Writing a Story
While sitting on the microbus (only 10p to ride, but no oyster card system; I'm not sure if this means its better than London or not...) I started thinking about a far-off, fantasy world (as I often do)...but suddenly, it came more and more 'alive' inside my mind:
Characters, islands, history, all part of this 'made up universe'
Specific scenes developed, and slowly an overall plot formed.
Later on in the day, I was walking around town (lost), and I was thinking more and more about this...In my opinion it has the potential for a 'proper' story, like a novel.
So should I start to write it? Or is this a big waste of time, which I will give up on in a few weeks and then find the file on my computer and be hopelessly embarrassed of?
It would be for children/teenagers, but would deal with quite sophisticated themes/emotions/ideas. Not really like Seraph's 'Guardian Angel' at all, think more Tales of Earthsea, Discworld or His Dark Materials.
Is this a good idea?
7 October 2008
6 days 22 hours
Are u serious?
OFCOURSE U SHUD WRITE IT! IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION???
Do it ... do it NOW!!!!
When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it is not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.
7 August 2007
6 days 6 hours
get on with it...i'd like to see a draft asap!!
9 October 2008
8 weeks 6 days
yup u shud
soundz fab
oh n dnt 4get ta post wana read it 2 lolz
gud luk wiv it if u do decide ta ryt it
19 August 2007
8 weeks 2 days
Well, maybe Seraph's Guardian Angel has complicated themes to it.
Chin up, mate! Life's too short.
24 June 2005
12 min 7 sec
Yes, ofcourse you should write it.
Jot your ideas down on paper so you dont forget (atleast the parts you have thought of). If you lead a busy life, they write a paragraph a day or something. And ofcourse post it up. Would like a read.
Guardian Angel does have a very complicated plot line. And alot of the message and meaning are hidden.
nosce te ipsum
21 November 2006
2 min 27 sec
I didn't mean to sound rude... I think I just posted the sentence that its different from your's in the wrong place.
I just meant to say it's complicated AND ALSO SEPERATELY its very different from yours. Like its in the past, not the future, in a made-up world, not Britain etc.
Sorry for any offence.
The frown of a friend is better than the smile of a fool.
24 June 2005
2 sec
Go for it.
if it turns out good and makes a shed load of dollar, I expect royalties for encouraging you.
Remember, its the details that matter.
I had planned a long book type thing at one point, but all I managed to get out was this - a small introspective piece of crappy fanfic.
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
Right, on this forum, we have ppl who someone may classify as being bookworms, so they all (including myself) will welcome any text just for the sake of reading or to enjoy reading it... therefore, it is a good idea that you start writing now!
24 June 2005
12 min 7 sec
@Ya'qub: Why would i take offence? Bro you know me better than that.
And yes, for the sake of us bookworms who love to read. You should post it up, once you've started writing.
nosce te ipsum
That's exactly how most stories begin.
http://habib66.wordpress.com/
21 August 2005
1 day 21 hours
Yeah...now let's go sip some herbal tea.
@Ya'qub: Make a folder for the story on your laptop/PC/Macintosh then whenever something comes to mind, type it and save it with a temporary chapter name like "Panddora's box" or if its some technical stuff then something like "The characters." Then if the you start to build up a number of word documents, you can start processing the plot and take it from there.
Gentleness and kindness were never a part of anything except that it made it beautiful, and harshness was never a part of anything except that it made it ugly.
The journey of 1000 miles must begin with a single step.
25 May 2008
4 days 21 hours
I thought you (Yaqub) were in Syria?
Anyhoo
I think it sounds really good
Whenever thoughts come to ur mind regarding this fantasy world, just write them down
if you're sat at home and suddenly chapters come to you
write them down!
if then you DO get bored after a while at least you can say you tried
otherwise you may end up regretting it
21 November 2006
2 min 27 sec
I've done about 10 pages so far...lol I stayed up til Fajr two nights in a row!
I haven't actually started writing it yet, but I do have basic character biographies, history of the place they live, and and overall plot-line (still with some holes; I've written things like 'somehow he manages to travel to the big city' etc).
I've also started a chapter by chapter outline (basically the plot in more detail)...I'm on about chapter 4 or 5 of this. I know how it all ends.
The thing I would love help in from you guys, is names. Names of characters, places, political parties etc. At the moment I have just called them by what part they play in the story. Here is what I need (without giving too much away from the story):
Protagonist (main character): A 17-year old boy from a small, undeveloped town. He dreams of adventure, but his father discourages this because he thinks it is unrealistic. That is until the story starts........... He is quite courageous, but immature.
Father: He doesn't want his family to have unrealistic dreams, and owns a small fishing-rod repair shop. In his youth, he was part of an organisation which tried to overthrow the corrupt governing body in the town, but when it was crushed, he gave up and decided it was more important to just work hard and provide for his family.
Mother: Died about 10 years previously, she was very active in the movement to overthrow the local government, and was very disappointed that Father lost his drive/gave up his dreams.
Little Sister: 14 year old girl, still in school. Very interested in the local Belief system/religion...she grows up very quickly, and later in the story is a very important character.
Big Sister: 24 years old, she raised the main character and little sister when their mother died. She has now left home and is married to an utter idiot, and has a young baby. She is very similar to her father in the way that she believes that everyone should accept their situation in life, and having dreams above their station is a waste of time.
