What kind of otherworld do you prefer?

[Cruel2BKind]

I was going to say fantasy, but then I remembered I was working on a straight piece that took place in the American west in a pioneer town.

A lot of stories take place in 'the now'. Fairly modernized part of the world, at this time period. What is your favorite setting that isn't in 'the now'?

Space? Dystopia? Future?

Tolkeinesque fantasy? Exotic lands? Victorian age?

Wartime? Ocean? Utopia?

Where do you like to set your work when modern America or UK just isn't enough?

 

[Kurokami]

Easy one: Space. In the future. Not a utopian future, because utopias aren't hugely interesting on their own, but not a dystopic future either, because it's too easy to get caught up in the misery of the place, which doesn't make a lot of sense.

I like setting things in the future because it allows me to create whole worlds, cool monsters, and fill the place with robots (and robots are awesome.) I love world building and keeping everything straight and internally consistent, and then seeing what my characters would do in that setting.

And frankly... it allows me to cheat. I don't have to be bound by what's possible now; if I think of something that seems cool, there's probably a way to fit it in, and make it work in that world. Hell, my current series went through a drastic shift in character and tone, just because I thought that a brothel staffed by telepathic aliens was a cool idea. The weirdest shit can inspire the coolest stories, and once you're unbound by the present and Earth, anything is, if not possible, then at least acceptable.

 

[Safe_Bet]

• Amy Warrior Princess - Attacking the coastline of Europe, slaying men, seducing women and ravishing churches.

<snip>

• Luscious Amy La Rue Queen of the Outlaws - Riding across the old west slaying men, seducing women and ravishing stage coaches.

<snip>

• Capt. Amy Janeway of the Starship Lesbos - crossing the galaxy slaying men, seducing women and ravishing the Borg.


Happy now???

 

[oggbashan]

Any that has similarities to our own but with one or two slight differences that allow the author to consider "What if?".

George Orwell's 1984 is an example. He was suggesting (in 1948) that if the UK's temporary war time controls were continued and extended indefinitely into the peace then life would become unfree and intolerable.

 

[PennLady]

I generally don't care about the setting as long as the plot is something I'm interested in. I've read probably all of the settings you've mentioned and I'm not sure I prefer any particular one over the other.

 

[sunandshadow]

I don't like dystopia or wartime much. I like fantasy, science fantasy, or science fiction settings that are fairly cheerful and have an interesting culture and preferably the characters have some kind of unique biology or technology integrated into their bodies. Some of my favorite historical settings to base a fantasy setting on are: stone age tribal cultures of various kinds, clan scotland, regency england, and a 'superhero' period somewhere in the 60s-80s. As far as futuristic settings go I like Star-Trek style universes where most of the universe is at peace and there are interspecies romances. It's also very nice to see fantasy or science fiction based on an animalistic culture, for example what would life be like among a race or dragons or winged bird-people? What would a civilization that evolved from a dog or cat base rather than our own primate one be like?

 

[jomar]

Like Pennlady, I've read great stories in all of those otherworlds and not sure I prefer any specific one...though I have gone on binges.

If pushed as a writer, I would probably have to say science fiction is a draw. Like Kurokami you can make stuff up, within reason without it becoming fantasy.

There have been a lot of chain/connected stories here and the one that appealed to me once upon a time was science fiction. (Huh...I tried to find the 2007 thread for a blast from the past, but my post history only goes back to early 2012...don't know how to pull up older ones if they're available somewhere, but seems like I reread it less than a year ago.)

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Huh.

Maybe I'm just incredibly morbid or something, but I LOVE writing dystopia!

I've also written in psudo-victorian England (with mermen)

Post-columbian north america (with werewolves)

Dystopian future america (with genetically altered ladyboys)

Modern Day north america (with zombies)

Fourteenth century scandinavia

and Tolkienesque village (with tentacle demon)

 

[Kurokami]

Huh.

Maybe I'm just incredibly morbid or something, but I LOVE writing dystopia!

I've also written in psudo-victorian England (with mermen)

Post-columbian north america (with werewolves)

Dystopian future america (with genetically altered ladyboys)

Modern Day north america (with zombies)

Fourteenth century scandinavia

and Tolkienesque village (with tentacle demon)

Writing challenge: Write a story with all the things listed there in brackets in it. Individually

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Writing challenge: Write a story with all the things listed there in brackets in it. Individually

I dunno, crossover time?

 

[R. Richard]

In my Second Chance series, I use a whole world as the environment for the action. The whole world includes aircraft in the air and even sea adventure. If that's not enough, the protagonist also has 'portal' links to other worlds. Why limit myself to a single environment?
I use a completely different environment in Not A Hero, but also use the 'portal' links to other worlds. Again, why limit myself to a single environment?

 

[Kurokami]

I dunno, crossover time?

If the Avengers are anything to go by, crossovers make bank.

 

[PennLady]

So far, most of the stories I've written have been set in the present, and it's mostly b/c it doesn't require much research. I know the rules, so to speak. I have a couple of sf/f stories waiting for me to work on, and I like that b/c then I can make up the rules, as others have noted. Generally I just haven't had the time to set down rules for anything else I might like. But I'll get there.

 

[TE999]

I like writing science fiction and fantasy stories in the style of the pulp magazines of the 1930's and 40's; the so-called 'Golden Age of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Space opera, swords and sorcery, lost worlds, time travel, alternate realities, steampunk, that sort of thing.

No futurian dystopian angst for this guy. Life has enough of that in spades; I dig escapism.

