– A literary analysis claiming that Jekyll was gay and strongly insinuating that Hyde was his drag persona
- 500 words on how Despacito has changed the American music industry (in Spanish)
- Literally didn’t even write an essay just turned in a picture of that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the cartoon angels are playing the trumpet w their asses
– We were supposed to make a ‘diary’ from the pov of a character in Romeo and Juliet. I chose to write as a gay servant who was hopelessly in love w Romeo and plotting to murder Juliet. It’s entirely handwritten w my left hand and stg every single word is spelled wrong. One page just says ‘today I saw a geese’. There are no fewer than 6 thinly veiled sexual innuendos.
Sorry to be the person to add unsolicited personal stories to posts, but I do very similar things with essays that I’m quite proud of and wanted to share, so here are a few of mine in chronological order:
– the assignment (freshman year) was to write an instructional essay about a mathematical concept we had used that year, “preferably the quadratic formula.” I wrote a 5 paragraph instructional essay on how to add single digit numbers. I received a grade of 105 for creativity and accuracy.
– the assignment was to write a summary of the uber-important grade-wide government simulation as a reporter from a mainstream newspaper. I chose the onion and wrote about the European Union changing its name to the European Disunion because they felt bad about all the anti-brexit voters who got let down
– we were supposed to watch a historical movie and write a compare/contrast essay on how accurate it was to actual historical events. I chose Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and did not mention vampires AT ALL until the last sentence of the essay.
– in health class we were assigned to write a “letter” essay convincing a teenager not to try drugs. I wrote an impressively sinister 6 paragraphs posing as the FBI agent stalking the teenager filled with lines like “they’re trying to hurt you. don’t ask me how I know- I always know. I’m here even when you can’t sense me. Drugs kill more effectively than the yakuza- and I would know.”
These are incredible
Freshman year of high school, for my Bible class (private school Christian education, whattup) we had to write a diary entry from an Egyptian’s pov during the period when Moses came to free the Israelites and the whole 10 plagues bit happened. I turned in three pages of hand-drawn hieroglyphics. 100.
Sophomore year of high school we had to write a poem in the style of a poet we had covered that year. I chose Alfred Noyes (he wrote “The Highwayman”) and, being that I was fully obsessed with Avatar the Last Airbender, I wrote “The Cabbage Man.” 100.
Junior year of high school we had to write a persuasive essay about Hamlet. I wrote mine arguing that Hamlet was very poor-sighted (he thinks Polonius is a fishmonger, he doesn’t recognize Ophelia, he literally thinks Rosencrantz is a sponge, etc.). It was complete bullshit, but I provided textual evidence for every claim and ended with the assertion that, had Hamlet a good Ophthalmologist, a good amount of nonsense could have been avoided. I got a 100 and the teacher read it out loud to the class
Senior year of high school, for my college admissions essay, I was supposed to write a letter to someone who changed my life. I wrote it to the monster who lived under my bed as a child. I got into every college I applied to.
Early on in my master’s program for library and information sciences I had to write an essay examining how archives are used by records creators and researchers for the purpose of preserving and accessing information.
One thing that is kind of irresistible in fantasy are the totally awesome, sometimes mythical, exotic pets. I will never say don’t write them, because I love them (and I LOVE reading about them) but definitely keep a few things in mind while writing them.
They are animals. Let them act like animals. They may act as an extension of the hero’s hand, but that should only mean that they are well trained. They’re still separate (most of the time) from the character and like to do their own things. Think of a dog. It might fetch you your newspaper, but it also might chase the neighbor’s cat, chase its tail, and explore odd rooms of your house at random times of the day. It’s what dogs do.
Remember the owner-pet relationship. If you’ve ever owned a pet, you know this is a sacred thing. I’ve shared this bond with a pet fish, Bloop – and yeah, it’s sacred stuff. Think of this relationship as you would any relationship. It’s one that involves nurturing, bonding, dependency. Even a fairly self sufficient pet will require bonding.
When writing about fantasy creatures, know the mythology. As the writer, you have a large degree of freedom, but if you’re writing about a creature that has a somewhat ambiguous appearance (like most of them) make sure you keep their descriptions consistent and if you don’t plan on describing in super detail, make sure they are consistent with popular belief, especially with creatures like dragons, werewolves, goblins, and griffins – as these in particular can be depicted in a number of ways and are some of the most variable.
What do the people wear on a date-to-day basis? Does it suit the climate they live in? Do only the rich wear purple? Is clothing representative of class? What do they wear for celebrations? For formal events?
There are definitely a few ways to include history in your own world! In fact, managing to do so seamlessly is a very important part of world building. Here’s some ways to include it without making it seem too obvious.
1) Include a scholarly character. If you have a character who’s studied a lot of history, they can be very useful in explaining historical events. As a history nerd myself, I have a tendency to explain battles/kings/cultures whenever it seems topically relevant (and even sometimes when it’s not). Including a character like this gives you the freedom to go into long-winded explanations that may otherwise seem out of place.
2) Pass by important landmarks. By having your characters pass by certain battlefields/buildings/pilgrimage sites/etc., it gives you the time to mention the historical or cultural importance of the place. The way the characters respond to the site can also be telling; the area can harbor memories, tales that they’ve heard, or bring back echoes of history lessons.
3) Make it cultural. Many historical events can leave lasting marks on the behaviors and prejudices of a society. (Note that not all of these have to be negative!) You can make a note of why these things occur by referencing the history. For example, perhaps no one has worn the color yellow since the tragically young death of a princess years before, or there has been an influx of people named after an iconic hero or leader who saved the kingdom from some threat.
Great question! To be honest my very first caution to you is:
Don’t try to make it sound too old. Not in the sense that you’re in the wrong era, but in the sense that, as a reader, I really don’t want to go through a whole book where people use ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ in every sentence. The point is, if you try too hard to make your fantasy writing sound old timey, you might end up strangling the writing. It’s okay to have characters use more modern ways of speaking for the reader’s sake. It’s also okay if your story sounds a little modern–as long as the setting and characters are well established, your reader most likely won’t fault you for it. It makes reading it easier.
Given that, under the cut are a few tips that I can think of to make your language more fantasy-like.
I could have sworn I had a few posts before to link you to, but I can’t seem to find them. So then let’s start anew! A few key elements, in my mind, include:
Magical rules/limitations/origins. What exactly can magic do? Does it distort reality, feed off internalized energy, or is it a borrowed force? Is it something that can be studied, or a natural skill to be honed? Is it gods given or an omnipresent forced to be tamed? These questions (and more) can lead to more consistency and make your world more believable.
Societal organization. Magic can change the game with social hierarchy and social classes. Plus, since your world isn’t based in historical/earthly happenings, you have complete control over the way the society runs. It doesn’t have to be at all reminiscent of what our world does/has done!
Keep religion in mind. At its core, religion seeks to explain answers to questions people don’t have answers to. With the addition of magic, people will have different questions. Tailor any religions/religious beliefs to that fact!
Unique species. You have the freedom to create entirely new types of creatures, sentient peoples, etc. (You can also borrow from existing mythologies! Think the fauns of C.S. Lewis’s worlds [from Roman mythology] and elves of Tolkein’s Middle Earth [Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology]!) Creatures like hobbits are exciting and popular as they’re novel to, well, Tolkein’s novels. This isn’t an absolute must have, but it makes things more interesting!
Diverse landscapes (and cast). These tend to be overlooked, but even in fictional worlds, there’s likely to be more than lush forests and one standard appearance to people. You can still include deserts and mountains and valleys and tundras in a fantasy world! And you can have people of all different sorts of cultures and tones living in them!
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