This sounds really cool, actually! I think the “medieval” fantasy has been such a staple for so long that an 18th century vibe is quite refreshing.
Thanks - though I must admit it’s a very loose triangulation just based on sort of the state I wanted technology and such to be. (except the gunpowder of course) I didn’t want to have to write about people eating from trenchers and such. Due to the lack of gunpowder I’ve preserved certain weapons that otherwise would likely not be very prevalent with firearms around, but it’s not the kind of story where I go very deep in drawing attention to that, either.
And nothing wrong with heading for the middle ground between cosy and grimdark…I’ve dropped a few series because once all my favourite characters had been brutally killed off, I just didn’t care enough about the handful still left alive that I was willing to keep paying for books, you know?
Thanks - I try not to get too inside my own head about those sorts of things, but from time to time I get an imaginary “reader” on my shoulder saying “Oh sure and somehow none of them died during all that?” I appreciate your pointing out that not everyone will have that reaction though. The character I was considering killing off has probably got the broadest appeal of any of the main characters, so if I had, I might have walked right into the trap you mention. 🙂
I’m definitely done with the world. Like, I love it, and I might go back to it one day, but after writing so much about it, I’m really ready to try something new and different.
Yeah that totally makes sense. That’s a lot of words (and who knows how many more you revised/trimmed out over the years) for a solitary pursuit, I could absolutely understand wanting to do something different.
Working with a new genre is challenging, especially if it’s not one you’ve read a lot.
I’ve read a fair bit of sci-fi too, but not a quantity that I feel is really going to help me write it, if that makes sense.
But a sci-fi/fantasy blend is more forgiving in that respect than hard sci-fi, since the magical elements allows you to get away with fuzzier science.
That’s a great point, and something to consider.
I’m feeling drawn to some xenofiction, maybe,
I had to google that I admit - that does sound very interesting. Now with your comment about short stories I’m going, “So like a squirrel who witnesses some major historical event while going about his daily life, but has no idea of the significance it poses to humans?” Would that be the sort of thing that would qualify? I have to admit THAT is a genre I have never read.
I just need to find that character+world combination that I feel attached to enough to spend time on, if you know what I mean?
I totally do - it’s funny how things just grab you. My story originates almost entirely from a dream I had that inspired the magic system I use. I didn’t even decide I was going to write a story for another year or more after that, but all during that time I kept thinking it would be a fun magic system to work with. When I decided I was ready to start writing, it was immediately what I thought of.
Well, if you decide to let folks read your work, I can’t promise I’ll get through that many words in a timely fashion, but I’d love to give it a shot.