EPT
Inspiration
I've written previously on what has been for me a connection between tabletop/board gaming and creative writing. For me, it was through writing backstories for my tabletop armies and backgrounds and plots for my Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that I really learned and practiced being creative. I've actually written some pretty great stories, or, failing that, at least some great moments. At the very least, I've created a lot of stories, whatever their quality might be. I'm no George R R Martin but you get the idea.
I was thinking to myself today, "I'll write a creative piece for my blog post." I sat down at my lunch break, cracked open a new text document, and proceeded to write nothing. I had to story to write. No inspiration, no direction. This usually doesn't happen to me-- I can crank out campaign stories and army backstories pretty quickly. So, instead of writing a creative piece, I'm gonna write about inspiration.
When I was writing my Wyweria campaign, I had a pretty good idea of what the players were going to do. They'd attack each of the four Champions in turn, defeating them, and moving on to the next. I wanted each of the Champions to be an interesting and distinct character, reflected in both how they fight and how they act leading up to combat. It was a fair amount of writing.
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I think the story of Urdol the fighter came to me the most easily. In this time period, instead of a series of semi-warring city-states, the Dwarves are a united Kingdom, brought together by the cunning and might of Urdol, the First DwarfLord. Despite the seeming unity of the Mountainhomes, there is an active noble class with usurpers and pretenders contantly angling for Urdol's throne.
When the evil Kobold adventurers break into his throne room, Urdol's courtiers largely desert him, fleeing through various exits. They are in fact hoping he dies, that they might take his place on the throne, or that the next King might be weaker, or they might be able to secede or sue for independence. Some Dwarves, however, will stand fast against the darkness. His brother and his son will remain, of course, for blood does not betray blood. Grand Marshal Tolga will stand by him, as an old war friend. The Nine Axedwarves, sworn to defend the King with their lives and follow the commands of him and his Grand Marshal, will not break their oaths. Several nobles will also cower in the corners and under tables to watch and see what happens.
In the few moments before combat begins, Urdol will urge his brother, Urist, to flee. He pushes his son, just 10 years old, to Urist, and says "go, and do as we have planned". Without question, or even hesitation, Urist grabs the heir to the throne and flees out the back of the room. Urdol, Tolga, and The Nine form a battle-line of shields and axes. They will slay the interlopers, or, failing that, delay them long enough that the heir will escape. Though Urist would be next in line for the throne if Urdol the younger dies, betrayal does not tempt him. He will safeguard the child's life until he comes of age and can return to press his claim and unite the Mountainhomes once again.
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Even if it's not great, there's a potential for story there, and it's only just some minor actions by NPCs. It feels fun, if not super unusual, as plots go. I wonder why I can write this, but I can't write something new. Are dwarves, elves and magic so special? Is D&D my muse?
Well, not really. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog (all 3 of you) will remember other creative projects I worked on, such as the enviable Capitalsim (link) or the unmistakeably sexy Blood and Metal (link). I'm cheesy, sure, but I can definitely write outside of the fantasy genre. I think what it comes down to is not having to create everything, or not having to create everything at once.
In the case of Urdol's story, Urdol as a character already existed. I'd written stats and a history for him, as well as his Kingdom. A recently-united Kingdom of warring Duchies and Counties is naturally going to have intrigue and sedition, and it makes sense that some would desert him and some would be loyal. The entire story is like a vine growing along the trellis of the pre-existing backstory. It's the same for Blood and Metal, which uses a common mythos and setting drawn from the GSL about a year ago, or Capitol Sim in which I spent some time laying a foundation then sort of branched out based on various people's suggestions.
The whole idea, I guess, is that inspiration isn't just something you (or rather, I) just plop out onto a blank paper. Writing characters, ideas, settings, and events first will let plot, conflict, drama, and development grow naturally. Maybe a real creative writer can just start putting words to paper and have everything flow out right there-- but for me, it's a matter of having a foundation. Next time I want to sit down and write something neat, I guess, I'll start with some characters or ideas.
It occurs to me that this sort of observation might be super obvious to other writers, but putting it into words helps me sort it out.
