Boarders Writing a Novel: Take 8

[The Marquis de Leech]

Basis it on a civilization from the past, even if you're writing 2,000 years in the future.

I'd actually disagree with that. I think a useful starting point is to consider economics: how does wealth get generated in this society? Is it land-based, urban-based, or based on mining asteroids? From that you can determine your social structure: who has the wealth, who is in control, the strengths and vulnerabilities of the society (does it depend on a scarce resource)? What part does your protagonist play in the social structure, and what tools are at the disposal of those in control? You don't need to actually model the society off a real civilisation.

(Yes, this economics-based approach is fundamentally Marxist. But leaving aside the politics, it is a nice way of generating a believable setting).

[Littlefingers In The Air]

What I accomplished today:

- Established which character POVs will be written.

- Began to establish timelines in the world. Time will be known as Before Renaissance and After Renaissance ( BR and AR)

- Determined the content of the prologue

- Hammered out the content of the first chapter

[Littlefingers In The Air]

I'd actually disagree with that. I think a useful starting point is to consider economics: how does wealth get generated in this society? Is it land-based, urban-based, or based on mining asteroids? From that you can determine your social structure: who has the wealth, who is in control, the strengths and vulnerabilities of the society (does it depend on a scarce resource)? What part does your protagonist play in the social structure, and what tools are at the disposal of those in control? You don't need to actually model the society off a real civilisation.

(Yes, this economics-based approach is fundamentally Marxist. But leaving aside the politics, it is a nice way of generating a believable setting).

I like what you're saying but I wouldn't know where to start in considering the role of economics. I mean, I've already set up the distribution of wealth in the story as well as what countries are richest.

[First of My Name]

So I'm going to give my plot summary another shot, but only for the latter third of the Ensekyrai stories. Here goes:

About 150 years after the death of the last king and formation of the ruling Senate:

Two orders, the Grey Order and the Astesti, exist on Ensekyrai's Mainland. They have sprouted from the legacy of the historic figure Litan, who is featured in the earliest stories. The Grey Order murders the corrupt and punishes the unjust for peace, the Astesti do the same but their ultimate goal is to rule Ensekyrai, as they believe that only a conquered and united world can know peace (which, it turns out, they're kinda right at).

After the Astesti murder nearly all the members of the Grey Order, save two, a rebellion in the city Serennoyi leads to their destruction, partly at the hands of on of the survivors, Wigner Holden. Wigner dies, and his brother Autem, the other survivor, is now all that is left of these two groups. He retreats to a quiet life in the great city E'Crono, the capital of the nation Enta Crusho. He marries and has two sons of his own, Kyp and Dal.

This is the point where the latter third of Ensekyrai begins, focusing on these two sons and their legacies.

Kyp is a weak child but Dal is more of an alpha male, even at an early age. Autem's wife is in fact a descendant of the last rightfully chosen kingof Ensekyrai, Dayeras Frodon, who I mentioned in my previous attempt to post a summary, meaning Kyp and Dal are also of this bloodline.

One day, they are robbed, and Autem kills their attacker. He explains to young Dal that, if you want someone to go away, you use this gun. Days later, the rebellious Dal shoots and kills Autem, wanting him to go away and not nowing the meaning of death. After Dal realizes what he has done he flees into the forest that surrounds E'Crono and ends up in a village. His mother and Kyp live on for the next few years, until the mother comes on Dal's trail and finds him in the village. Dal kills her, this time knowing the consequences. (It'll be clear at this point that he's a bit psychotic).

Kyp is now an orphan but eventually becomes his own man and befriends Adi Mota.

Ten years later, Dal goes a bit crazy and begins developing a plan that will kill Kyp, and install him in power. He comes in possession of a fleet, but I won't go into that right now.

This eventually escalates. Kyp, Dal and the young woman Kendra Iken fight a rebellion against three corrupt senators, who were provoked by Dal, who recruits a student, Varae. He falls in love with her.

Later, Kyp rebuilds the Grey Order, and Dal the Astesti. They both take several students and their orders grow. After Varae is killed by one of Kyp's students, adrenline-addicted Sairen Tyco, Dal takes a new name and begins to prepare for a full assault on Kyp and all his allies. This results in war, drama, death and fratricide.

That's the basic outline, but there's a lot more going on. I'm trying not to make Dal a too black-and-white villain, at some point you'll root for him to win but Kyp and his friends mostly take the role the Starks play in ASOIAF, they're your main heroes and some of them die.

The story of the rebellion is finished and my mom is test-reading it, and I know everything I need to know for the following tales. I'm currently working on the tale preceding this all, which features Autem and Wigner, and the city Serennoyi.

The rest of the saga of Kyp and Dal takes about 10 stories. The first one is The Sinners Rising, and features the rebellion, while the last one, The Day for Martyrs takes place 25 years later and features all-out war and lots of death, that one's going to be HUGE and quite epic I hope.

