What would your characters change about the world in which you've placed them and why?  Are they actively plotting to change that world and if so how are they planning to do this?  Are they for revolution or for reform?

How has your world come to the point it has politically?  Has it always been this way or were there historical figures campaigning for change?  What would their legacy be these days? 

Who keeps the official records?  Does change happen quickly, not at all or at such a rate continental drifts are thought to be quicker (!)?

My Eileen dislikes many of the ways in which the fairy government is run and she speaks out bluntly against this but that is her form of campaigning.  So how do your characters act here?

My fairy godmother, Eileen, when she was still in the magical realm wrote her version of historical events affecting her royal family background.  The only reason her books still exist is because of her royal status and they are kept in the Palace Library.  If anyone wants to read the books, they have to go to the Palace and give their name and address to the Librarian.  Not many do so.  There is no question of the books being let out of the Palace. 

So Eileen's guide to writing history would consist of the following tips:-

1. Always question the official version of events.  There is bound to be something suppressed you can uncover.
   
2. Always ask ordinary people for their recollections of events (unlike the Queen and her Council who only ask the more nobly born).
   
3. Write as you speak.  Be blunt.  Give your opinions.  Don't water them down for anyone.
   
4. Always write your history giving the context and background behind it.
   
5. Don't assume anyone is the bad guy before you start writing.
   

Any fairy godmother worthy of the name will be expert in a wide range of spells.  Some of the most useful include:-

1. Amphibian transformation.  Whether you prefer to turn people into frogs, newts, toads or whatever is up to you but this is a basic spell for all fairy godmothers to know.  You are bound to have to use it against someone.
   
2. Invisibility.  It remains one of the best ways of checking up on enemies.
   
3. Mind Reading/Blocking.  The idea being you read others' minds while keeping yours blocked so nobody can read yours.
   
4. Clothing/Shoes Creation.  Though it is important to get the exact details right.  Glass slippers really were not a good idea.  The original idea of fur slippers would have been much more comfortable and in these times when people care more about animal welfare, fake fur slippers are the real answer.
   
5. Flying.  You have to be able to meet your own transport needs whether you use a broomstick (there's no rule anywhere saying these are just for witches, it is just tradition) or use your own wing power.
   

The expert's expert for travelling in time is, of course, Doctor Who, but the nearest I get to this is writing posts with historical links for Chandler's Ford Today!  My latest is called In the King's Footsteps on the Great Ships Trail and shares news of a free Medieval Weekend coming up in July.  It also looks at what life was like back then and gives details of a new woodland walk being launched which takes people to the River Hamble where one of King Henry V's ships was found relatively recently.

Of course time travel is a very fertile field for stories.  Do the characters in your fictional world have this ability and, if so, how do they do it?  How far back in time can they go and do they resist the obvious temptation to change things?  If not, what are the consequences?

Can any of your characters time travel or is it restricted to an elite few (they almost certainly would be elite!)?  Equally if time travelling is really a case of exploring history, how is this done in your fictional world?  Would there be re-enactments and if so are they similar to ours?  What would the differences be?

Is history respected or treated with contempt?  Does the old saying that a "nation that forgets its history is destined to re-live it" come true in your settings?

How is time itself handled in your work?  Does it follow the same pattern as ours - 24 hours days etc - or are the days, weeks etc given different names and lengths of time to represent them?

There should be some story pointers there!

I'm currently reading on Kindle Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre and book 3 of Spike Milligan's war memoirs. Love them both yet they approach history from two very different angles.

So what angles exist in your fictional world?  What is the standard view and what opposes it?  What angles are encouraged?  Which are frowned on?  This can apply to history as it affects your world but also things like current affairs, the law, how the realm is governed and so on.

What angles do your characters have on the burning issues of the day in your fictional world and what are those issues?  How is the government handling these issues?  Are the press free to do their jobs without interference?

What are the angles on, say, looking after the environment in your setting?  Is there any climate change etc affecting that world?  Who leads the cause for looking after the world and who leads the cause against?

Incidentally what leads your characters to take the views they do (upbringing, conviction?). Do any of your characters have a "Damascus Road" moment leading them to change all views they had previously had?

So look at the angles on the issues affecting your characters and remember there should be more than one! 

Attitudes to other worlds depend on a number of factors - for a start, what world are you seeking an opinion about?  And if you live in a magical world which has been attacked by others trying to take powers and spells and so on, any view is likely to be somewhat jaundiced!

