Mission Statement

I figured it was about time I got back into doing design notes for my various writing and art projects, so here I am.  I more or less aim to put my thought process out in the open, be it to help my projects make sense, or to invite feedback that might spur on other ideas.  For the most part, it's just an excuse to ramble on about my creative projects.

Best place to start might as well be doing a little intro on why I've constructed the world of Ethuel -- the backdrop for nearly all of my writing -- the way that I have. Really good fantasy, to me at least, is something with two opposite sides that have to maintain a proper balance; the mundane, earthy, and visceral terror that comes from the unease of a mundane world contacting the otherworldly, and the truly epic clash of powers beyond mortal comprehension.  You can build a great setting on either premise alone, but that often results in a lack of depth, or at least a very shallow representation of a world that has that depth.  It's easy to build fan-bases on either end of the spectrum, but as a writer, you can really put yourself in a corner by doing so, and lose access to a very different form of storytelling.

Ethuel is all about creating that balance and using both ends to tell a larger story.  Incorporating both the everyman and the otherworldly, I've attempted -- and in my opinion, succeeded -- in bringing the two sides of fantasy together into a more well rounded form.  I've established very clear hierarchies and rivalries at all levels of the setting, and even though the two major tiers of power don't cross much, they still interact quite simply and directly.  Mortals conflict with mortals.  Mortals are manipulated by immortals.  Immortals are dependent upon mortals for various reasons.  Immortals conflict with other immortals.  The end result is more complex than that, but you get the general idea of it.  It's a world where the equivalent to the fantastic stories of the Eddas can take place, even as the in-world equals of the vikings that composed them are written alongside.  It's a model that enables heroism at all levels in the setting, without losing the fearsome element that fantasy really needs in order to have any sort of traction.