Padriag
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Joined: 3/30/2005
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I was going to suggest if you wanted to do a fantasy setting you might want to take a look at HarnWorld by Columbia Games, its well know for its internal consistency. But since you wrote this...
quote:
the basic concept for the 'world' the stories are set in, is a modern world with the power-exchangers (catch phrase to encompass everybody it'd take 3pages to include) operate in their own little truth under the radar of the vanilla world...think rice's vampires or some kiddie wizards people might be familar with...a cabal whic both effects the ordianary world as is penned in by it while they fufill their indvidual wants(err wanton) of power expressed on a sexual level.
First question, why the Al Crowley inclusion?
Second, have you considered look at the present day Mafia for a model... the actually do this sort of thing you know.
One writer to another I'd suggest you start by developing your setting first. Pick a city or town to be the main setting and look at that. Do some research, census info, city publicity info (you can send off for that, most places have special info packs for writers doing research, just call and ask), maybe search around for some photos, take a trip there and experience the place. Then write out a description of the parts of the city you want to use... either real or invented nightclubs, resteraunts, buildings, people, etc... make it a living breathing place that the reader could imagine functioning as a normal city.
Once you have that, then start building your cabal behind the scenes of that. Think it through, who are they, how did they start and when. Build your timeline up from that starting point to present, how did they develop, grow, expand, avoid detection, etc. Layering that detail will add believability and depth. Also keep in mind that probably 2/3 of that detail won't make it into the book, it'll remain just in your notes... save it for a "Guide to..." book later.
By now you have enough information and detail plots should be easy to develop because you've created a "living" setting that could conceivably exist and function. Decide on a main plot for the book... one persons journey into this world? Some one escaping it? The rise to power of one individual through the ranks? Stick to one main idea and then add subplots to that.
Write clearly, avoid too much fancy language or complex grammar. Remember, the average high school graduate in the US cannot properly diagram a sentence... stick to language that is accessible, you aren't here to show off how sesquipedalian you can be.
If you must invent language, either gang slang, code words, etc... actually create a functional language and write it down. Work out how that developed too. People love Tolkien's elvish (and there is more than one form actually) because he was a linguist who created "living" languages the reader can make sense of once they learn some of the meanings. Simple examples... gul means magic. A reader knowing that even if they have never read the books could guess that Nazgul was something magical... Mor means dark... thus Morgul probably means "dark magic". The reader can than figure that Mordor must mean dark something... maybe guess at "dark place"... but once they also see Gondor, the astute reader might correctly guess Mordor means Dark Land. Once a reader has this, the words make sense and don't seem so alien. They can begin anticipating meanings of words without the author having to constantly explain them (which breaks the flow of the story if done too much) and even invent their own, which for some readers is a lot of fun.
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Padriag
A stern discipline pervades all nature, which is a little cruel so that it may be very kind - Edmund Spencer
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