My fictional Fairy Kingdom despises humanity for its warlike and polluting qualities and has a complete blind spot on its own history of violence, greed and corruption.  But for me that makes it a real world.  Aren't we all blind to our own failings at times or seek to excuse them or try to cheer ourselves up admitting our failures but insisting X, Y and Z are far worse?

So what is the attitude of your fictional world to other worlds?  Does it accept they are out there?  Are they keen to develop ties or do they want to be left alone?  How advanced are they in science, enabling them to go and find other worlds for themselves, say?

It is only fair I turn to the opposite of what I've written about recently and look at the positive aspects of living in a fairytale/magical world.

1. Transport is never a problem.  No waiting for buses or trains.  It is likely you'd be able to fly or there would be some sort of magical process which makes transportation of people, goods or what have you easy.
   
2. Longer live spans.  (Unless unlucky enough to cross some witch or wizard of course). 
   
3. Happy ever after endings are expected for most.  No misery literature/stories here!  So the likelihood of you having your own happy ever after ending is reasonably high.  Certainly more so than on Earth.
   
4. You know to expect talking animals and so on.  At least it won't come as a shock.
   
5. You may discover you do have your own fairy godmother,  If so, there would be someone on your side!
   

One snag with living on a magical world is it is not always possible to use magic to deal with problems.  For a start there are bound to be those who have more magical powers and talents than you have so you dare not cross them on those grounds.  And in my fictional Fairy Kingdom, historically there have been wars which have led to certain areas being made barren.  So more magic used in those areas would cause even further damage and is outlawed on those grounds.

So the differing magical species have had to learn how to "trade" with each other so they can get the benefit of the other's superior skills without giving away too many of their own.  This is the nearest my Fairy Kingdom gets to "politics" but the different groups have taken to it well.  And to date most "trades" are successful.  (There haven't been any wars or riots because things have got out of hand).

The Queen and her Council "solve" problems by merely issuing laws about them but it is down to local community leaders to actually implement them.  So they too have to get together to work out how best to do this.  It has been noted that the community leaders have talked more in the last century than they had in the previous millennium!

I spend a lot of my writing life making up characters, situations they're in, the worlds in which they live and so on.  But how does the imagination work on your fictional world?  What kind of creative arts does your fictional world have?  Everyone needs a form of self expression so your characters should too and art is a great way of doing this.  So what art forms are used on your world?  Is there formal teaching? 

There have been some great artists, across music, acting, writing and so on, who are also great rebels.  Does this apply to your characters?  What form of rebellion are they using and how does it affect their creative side? 

The UK has a massive industry based on its creative arts.  I don't know how many millions are brought in thanks to Shakespeare and the tourists visiting Stratford-upon-Avon alone though I'm sure the annual sum must be considerable.  So does your fictional world benefit from its own creative one?  Does the benefit filter down to all sections of society or are only those of a certain background allowed to enjoy art?

How does the imaginative life work on your fictional world?  Which of your characters sing, act, dance, write and so on?  Are the arts appreciated or treated with contempt?  (Even the Vikings appreciated story telling so there should be appreciation somewhere for arts in your fiction),  Is creativity good?  Yes.  How does your fiction show that?

This side of heaven, there is no such thing as a perfect world and fiction reflects that truth.  So what are some of the downsides of living in a fairytale/magical world?  Here goes with my answers:-

1. You always come up against someone more powerful than you are magically.  So you either die in  a vain battle against them or accept they're going to be the one throwing their weight around, not you.
   
2. The wildlife is bigger, more ferocious and is likely to breath fire at you!
   
3. Magic can and does go wrong.  In my Fairy Kingdom it is not unknown for accidents to occur because someone has misread some calligraphy with the spell details on and ended up with results they had not anticipated.
   
4. There are monsters!
   
5. The talking animals that exist may well be more intelligent and have better conversation than you do.
   

Continuing yesterday's post, more downsides to being in a magical world include:-

1. Nothing is ever all it appears to be, even food and drink.  How do you know whether an object has been enchanted if you yourself are not magical with the necessary skills to detect this?
   
2. You can never trust apple sellers again.  The story of Snow White shows why this is the case.  And certainly you've got to look at pedlars in a new light.  Is that old woman really an old woman?
   