I would love to hear what everybody thinks of this or suggests. I could post more story background if asked for.

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

I'd actually disagree with that. I think a useful starting point is to consider economics: how does wealth get generated in this society? Is it land-based, urban-based, or based on mining asteroids? From that you can determine your social structure: who has the wealth, who is in control, the strengths and vulnerabilities of the society (does it depend on a scarce resource)? What part does your protagonist play in the social structure, and what tools are at the disposal of those in control? You don't need to actually model the society off a real civilisation.

(Yes, this economics-based approach is fundamentally Marxist. But leaving aside the politics, it is a nice way of generating a believable setting).

Clearly you're a much better World builder than I. There is some very good ideas there.

So I'm going to give my plot summary another shot, but only for the latter third of the Ensekyrai stories. Here goes:

About 150 years after the death of the last king and formation of the ruling Senate:

Two orders, the Grey Order and the Astesti, exist on Ensekyrai's Mainland. They have sprouted from the legacy of the historic figure Litan, who is featured in the earliest stories. The Grey Order murders the corrupt and punishes the unjust for peace, the Astesti do the same but their ultimate goal is to rule Ensekyrai, as they believe that only a conquered and united world can know peace (which, it turns out, they're kinda right at).

After the Astesti murder nearly all the members of the Grey Order, save two, a rebellion in the city Serennoyi leads to their destruction, partly at the hands of on of the survivors, Wigner Holden. Wigner dies, and his brother Autem, the other survivor, is now all that is left of these two groups. He retreats to a quiet life in the great city E'Crono, the capital of the nation Enta Crusho. He marries and has two sons of his own, Kyp and Dal.

This is the point where the latter third of Ensekyrai begins, focusing on these two sons and their legacies.

Kyp is a weak child but Dal is more of an alpha male, even at an early age. Autem's wife is in fact a descendant of the last rightfully chosen kingof Ensekyrai, Dayeras Frodon, who I mentioned in my previous attempt to post a summary, meaning Kyp and Dal are also of this bloodline.

One day, they are robbed, and Autem kills their attacker. He explains to young Dal that, if you want someone to go away, you use this gun. Days later, the rebellious Dal shoots and kills Autem, wanting him to go away and not nowing the meaning of death. After Dal realizes what he has done he flees into the forest that surrounds E'Crono and ends up in a village. His mother and Kyp live on for the next few years, until the mother comes on Dal's trail and finds him in the village. Dal kills her, this time knowing the consequences. (It'll be clear at this point that he's a bit psychotic).

Kyp is now an orphan but eventually becomes his own man and befriends Adi Mota.

Ten years later, Dal goes a bit crazy and begins developing a plan that will kill Kyp, and install him in power. He comes in possession of a fleet, but I won't go into that right now.

This eventually escalates. Kyp, Dal and the young woman Kendra Iken fight a rebellion against three corrupt senators, who were provoked by Dal, who recruits a student, Varae. He falls in love with her.

Later, Kyp rebuilds the Grey Order, and Dal the Astesti. They both take several students and their orders grow. After Varae is killed by one of Kyp's students, adrenline-addicted Sairen Tyco, Dal takes a new name and begins to prepare for a full assault on Kyp and all his allies. This results in war, drama, death and fratricide.

That's the basic outline, but there's a lot more going on. I'm trying not to make Dal a too black-and-white villain, at some point you'll root for him to win but Kyp and his friends mostly take the role the Starks play in ASOIAF, they're your main heroes and some of them die.

The story of the rebellion is finished and my mom is test-reading it, and I know everything I need to know for the following tales. I'm currently working on the tale preceding this all, which features Autem and Wigner, and the city Serennoyi.

The rest of the saga of Kyp and Dal takes about 10 stories. The first one is The Sinners Rising, and features the rebellion, while the last one, The Day for Martyrs takes place 25 years later and features all-out war and lots of death, that one's going to be HUGE and quite epic I hope.

I would love to hear what everybody thinks of this or suggests. I could post more story background if asked for.

So how many have you wrote thus far?

[First of My Name]

So how many have you wrote thus far?

There are five stories done, and parts of several others. It all amounts to about 200,000 words. I have a clear vision and planning for every story to come but I don't write them chronologically, as I can always come back and make them fit together better.

The Day for Martyrs, the big finally I mentioned, is 139,000 words and I'm just past two thirds of the way through. The other stories are quite short in comparison and at least two will probably be rewritten in a second draft.

[Jaime's Wench]

I am very much one for basing my world on the world I know, and that world is late medieval England. I didn't agonise too much about the world I created. I had an idea for a London-like capital and then another large fortified town that rivalled it, further north. The rest I coloured in as I went along, basing other key landmarks and roads on the famous medieval landmarks and roads of England. Yes, it isn't original, not in the slightest... but it works for me and my story and that's the main thing.