In a post-renaissance age, a young scientist searches for his father, while stumbling across a technology from another time; someone with a robotic arm.
In 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them.
The antagonistic force is represented both by the advancement of technology and the ends that those in power are willing to go to control it. Both the government and its people find ways to leverage the rapidly advancing technology of the age to control and abuse one another, calling for social upheaval and global chaos. A king rules from a metal throne with sword and shield, as a federation controls the flow of wealth from cities filled with skyscrapers and firearms. Both of these worlds exist at the same time, and the push and pull of their influence affects more than just what is on the surface.
Hidden figures watch from the outside, puppeteers of a grand scheme that ties together the very fabric of the various powers at play. Their intentions are both unknown and incomprehensible by many of the souls that dwell in this world, living a rat race of their own lives while the true players battle it out for control of something far, far greater.
CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE
In Memory of Kings
The Aether Chronicles
DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES
I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov: More specifically ‘Robbie’, which features a sympathetic robot. As a sci-fi writer Isaac tackles many more questions that just lasers and spaceships, and delves into the philosophical of what advancement and technology can question. My story also has these same themes: how humans interact with technology, literal robots, the mind of the A.I., and ultimately, how power corrupts, alters, or creates.
Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien: Yes, every fantasy writer will compare to one of the classics; however it is a story that in fact shares some similarities to mine own. There is a high fantasy setting and a list of ensemble characters, a group of main protagonists who form a sort of fellowship, and a grand powerful force that threatens to dismantle life as we know it. Both stories feature politics of the elves, a species which also exist in my book, to the banding together of eclectic forces to oppose a seemingly infinite power, with the responsibility first on the shoulders of an unsuspecting person.
CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT
Abandoned by his prominent scientist father, a young elf must discover the secrets to his father’s disappearance and a terrible secret that has changed the course of the entire world.
OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS
As noted above, consider "conflict" divided into three parts, all of which you should ideally have present. First, the primary conflict which drives through the core of the work from beginning to end and which zeniths with an important climax (falling action and denouement to follow). Next, secondary conflicts or complications which can take various social forms (anything from a vigorous love subplot to family issues to turmoil with fellow characters). Finally, those inner conflicts the major characters must endure and resolve. You must note the inner personal conflicts elsewhere in this profile, but make certain to note any important interpersonal conflicts within this particular category."
Atriel feels abandoned by his father. For a while he and his father traveled the world attending conventions, presentations, and studying the intricate world of aether technology, in which they were at the forefront of discovery. Now, Atriel feels alone, forgotten, worthless. Should he ever study again, he would feel embarrassed that he wasn’t worthy to continue on with his father, wherever he is.
Celeste feels she has no control in her life. The daughter of a noble gone mad, she soon discovers herself at the middle of a dangerous web, one now-impossible to get out of. Although it was her choice, she now feels once again without control or autonomy, unable to change her fate once more. Should she try, she fears failure and cannot deal with the trauma of such an event, already at her last straw due to her own curiosity.
Vilanta feels as though she has no purpose. Born from wealth and politics, she is sent to a brothel for reasons unknown. She’s never known anything else, other than the ease of a highborn lifestyle that she now emulates with prominent clients and a firm grip on her funds. She has power, but she finds no use for it, only the struggle to get by the day-by-day. This is until a dangerous presence enters into her life, and forces her to make a choice.
THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING
The world is divided by a large mountain range on a single giant land mass; the north, inhabited by elves with pointed ears who live longer than the average human, have adapted crystal technology called Aether to power their cities. Grand buildings, skyscrapers with shimmering lights and windows, floating platforms and stairways, bridges connecting rooftop to rooftop; they live a life of excess, while those in the side streets and gutters see a very different picture. A federation of elves rule the varied numbered cities that make up the northern region of Al-Terra, coined by humans as the ‘New Land.” The elves call their land Terra, meaning ‘Land’, which they had migrated to first. The south, inhabited by humans as we know them, features medieval towns, wrought with steam-powered technology and castles with a king. There are a series of Colorguards, various men in different colored armor who serve a purpose based on said color. Greyguards, the oldest guard, are dying out, and only one country utilizes them. They are about balance, and created a court system by which to judge offenders. Blackguards, a guard who were created to defend the beliefs and practices of a certain ancient religion, only exist in the southern most country, where their power and influence surges. The main guard, chosen and upheld by the king and his kingdom, is the whiteguard, a guard of those who simply get paid to defend and enact a duty. The common folk of this world have an opinion on each, and since whiteguards are controlling all other human countries, they are often looked at with distaste or blind loyalty.
