I thought I might as well toss up some guidelines that could give some new writers a path to follow. You can choose to follow what I say strictly, or just completely blow it off; doesn’t much matter. It’s your story, so be creative with it! I’m just here to try and help.
Table of Contents
I. Story Topics
II. Creativity in Writing
III. Writing Guidelines
IV. Descriptive Limitations
V. Hero’s Journey
VI. Involving NPCs
VII. Adding Flavor Lore
VIII. After Publishing
I. Story Topics
Now, while this is very much your story and your creation, it does have to take place within the WoW universe (Blizzard’s rules from the old Seat of Knowledge forum, not mine). People tend to shy away from stories that involve heavy lorebreaking without an explanation. This doesn’t include things such as alternate dimensions, changes in the past, nightmares or dreams, etc, but rather blatant alterations that don’t serve any purpose other than “I said so”. However, so long as you make it obvious that your story is in Warcraft, you should be fine.
II. Creativity in Writing
Something to always keep in mind while writing your story, is that it is your creation and your imagination that is at work; not someone else’s. If you want to involve a giant, undead, fel-corrupted dragon in Moonglade for your story about a teenager with a mechanical arm and a blade that can cut through anything… Have at it. It’s your story so you write it however you see fit to capture your imagination and entertain others.
III. Writing Guidelines
People don’t like to read walls of texts, paragraphs filled with bad punctuation, wrong spelling or broken English, so if you want to hook your readers before they even start reading, break your story apart. Split them up into smaller paragraphs, use proper grammar and punctuation and if you don’t know how to spell a specific word, try using Google’s voice recognition on your phone or laptop to pronounce the word; Google should recognize it, and then you’ll know how to spell it. Trust me, splitting your story into paragraphs and using proper grammar goes a long way with a reader’s eye.
IV. Descriptive Limitations
While this is Warcraft, there are some descriptive limitations that could get your thread deleted if you break some of the rules. As you very well know, World of Warcraft is filled with blood, gore and torture, all of which can be within your story without a problem (usually). However, I wouldn’t go about describing in great detail the victim of some heinous death. Gore can usually be described if you’re detailing an Abomination or Ghoul, but if you’re describing a character’s death, keep it to a minimum. People are much more queasy reading about recently dead bodies than they are zombies, even if they’re technically the same thing. There’s a mental barrier there that separates the two and crossing that line can have more people clicking off of your story. Same goes for describing scenes of sexual intercourse, nudity, non-consensual sex, etc. If you want to share your Warcraft fantasy, there are sites for that, but this is not one of them.
V. The Hero’s Journey
Any great story needs a hero, and any great hero needs a journey. In 1987, Joseph Campbell released a book titled “The Hero’s Journey”, and it showed people how almost every hero, whether it be Gilgamesh of ancient Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago, or the well-known Superman and even Jesus Christ, all share shockingly similar traits. According to Joseph Campbell, they all follow a guideline of a story element; and for good reasons. People love it. Remember, you do not have to follow the Hero’s Journey to make a good story, but here’s a breakdown of the Hero’s Journey in a simplified version:
Unusual Birth
Whether it’s the common virgin birth story or the death of the character’s parents, anything unusual that happens at birth or at a young age can fit right in here.
Call to Adventure
This usually includes a messenger of some sort or a way of the hero being requested for aid in a mission, usually in a faraway land.
Refusal of the Call
The hero tends to refuse the call to adventure at first, but is then forced to go, convinced to, or chooses to go.
Meeting the Mentor
It could be a teacher, father, trainer, or even a sibling, but this area usually includes training or preparation for the adventure.
Crossing the First Threshold
Whether it’s fighting a dragon, tackling a giant, solving a riddle, saving the town or rescuing Timmy from a well, this is the first trial that has to be conquered to achieve the goal.
The Challenges
These usually include physical, mental and spiritual challenges which can be in any order, and usually spread out. These challenges also don’t have to be related to the main story, and can be simple challenges on the side to further character development.
The Approach
Your hero is getting close to the goal! Is s/he backing out? Preparing for battle? Avenging his/her mentor’s death? Having multiple flashbacks?
Death and Rebirth
The first fight didn’t go so well, ending in a crushing defeat, and your hero now rests in Nadir, or the low point or belly of the beast. S/he might be captured or imprisoned or discarded, but s/he feels defeated and weak. The rebirth is when s/he realizes that s/he can do it, and finds a way out.
Seizing the Magic Talisman
It could have been given to him/her by his/her mentor, or simply taken off the body of a fallen hero, but the magic talisman can be everything from a magical sword, legendary bow or even an enchanted amulet that will help in the final fight.
The Final Fight
Now the final fight arrives… Using the magic talisman, your hero defeats the enemy and has a heroic victory!
The Road Back
The enemy has been vanquished, and now your hero must brave the challenges of getting home, which usually includes a magic flight. A massive Hippogryph, a horned Wyvern, an Alliance airship, or even a small, rickety boat fight into the “magic flight” scenario, just so long as they’re headed home.
Fitting Back In
Your hero just ended the reign of a well-known enemy, and his/her hometown or organization recognizes his/her victory and celebrates. But does your hero enjoy the fame?
VI. Involving NPCs
While this is sometimes frowned upon in RP, such as claiming you’re the brother or sister of _____, it is sometimes necessary to include specific NPCs in a story that revolves around a major event. For example, if you were writing a story about your character and the events of the Siege of Orgrimmar, it might be necessary to include speaking with Vol’jin, Jaina or Baine before the attack. It’s usually a good idea (and more fun, in my opinion) to make up names and backstories of the characters in your story.
VII. Adding Filler Lore
Filler Lore is filling in the blank, empty places that should be described in lore. For example, a draenei from Argus would know some of the many planets and locations they stopped by along the way, since Blizzard has never specified these, you may find yourself making some up. While these kinds of areas are usually left avoided, they are sometimes needed for specific story elements and many people don’t mind new things being created to fill in the gaps.
VIII. After Publishing
Once your story is published and created in the World’s End Tavern (or whatever other media you choose to put it in), you will most definitely receive at least a little criticism. Don’t be discouraged. For starters, not everyone’s writing is perfect, and not everyone enjoys reading the creations of others they don’t agree with. Keep in mind, though, that if they’re trying to be constructive and not simply annoying, you should take in consideration what they’re saying and not dismiss it out-of-hand. But if they’re just there to throw around insults, don’t even bother. Your work is magnificent because you wrote it. Always remember that.
I hope this helps some of the new writers, and as always, you can completely disregard everything I’ve said, or follow it all strictly. It doesn’t matter. It’s your story, it’s your creation, so be creative!
Yours truly,
Cannibal of Wyrmrest Accord