Stories

[DerVVulfman]

What's your favorite type of character?
WEREWOLVES!!!! Just kidding. The hero who is actually 'vulnerable'. The first Die Hard actually achieved that fairly well (Not the others). Sam, Frodo and Aragorn had fairly vulnerable moments in Lord of the Rings as well.


What are your favorite genres? (Or should I say which? )
High Fantasy such as Lord of the Rings perhaps. You're getting a post from someone that actually read the Silmarillion (JRR Tolkein's 'bible' for Middle Earth). I also have copies of the first actual 'Conan the Barbarian' novels. Not exactly the same as the movies. And Manga/Anime of 'mainly' a Fantasy edge. No Gundam.


What would you think if the protagonist dies at any point before reaching two thirds of the whole story?
As a movie critic said when he saw the title: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, "What? They don't find him?" Kinda hard to tell a story without the protagonist at that point.


What would you say if your favorite character dies too soon in your own opinion?
When Aeris died in Final Fantasy VII, I wanted bloody revenge.


What do you think about conlangs? (Fake languages created by the authors for some specific purpose like describing a whole fake culture.)
Seen it before, even in the Tolkein material. So I have no worries as long as treated well. Of course, when your audience is reading about two characters speaking in said conlang, it is usally 'said' to be in the language.


What do you think about monsters and aliens?
When one thinks monsters, they tend to fall back upon old standbys. As far as aliens, it seems rather hard to get past either human-like variations, lizards or insects (thank to some TV miniseries or Starship Troopers). And if one talks monsters, they tend to always make them evil. But what of the 'human monster' being the more malevolent?


Should we include them in our stories?
Definitely depends upon the story. In the 'Conan' novels, there was no actual trace of monsters. You may have had primitive ape-like men discussed, akin to neanderthal like men. But they almost never appeared in the first dozen or so. Oh, yeah. The ape-man in Conan the Destroyer WAS lifted from one of the novels (a total suck-fest of a movie IMO).


Or should we lean more on human beings than monsters or aliens?
Oh, NOW I get to this query after the previous inquiries? Depends on the story. In a whole galaxy far, far away, the only malevolent and destructive alien was Jar Jar Binks!!!!!


Do you like to meet unknown, mysterious characters that never reveal themselves (completely)?
Sometimes, an enigma works. Keeping things secret works. Subtle references, foreshadowing the events that may occur or give a hint who (or what) the character may driver the reader's attention.


Do you prefer to read stories full of drama or packed with lots of action instead?
Please do not write a DBZ novel!!!
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT Tell a little bit of a story... FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT Tell a little bit of a story... FIGHT FIGHT!!!
How lame. You need to make the reader care for the characters, to despise the villain, to shock the reader if someone is endangered!


Do you prefer to take a look at stories that reflect reality as much as possible or not?
In high fantasy, not all that much. However, I also have read the Vampire Chronicles from Anne Rice, and enjoyed reading the characters like Lestat, Louis and company deal with the modern world.


Should stories end with a happy ending, an ill fate or just leave you hanging?
it's kinda hard to have a cliffhanger if everyone was happy. How they pulled it off with Star Trek II and The Empire Strikes Back was fine. However, the basic premise of drama is (I) Create the situation (II) Put the heroes in the worst dilemma, and (III) resolution.


Should a story include lots of heroes and NPC?
Just depends on the story. I will say that one needs to flesh out the characters a bit. To be honest, I didn't really know one dwarf from another when I first read 'The Hobbit'.


Or should we rely on villains and defective heroes that end up being pretty much helpless instead?
Helpless? Never make the villains helpless! If the heroes are against morons, the battle would be over quickly! So much for being heroic. You want the reader to be drawn into wanting the hero to succeed, even when wounded and hurting... Especially when he is wounded.


Do you think it is really necessary to describe characters in detail? (Including those like the shopkeeper you will only meet once)
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE (even if all of a sudden, that shopkeeper turns out to have the medallion that can lead to the alien spaceship... then describe him/her later) NOPE NOPE NOPE.


I think I still got tons of questions to ask you here, but for now I guess these should suffice to let you start this discussion any time soon.