There are flying ships, ridden by sky pirates who pillage and plunder; firearms are just invented, and cause a power dynamic against the knights who still use sword and shield. The juxtaposition of futuristic environments with medieval and renaissance settings paints an important picture of wealth, power, and progress. Later in the series we will discover even more varied landscapes, from deserts with a city that holds a large fighting coliseum, to an isolated island with a maintained traditional culture ruled by a powerful empress. In this world, powerful people run gangs, hand in hand with the pirates also called Tradesmen, who rule from the shadows with their wealth and influence. Bombs are made from aether that can destroy entire nations, and yet there are those who still wish to train in the art of sword fighting. Bigotry runs rampant between humans and elves, as humans see elves as superior and flaunting their knowledge and wealth. It is not uncommon for elves to be mistreated in the south, and those of mixed blood, called half-elves, find no place in this world. The various protagonists experience different versions of the same existence, all through their own individual lens.
In the southern most country, a young girl begins to see the troubles with an overly stifling religious society, and the detriments it can mean to her being a woman; this world is not unlike our own, with our past and present filled with rampant sexism and prejudice. Nobility and the blood of one’s family is all that is seen, and this girl seeks to live apart from that. After her father goes mad, she befriends a group of witches who use a strange substance to enhance their own mental capabilities. At the same time, technology years behind its time is secretly coveted and introduced in the first chapter of the first book, making one of the protagonists question everything they’ve come to understand.
New York Pitch and Algonkian Pre-event Assignments - 2022
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THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT
In a post-renaissance age, a young scientist searches for his father, while stumbling across a technology from another time; someone with a robotic arm.
In 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them.
The antagonistic force is represented both by the advancement of technology and the ends that those in power are willing to go to control it. Both the government and its people find ways to leverage the rapidly advancing technology of the age to control and abuse one another, calling for social upheaval and global chaos. A king rules from a metal throne with sword and shield, as a federation controls the flow of wealth from cities filled with skyscrapers and firearms. Both of these worlds exist at the same time, and the push and pull of their influence affects more than just what is on the surface.
Hidden figures watch from the outside, puppeteers of a grand scheme that ties together the very fabric of the various powers at play. Their intentions are both unknown and incomprehensible by many of the souls that dwell in this world, living a rat race of their own lives while the true players battle it out for control of something far, far greater.
CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE
In Memory of Kings
The Aether Chronicles
DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES
I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov: More specifically ‘Robbie’, which features a sympathetic robot. As a sci-fi writer Isaac tackles many more questions that just lasers and spaceships, and delves into the philosophical of what advancement and technology can question. My story also has these same themes: how humans interact with technology, literal robots, the mind of the A.I., and ultimately, how power corrupts, alters, or creates.
Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien: Yes, every fantasy writer will compare to one of the classics; however it is a story that in fact shares some similarities to mine own. There is a high fantasy setting and a list of ensemble characters, a group of main protagonists who form a sort of fellowship, and a grand powerful force that threatens to dismantle life as we know it. Both stories feature politics of the elves, a species which also exist in my book, to the banding together of eclectic forces to oppose a seemingly infinite power, with the responsibility first on the shoulders of an unsuspecting person.
CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT
Abandoned by his prominent scientist father, a young elf must discover the secrets to his father’s disappearance and a terrible secret that has changed the course of the entire world.
OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS
As noted above, consider "conflict" divided into three parts, all of which you should ideally have present. First, the primary conflict which drives through the core of the work from beginning to end and which zeniths with an important climax (falling action and denouement to follow). Next, secondary conflicts or complications which can take various social forms (anything from a vigorous love subplot to family issues to turmoil with fellow characters). Finally, those inner conflicts the major characters must endure and resolve. You must note the inner personal conflicts elsewhere in this profile, but make certain to note any important interpersonal conflicts within this particular category."
Atriel feels abandoned by his father. For a while he and his father traveled the world attending conventions, presentations, and studying the intricate world of aether technology, in which they were at the forefront of discovery. Now, Atriel feels alone, forgotten, worthless. Should he ever study again, he would feel embarrassed that he wasn’t worthy to continue on with his father, wherever he is.
Celeste feels she has no control in her life. The daughter of a noble gone mad, she soon discovers herself at the middle of a dangerous web, one now-impossible to get out of. Although it was her choice, she now feels once again without control or autonomy, unable to change her fate once more. Should she try, she fears failure and cannot deal with the trauma of such an event, already at her last straw due to her own curiosity.
Vilanta feels as though she has no purpose. Born from wealth and politics, she is sent to a brothel for reasons unknown. She’s never known anything else, other than the ease of a highborn lifestyle that she now emulates with prominent clients and a firm grip on her funds. She has power, but she finds no use for it, only the struggle to get by the day-by-day. This is until a dangerous presence enters into her life, and forces her to make a choice.
THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING
The world is divided by a large mountain range on a single giant land mass; the north, inhabited by elves with pointed ears who live longer than the average human, have adapted crystal technology called Aether to power their cities. Grand buildings, skyscrapers with shimmering lights and windows, floating platforms and stairways, bridges connecting rooftop to rooftop; they live a life of excess, while those in the side streets and gutters see a very different picture. A federation of elves rule the varied numbered cities that make up the northern region of Al-Terra, coined by humans as the ‘New Land.” The elves call their land Terra, meaning ‘Land’, which they had migrated to first. The south, inhabited by humans as we know them, features medieval towns, wrought with steam-powered technology and castles with a king. There are a series of Colorguards, various men in different colored armor who serve a purpose based on said color. Greyguards, the oldest guard, are dying out, and only one country utilizes them. They are about balance, and created a court system by which to judge offenders. Blackguards, a guard who were created to defend the beliefs and practices of a certain ancient religion, only exist in the southern most country, where their power and influence surges. The main guard, chosen and upheld by the king and his kingdom, is the whiteguard, a guard of those who simply get paid to defend and enact a duty. The common folk of this world have an opinion on each, and since whiteguards are controlling all other human countries, they are often looked at with distaste or blind loyalty.
There are flying ships, ridden by sky pirates who pillage and plunder; firearms are just invented, and cause a power dynamic against the knights who still use sword and shield. The juxtaposition of futuristic environments with medieval and renaissance settings paints an important picture of wealth, power, and progress. Later in the series we will discover even more varied landscapes, from deserts with a city that holds a large fighting coliseum, to an isolated island with a maintained traditional culture ruled by a powerful empress. In this world, powerful people run gangs, hand in hand with the pirates also called Tradesmen, who rule from the shadows with their wealth and influence. Bombs are made from aether that can destroy entire nations, and yet there are those who still wish to train in the art of sword fighting. Bigotry runs rampant between humans and elves, as humans see elves as superior and flaunting their knowledge and wealth. It is not uncommon for elves to be mistreated in the south, and those of mixed blood, called half-elves, find no place in this world. The various protagonists experience different versions of the same existence, all through their own individual lens.
In the southern most country, a young girl begins to see the troubles with an overly stifling religious society, and the detriments it can mean to her being a woman; this world is not unlike our own, with our past and present filled with rampant sexism and prejudice. Nobility and the blood of one’s family is all that is seen, and this girl seeks to live apart from that. After her father goes mad, she befriends a group of witches who use a strange substance to enhance their own mental capabilities. At the same time, technology years behind its time is secretly coveted and introduced in the first chapter of the first book, making one of the protagonists question everything they’ve come to understand.