3. You daren't offend anybody.  You don't want magic used against you after all.
   
4. Sweet little cottages in the woods may have some very strange inhabitants.  Talking bears (with a fondness for porridge and a hatred for those who go around breaking their furniture), witches who think gingerbread is a great building material and wolves who decide to dress up in old women's clothing are just some examples that spring to mind here.
   
5. Brightly coloured roads should be avoided unless you want an adventure.  No road is meant to be brightly coloured, tarmac does the job quite nicely so if you come across a highway, say in a bright yellow, I would be very wary of using it.  It clearly leads to somewhere special.  Do you really want to find out what?  It's almost certainly going to be hazardous.
   

Telling the real from the fake is my theme for tonight's Chandler's Ford Today post called How to Spot a Real Writing Competition.

But spotting the dishonest from the honest is a crucial theme for crime stories and should play a part in most tales, regardless of genre.  This is because there is bound to be at least one dishonest character (I can't think of an honest villain off the top of my head!) and their actions, sometimes inactions, are bound to have consequences effecting other characters/the plot.  Also stories are nothing without conflict and the best conflict for story purposes, I think, is between good and evil.

So how do your "good" characters spot the bad ones?  Are the bad ones obvious or is their villainy revealed slice by slice (literally perhaps if writing horror!)?  Good characters shouldn't be nauseatingly good, they've got to win your readers round to their side.  Bad characters should have some redeeming features given very few of us are unremittingly evil and fiction should reflect that.  But all your characters should seem real to your audience.  There should be something about your characters that others can identify with.  And that is how you tell the real from the fake!

My fictional Fairy Kingdom is made up of several small communities (generally by species rather than by town or village).  Relationships between the different communities have been non-existent in the past (especially the dwarves and elves).  The one good thing is nobody wants to return to those days.  This is why the authorities encourage local shows for bringing the different groups together. 

The local communities generally look after their own well.  What they're not so good at is extending that generosity beyond their own kind.  The Queen and, prior to the defection Eileen as well, are encouraging that attitude to change.  This is one of the few areas where the Queen and Eileen were in agreement though both recognized that, unless they used magic to force the issue, this would take decades, at best, to change.  Neither wanted to use magic, feeling if you had to force the issue, they'd already failed.

What counts as little luxuries varies from person to person, of course, but it can also be different for your characters.  What would be luxuries for one fictional world would be basic necessities for another.

Little luxuries for me include Green and Black's mini chocolate bars, the odd glass of Baileys now and again, time to read (with no interruptions by phone etc) and going to writing festivals (though I also see that as a necessity!  Doubt if other members of  my family see it in quite the same light but there you go!).  So what would your characters have as their luxuries of choice?  Can they ever enjoy these, even if only occasionally?  What gets in the way of enjoying these things more regularly?

In a magical world, what stops characters just conjuring up what they want whenever they want them?  Are there rules they must follow (probably on pain of death, you'd need a pretty good reason not to break the rules!)?  Equally do they drain their powers every time they use magic (and when they use it for their own benefit drain their powers even quicker)?

Do characters have to earn the right to treat themselves by using magic by carrying out jobs for the authorities first?  If so, what jobs would they do?  Who would they be answerable to?  What are your characters prepared to do to get their little luxuries?

There are some story ideas in there I expect!

All worlds have competitions, usually designed to find new talent, and to encourage the development of skills.  Magical worlds are no exemption though they come with unique hazards.  Just how do you stop those willing to cheat (by literally zapping away the opposition say)?

In my Fairy Kingdom, magical species compete within their own groups and not across the species.  This is partly to stop the trolls and dwarves, to name one example, resuming their old hostilities, using competitions as a disguise. It is also because the competitions can be more easily managed if you only have one group of characters to deal with at a time.

Competitions are set up to show off what youngsters in each magical group have learned in the previous year.  Again the contest is like against like so nobody can dominate another.  It would be unfair to set a Year 3 student against a Year 1 pupil for example. 

There are rules for all competitions which are:-

1. You shall not kill your competitors or injure them in any way.  If you do, whatever it is you bestow on them will be doled out on you.  
   
2. You will only use the magical equipment your specific competition allows you to use.
   
3. You will not take magic enhancing pills or use spells to boost your abilities.
   
4. You will not use genies in any magical object to grant your wish to win.
   
5. Nor  will you call on your fairy godmother, should you have one, to help you in a competition.
   

These rules are adhered to, given the consequences for not doing so are severe and it is well known the Queen and her Council will issue the punishments allowed for by the lore.