 

[PennLady]

I like writing science fiction and fantasy stories in the style of the pulp magazines of the 1930's and 40's; the so-called 'Golden Age of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Space opera, swords and sorcery, lost worlds, time travel, alternate realities, steampunk, that sort of thing.

No futurian dystopian angst for this guy. Life has enough of that in spades; I dig escapism.

I love the pulpy sf stuff. I have a bunch of old Michael Moorcock stuff that's like that. Haven't read it in ages but I kind of miss them.

 

[Safe_Bet]

I love the pulpy sf stuff. I have a bunch of old Michael Moorcock stuff that's like that. Haven't read it in ages but I kind of miss them.

This is the best one of those EVER!

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=is... pirates outer space&sa=N&biw=320&bih=416#i=3

How can you beat a story with the title, "I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space!".

I mean it has every aspect of a great story: Suspense... Intrigue... Drama... Aliens... HAWT lesbian chick yelling "ARRRRRRR". It's perfect!

 

[TxRad]

Most of the time the world dictates the story but sometimes the story has to dictate the world.

This world is fine for most stuff but I have a couple of data bases set up for otherworld stuff. One world is on the edge between heaven and hell and the other world is completely round, flat (No mountains or natural physical marks), and covered with blue/green grass. It is also alive. I like that last part.

 

[Handley_Page]

•
Amy Warrior Princess - Attacking the coastline of Europe, slaying men, seducing women and ravishing churches.
<snip>
• Luscious Amy La Rue Queen of the Outlaws - Riding across the old west slaying men, seducing women and ravishing stage coaches.
<snip>
• Capt. Amy Janeway of the Starship Lesbos - crossing the galaxy slaying men, seducing women and ravishing the Borg.

Happy now???

Why slaying men exclusively ?. Some of the women might not want to be seduced (some might welcome it). And why ravishment ?

Any that has similarities to our own but with one or two slight differences that allow the author to consider "What if?".

George Orwell's 1984 is an example. He was suggesting (in 1948) that if the UK's temporary war time controls were continued and extended indefinitely into the peace then life would become unfree and intolerable.

There are those who reckon it's already here!

This location of my fantasy (so-called) humour is a small rural Kingdom (rather medieval).

 

[Stella_Omega]

I have a time-travel idea that I haven't dug into yet, that goes from a few hundred years in the future to the time of Ghenghis Khan, WWII, and somewhen else that I haven't figured out yet... The research is so time consuming!

I've written a ton of Age Of Sail and some fantasy, and some space opera. Despina is sort of an alternate version of now-ish.

 

[oggbashan]

There are problems with creating an otherworld:

1. It has to be internally consistent. You have to remember every difference you have made, and not change them. For example, if firearms aren't available you can't introduce them. You shouldn't invent new weapons to solve each problem which happens in E E Doc Smith's Lensman series to such an extent that it seems like childhood boasting - "I've got a bow and arrow." "So what? I've got a Winchester." "OK. I've got a Sharps rifle that outranges your Winchester. "So I've got artillery..."

2. You have to explain it to the reader without masses of boring introduction. Heinlein's Glory Road is a good example of how to do it. The hero doesn't know the differences so has to find out by trial and error.

3. Humans have to remain human. If they don't, much of the interest is lost. Much SF could be rewritten as Westerns. The good guy kills or outsmarts the baddies and rides off into the sunset with the girl.

 

[BTTap]

I've always liked fantasy (Tolkienesque) worlds, but also historical fiction, especially during war-time. I think Bernard Cornwell books are top notch light fiction (read: formulaic)-especially those taking place during the Napoleonic Wars, the 100 Years War, and the Viking conquest of Britain. Haven't read much erotica taking place in those 'worlds,' though.
Any suggestions?

 

[sr71plt]

I usually go for historicals or exotic locales for my "other worlds."

 

[oggbashan]

I'm not sure that I'd class all historical fiction as 'otherworld'.

Most late 20th Century and current authors writing historical fiction are much more accurate about the relevant periods than earlier authors such as G A Henty whose books were set in an idealised version of British History.

For example, Georgette Heyer's fiction was based on extensive research for the periods in which she set her novels. If the characters use colloquial language, it is language that was actually current at the time. If she refers to real historical people, or contemporary events, those people or events are consistent with the known facts. Her account of the Battle of Waterloo matches the actual fighting. In later life she tried to suppress some of her earlier work because the historical accuracy wasn't good enough.

Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill and Rewards and Fairies showed the way. The periods in which the stories are set still seem to agree with what we know of the real history.

The difficult part of writing historical fiction is making the story accessible to a modern reader, seeming of the time, but creating a historical atmosphere. A story set in Chaucer's England written in Chaucer's language would be gibberish to many.

You can, of course, take small liberties. My pastiche of Gulliver's Travels is supposed to have been written by Swift. I know, and at least one reader has reminded me, that Swift didn't actually put his name to Gulliver's Travels in his lifetime. His authorship was only acknowledged after his death, but my version names him from the beginning. I know, and you know, that Gulliver's Travels was written by Swift but at the time it would have been imprudent of him to admit that he was the author...

 

[Cruel2BKind]

When I said otherworld, I just meant anything other than modern first-world nation.

Historical fiction counts.

I try to do some research for undergarments and things, but I always make it pretty clear to my audience that this is fantasy.

And if I forget that fourteenth century carrots were purple, or that there is no way that the vikings could have had tomatoes, then sue me.

 

[R. Richard]

And if I forget that fourteenth century carrots were purple, or that there is no way that the vikings could have had tomatoes, then sue me.

The 6kings (I don't like to use Roman numerals, were present in the new world from at least the late 10th century. Thus, they might have had tomatoes, depending on the specific time period.