Uncle: The brother of the main-character's mother, he persuades the main character to follow his dreams, and look for adventure.
Possible Love interest (don't worry, everything is handled in a halal way!): A school friend of the main character. She thinks that women should have more opportunities, and tries to find a way to show that women are just as capable as men of achieving big things. She becomes very close with the main characters little sister, when he eventually leaves the town...
Best Friend: He has been friends with the main character since they were children. He is a scaredy-cat and a mummy's boy. He is still scared of the dark. He eventually goes off on his own adventure, and overcomes his fears.
The Home town: A small town on the banks of a large lake. It is split into the ruling class and the average people. On the whole, it is quite poor and undeveloped.
The Ruling class in the town: At the moment I have called them 'the Elite', but have no idea.
The Two main Superpowers in the Area:
One is a large Empire, it used to control the whole continent, but lost control about 100 years ago. It installed corrupt puppet governments in all the parts of the country that it 'set free'. It is still quite big, and is at war with:
The New Coalitiony thing: One of the areas that had previously been 'set free' by the Empire, overthrew its corrupt puppet government, and then funded other, neighbouring areas to do the same. Eventually, all these areas joined together into a 'Coalition' and started a war with the Empire. However, quality of life in this place is low, and many people say that the new governments in the Coalition aren't any better than in the original Empire.
The people of the Island: There is a faraway island, on which live a race of people who are slightly different from normal people. They have two thumbs on each hand! Because of this, they are very skilled craftsmen, and trade with both the Empire and the Coalition. However, there is a lot of distrust and racism between people of the Island, and people of the main continent, because they don't trust each other and don't understand their differnces.
That's all for now. I have many other main characters, and even different lands to explore. But I would really appreciate it if people could suggest names of everything I have put in bold. Thank you! I guess the time is about 150 years ago in terms of technology... but it is set in a completely MADE up world and universe.
Jazak'Allah!
The frown of a friend is better than the smile of a fool.
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
O Ya'qub man, I was suppose to be getting on with stats! Am i glad i have a distraction form it
do you mind if we comment on the characters?
21 November 2006
2 min 27 sec
Why would I mind? THey are MUCH more detailed than I have just written... I think full bios would be extremely dull (and give away the plot!)
Fire away.
The frown of a friend is better than the smile of a fool.
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
The protagonist and the father sound like the main characters from KungFu Panda hehe
do you need a name for the word 'love' (you've put it in bold)
Mother: Yves (don't know why, i just said it out loud as soon as i read the description)
Little sister: Duaa' (cos she'll be 'powerful' later on?)
and don't abt the rest... are you looking for any names or muslim names?
21 November 2006
2 min 28 sec
Any names...Muslims don't exist in this world - and I don't want the names to suggest a particular 'region of the world' or country, either. I have my reasons.
Can I spell Yves as Eve?
and no, love doesn't need a name. It just needs a heart to exist inside (how cheesy is that)!
The frown of a friend is better than the smile of a fool.
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
Yves sound better, 'casue you have to pronounce it in a certain manner, but yh do what you please : )
21 November 2006
2 min 28 sec
Do you? I didn't know that.
I thought it was pronounced exactly the same as Eve.
How do you pronounce it?
The frown of a friend is better than the smile of a fool.
24 June 2005
12 min 8 sec
Sounds like a plan.
Names are always hard to come up with.
I look forward to reading it.
nosce te ipsum
7 October 2008
6 days 22 hours
Wow... i always note dwn interstn names or names with gud meanings. But i suppose u cud always make up ur own names.
When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it is not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
naah, i pronounce it H'eves ... eve sounds to strict but H'eves breaks it down so its more of a sound than a name, do you get it? but yh Eve's gud : )
25 May 2008
4 days 21 hours
if you want good names, try going on a site where u can look for names and their meanings
"behindthename.com"
try that
type in the right hand corner under meaning what you want, and the nsmes that match should come up
28 October 2005
1 week 3 days
then why dont you call her h'eves instead of yves which some people pronounce ye ves lol!
People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.
24 June 2005
12 min 8 sec
You could call the place or is it Island of Lupus.
nosce te ipsum
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
or Isle of horse ... lol
Place: Titmus? Torah? Ta'meer? Phoria (Phoriat?)
Names: Enate, Kier, Kayfier, Clyde, Fraver,
Uncle: are you for something like Uncle Blah or the full name? anyways, How abt: Uncle Brand, Uncle Dee, Uncle Sur-Ive?
What do you have so far?
31 March 2008
1 hour 19 min
YOU DIDN'T!
24 June 2005
4 sec
A lot of Christian (by that I mean upbringing or culture, not necessarily that they are christian...) writers give the main hero character the initials JC.
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
28 October 2005
1 week 3 days
i know i didnt im not that dumb.
People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.
21 November 2006
2 min 29 sec
I've got some names...still lots to go.
I've actually almost finished the first chapter of the full version...still needs a little work. I've also finished the first part (out of 3 or 4 parts) in scene-by-scene basis.
Lots done, much more to do. Thanks for all the names, I'll try to keep you updated (if I don't post anything about this for a few weeks it means I've forgotten about it and need someone to prod me).
There's one forum member I'm going to ask for some specific help with this in one area, I'll PM them when I have more info... so stay tuned...
The frown of a friend is better than the smile of a fool.