This will always be of importance as our stories have to come from somewhere and the oral story telling tradition is responsible for us still having so many of our myths and legends.  I wonder how many mistakes have changed stories over the years as people misheard things...

Whatever your fictional world, there should be a sense of its past and oral story telling is one way of preserving that.  So in your world, what is the importance of story telling in general and the oral tradition in particular?

In my Fairy Kingdom the villages and other settlements have annual shows and oral storytelling is a major part of this.  Stories are re-told and even acted out.  It is considered vital the classic fairytales are well known by all.

And yes stories get written down too and put into books. 

So what forms does story telling take in your fictional creation? 

I like Eileen seeing the good side of humanity when the Kingdom despises us for greed, pollution and warmongering and assumes there isn’t good left.  Jenny shows the struggle of being a half being - not belonging to either world and experiencing the clash between cultures. She sees the disadvantages to both worlds and is torn between them. Jenny resents her mother for dropping her in it. 

Does your character(s) stick to the orthodox version of things or do they know their own mind like my Eileen does? 

Does your character know what they’ve got to achieve?  Do they care enough about it?  Is your character doing everything they can to get to that point? 

I like to read a wide range of materials, in print and electroncally, and these reflect my tastes.   They also reflect my mood to an extent.  If I'm after a good laugh, i'll read something like Spike Milligan's memoirs.  If I'm in more serious mood, I will tend to read Peter Acyroyd's  History of England series.

What reading materials do your characters like to read?  Are there restrictions on what can read, who set these and why? What is the punishment for those who read forbidden material (and how did they get hold of this in the first place?).

What counts as classic fiction in your fictional world?  Does it allow reading outside of its own limits by 1
encouraging residents to read fiction and non-fiction from other universes? 

Being magical has its downside.  (Just ask Harry Potter!).  There is always someone more powerful magically than you.  There is always an evil magical species or individual you need to be on your guard against.  And magical wildlife tend to be dangerous.  Just ask your average dragon!

To be any good magically yourself means studying well, constant practice to improve and hone the skills naturally inherited in the blood as well as taking the time and making the effort in developing new ones. Each generation of a species is expected to be better than the one before.  And there is rivalry to be the best of your own kind too.

And when your world has been at conflict with other worlds, as my Fairy Kingdom has been, there are other disadvantages.  Those who have been beaten by it are likely to resent magic and those who practice it and such would consider any magical being to be fair game. 

And if a magical species is tired, ill or run down, their powers will wane, making them more vulnerable to attack from those without such powers.  So being magical is not all a question of waving wands about at will.  Nor it is always much fun.

Logically history and truth ought to be the same thing but given we all know history is written by the winners, it, to quote George Gerswhin, "ain't necessarily so". And the same should apply in fiction.  Who writes the history in your fictional setting?  Who reports what your fictional governments do and are they "edited"?  Is there freedom of speech and expression?

History is something everyone in my Fairy Kingdom takes a huge interest in.  Not only does it have direct relevance to relationships between the different groups (the dwarves and elves being the obvious example), all in the realm are aware of their world being attacked and who by and when their world is responsible for the attacking, thus provoking a violent response back again.  So what wars would your fictional world have a history of and perhaps still suffers the consequences from?  What wars are never discussed because your world is ashamed of its role in them?

There are history programmes on FNN (in favour of the fairy royals to nobody’s surprise).  Everybody responsible for history programming takes the official line.  Eileen is the nearest to a revisionist and even she takes most things as gospel.  The Witch always disputed the truth of anything broadcast on FNN as she feels her family was unfairly portrayed and treated.  What Eileen queried was whether the royals could’ve intervened sooner, acted more fairly, preventing the need for a forceful defence. Eileen’s queries are not welcome.  They would never be welcome.  But Eileen saw that as no excuse to avoid asking the awkward questions!

Do your characters question the official histories?  Do they write them or their own versions?  What is taught in your equivalent of schools and so on?

Your fictional world has to come from somewhere so even if you don't write about the history directly, you should know where your world "comes from" as this will feed directly into what you write and how you write it.  If your world has a series of tragedies, for example, does it change its outlook on life in general (I think it would)?  Would your characters have a naturally optimistic attitude or not?  What history, personal or otherwise, triggers this?