpicking.Read it as a reader rather than a writer. Note what bits of story don't make sense, don't flow properly or aren't paced right for your format - I know next to nothing about novella pacing so can't contribute specifics here. Ask if the characters' actions are compatible with their characterisation. Ask if every scene contributes to the plot: delete if so (but keep it in a different file in case you want to reuse a juicy bit of dialogue).Fix all of this without worrying too much about the grammar.After that, save to a new file, change the font, and then go through every sentence asking yourself if it is as elegant as you can make it and if the grammar and punctuation are correct (or deliberately wrong). Look for places where you've used too many words, and delete. A copy-edited file should end up ten percent shorter than the original, at minimum. My record is knocking 50K off a 250K behemoth.Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dany's Golden Fleece Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hey everyone I am writing my first book, it is a fantasy novel. I have heard for your first book, you should write a stand-alone book - which is what I was aiming to do. Problem is my plot as expanded someone and I am 20,000 words in and have barely even kickstarted the events leading to everything going wrong. Currently I have 3 POV characters, but I might need to expand that to 5 . Should I leave this project to one side and write a stand-alone novel OR cut the hell out if it OR just write as normal? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluetiger Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hey everyone I am writing my first book, it is a fantasy novel. I have heard for your first book, you should write a stand-alone book - which is what I was aiming to do. Problem is my plot as expanded someone and I am 20,000 words in and have barely even kickstarted the events leading to everything going wrong. Currently I have 3 POV characters, but I might need to expand that to 5 . Should I leave this project to one side and write a stand-alone novel OR cut the hell out if it OR just write as normal? Thanks in advance. If it will became too long you can always write sequel :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoë Sumra Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hey everyone I am writing my first book, it is a fantasy novel. I have heard for your first book, you should write a stand-alone book - which is what I was aiming to do. Problem is my plot as expanded someone and I am 20,000 words in and have barely even kickstarted the events leading to everything going wrong. Currently I have 3 POV characters, but I might need to expand that to 5 . Should I leave this project to one side and write a stand-alone novel OR cut the hell out if it OR just write as normal? Thanks in advance. It's your first book. Just write it and see what happens. Tbh it sounds like you started in the wrong place and you will eventually want to.get rid of the early chapters - not starting too early is a skill you will learn - but for now, forget all that. Forget quantities of POV characters etc, and focus on moving into the mid novel, climax and eventually ending. Welcome to the questionable joy of writing novels... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnar of Skagos Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hey everyone I am writing my first book, it is a fantasy novel. I have heard for your first book, you should write a stand-alone book - which is what I was aiming to do. Problem is my plot as expanded someone and I am 20,000 words in and have barely even kickstarted the events leading to everything going wrong. Currently I have 3 POV characters, but I might need to expand that to 5 . Should I leave this project to one side and write a stand-alone novel OR cut the hell out if it OR just write as normal? Thanks in advance. Don't worry, it is a first draft and you can always go back and shorten and move scenes around. You'll probably find a ton of sentences you can chop and things you can fix when you go to revise, so don't think too much about it now. Just write :D Besides, you can always make this a self-contained novel that has a few threads that you could pick up later for a sequel. If my research is right, publishers prefer a word count of 150,000 words or less for first time authors, so you don't have anything to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briantw Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hey everyone I am writing my first book, it is a fantasy novel. I have heard for your first book, you should write a stand-alone book - which is what I was aiming to do. Problem is my plot as expanded someone and I am 20,000 words in and have barely even kickstarted the events leading to everything going wrong. Currently I have 3 POV characters, but I might need to expand that to 5 . Should I leave this project to one side and write a stand-alone novel OR cut the hell out if it OR just write as normal? Thanks in advance. Have you considered writing a stand-alone story set in the same universe? That way, you can do some world building but also avoid the daunting task that is writing an entire series right from the outset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrddin Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Sages? Scholars ? Mages ? The Wise ? The Wise Association of Sages and Scholars Wise ASS for short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dany's Golden Fleece Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 If it will became too long you can always write sequel :) It's your first book. Just write it and see what happens. Tbh it sounds like you started in the wrong place and you will eventually want to.get rid of the early chapters - not starting too early is a skill you will learn - but for now, forget all that. Forget quantities of POV characters etc, and focus on moving into the mid novel, climax and eventually ending.Welcome to the questionable joy of writing novels... Don't worry, it is a first draft and you can always go back and shorten and move scenes around. You'll probably find a ton of sentences you can chop and things you can fix when you go to revise, so don't think too much about it now. Just write :D Besides, you can always make this a self-contained novel that has a few threads that you could pick up later for a sequel. If my research is right, publishers prefer a word count of 150,000 words or less for first time authors, so you don't have anything to worry about. Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, questionable joy is right haha. I just heard that publishers prefer stand-alone novel from a first time author, although leaving it open to a sequel is possible. Have you considered writing a stand-alone story set in the same universe? That way, you can do some world building but also avoid the daunting task that is writing an entire series right from the outset. Well this was meant to be a stand-alone, and then it started to get really long lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reckoner Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Writing a dwarfsploitation novella at the moment. The premise is that an elf queen wants to the dwarf to be her bull while the elf king is cheating on her with a half goblin half dragon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Woohoo, Eloisa! :cheers: I am very happy and not at all surprised. The book is excellent and I recommend you all buy it as soon as it comes out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoë Sumra Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Woohoo, Eloisa! :cheers: I am very happy and not at all surprised. The book is excellent and I recommend you all buy it as soon as it comes out!Thank you, sweetling! :grouphug:I've currently got two first drafts bouncing round my head: has anyone any tips for.dealing with this other than, "write both"? I've never been good at balancing acts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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