Santharian Development

Hello all,
   I am an engineering student at the University of Washington, and though I love all things science my true passion is fantasy. To have stumbled on this site is really exciting for me, and I look forward to the opportunity I will have to share my ideas and writing style with all of you.  As many avid readers of fantasy do, I would like to try my hand at writing an original novel filled with the adventure magic love and gut wrenching tragedy that fill the pages of my favorite stories. However; I’m not really an uber-talented writer.  Even still I feel my creative juices flowing as I look over all of the wonderful compendium entries, and I’m sure I can put some well thought out pieces together.  This seems especially likely given the open and friendly nature the developers seem to have. 
   My specific interests would be in creating peoples, history, and even religion, but I’m sure it would probably be best for me to start with a beast or two, and maybe even a specific character before I take on such large ideas.  I fully intend to become an authority on Caelereth, though from the size and scope of this world it will likely take years for me to do so.  I am open to any suggestions as to what kind of entries will be best suited to helping me better understand the world I will be traversing.  Is a magical creature to ambitious for someone as new as I?

Best Regards,
Halghart

Hi Halghart.  Welcome. 

As stated by yourself, learning this world does take years.  But, they are wonderful years.  To get used to the way we do things here, a beast or plant would probably be best to start with.  It lets you dip a toe into the waters, so to speak.  Then, the more you learn the more in depth your entries can become. 

Again, welcome, and I can't wait to see what it is you have to contribute. :)

Hello and welcome from here as well, Halghart! :wave:

While the Dev Board isn't as active these days as it once used to be, we're always happy to welcome newcomers and help them on their way. :) Best thing of course before you set out on a complete novel is to start relatively small in Santharia to get your feet wet with a couple of entries in order to get to know the world better and the way entries should look like and learn how things work. Beast, plant, all fine, People entry would also be helpful, yup, especially as most newbies start with a beast or a plant, so could as well be a People entry for a change... Magical creature also sounds ok, but is a bit tricky, but if you have a rough idea on what you have in mind, just post here and get some more opinions on that. Anyway, nice to have you around, let's see where inspiration leads you!  :cool:

P.S. How come that most people always want to write whole novels before writing shorter text? I regularly wonder about that. After all, I also always wanted to write a novel before anything else... :lol: Well, eventually I found out that writing short stories is challenging enough, so I got a couple of these down at least by now and am slowly heading towards something bigger in scope (and more unusual) with one of my latest works. *haha* So yeah, I guess there's a point in that: Starting small is never a bad idea... ;)

Thank both of you for the warm welcome. I've noticed the slower nature of the Dev board, and perhaps I can find a friend or two as nerdy as myself to kick start some new and fresh ideas (if RL will let them find time). I am excited about this world, and I can't believe that there are not many many people who's imagination will catch fire if only they are exposed to this wonderful little gem. I mean the sheer number of contributions to date is a testament to that. I will do my part to fire up the creative juices.......


Perhaps I will start with a historical figure shrouded in a dark little myth  :evil:.  In this way my entry will have to be cross referenced and well researched in order to avoid any kind of fallacy. Any ideas as to region, time period, and peoples that might best kick off my learning and contributing?

Well, part of the reason for the low activity at the moment is the fact that the site isn't visible at all in search engines due to changes in the Google algorithms. So even if you desperately try to find Santharia without searching for "Santharia" you practically won't find it. And optimizing the site for search engines means a lot of time and energy, which I don't really have right now. What time I have I put in writing these days, and at least I make some progress in this area for a change. Anyway, feel free to spread the word, Halghart, as the more the merrier, that's for sure. The more people are around, the more motivating it's for everyone. :)

Well, if you want to write a People entry, take a look at this thread (http://www.santharia.com/dev/index.php/topic,12311.0.html) perhaps. Judy put together lots of referenced people in one place, so you might get an inspiration from there. Use the Santharian search engine (http://www.santharia.com/services/search_frame.htm) with a specific name to see where that name was mentioned in an entry, this should give you a rough idea where you could go from there if you want to write about this person.  :cool:

I am in no way a "real" member of the Dream, but I guess I can introduce myself regardless. I am Seagazer and I generally do language-y stuff, and I'm currently working on a bunch of new Orcish words. I would be happy to edit anything that you write, though I'm not the biggest expert in all the details.

Thank you Artimidor and it is nice to meet you Seagazer. I will soon be posting the beginning of my first works.

A late welcome Halghart.  I am Seeker.  I have been wandering around these parts for quite some time now.  Painting whatever interests me.  Pleased to meet your acquaintance.  I hope the energy and excitement I sense in your introduction does not wain.  there is so much fun and adventure to explore in the pages of Santharia.  Enjoy enjoy enjoy.  The more sparks we see from new members... the more likely a new fire will ignite amongst the old.  Welcome welcome.