Which is better for my Pirate fantasy fiction

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lwhitehead

Guest
#1
Help with my idea for a Pirate novel series

Hi first off I'm a big fan of Discworld series, but more inportantly I'm a hopeful Writer also I've got Asbergers.


My setting is a world with Seven Seas and one River Styx, (My first problem what to call this world.

The era is that of Baroque 1650 to 1750, what I want to do is set the timeframe in 21th century but some of you might feel that I'm ripping off Discworld on that.

(my second problem is what do I call the sea going nations of the Baroque era, England, France, Spain and Dutch).

Now each sea has an official Pirate group like which handles all Sea based crime and Piracy to one who doesn't have there official tattoo and colors woe to them, there lives would worth a copper.

The Life Clipper: My Reaper is called Charon the ferryman his boat is the Coffin ship the Life Clipper, he sails the Seven seas fishing the dead from the seas and stacking them below like cord wood. His ship is crewed by Skeltons and sails from the underworld along the River Styx enter the mortal world which the river emtpies into the Acheron sea from the island of Le Mort into what is known as the Dead sea, the sea itself is so full of salt that a person can't sink but floats but one still can die to lack of freash water and food due to the fact that nothing living swims in that sea.

LW
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
30,841
3,650
Cardiff, Wales
#2
Hi LW and welcome to the site! :laugh:

I like the ideas you've sketched here. Have you done any research on the subject of pirates and the sailing ships of the period?

Many pirates were actually employed by nations such as Britain to harrass the ships of other nations rather than them using their navies.

The Aubrey/Maturin books by Patrick O'Brien are excellent for getting a crash course in sailing ships and how they work and you might want to (if you haven't already) study the lives of some of the pirates such as Blackbeard and Henry Morgan.

Good luck! :laugh:
 
#4
Welcome LW.

I am also an aspiring writer and my big brother has aspergers so I can truly empathise with you having that condition and my heart goes out to you.

If you have the PoC films watch the extras as they had to do research into real pirates for that film and there are some interesting facts there. And listen to Tony's suggestion ...

And from writer to writer ... I too feel I have ripped off other writers ... but then every poet's a theif! So don't feel too bad.
 
L

lwhitehead

Guest
#5
Hi I need help in creating a 17th Century 21th timeframe world, but unlike Discworld this is a world of Six Seas the Seventh is space. Now Fantasy creatures in this world are Pixies, Mermaids, Sea Monsters and Sirens also Vodoo Magic as well.


For example most of the action happens in the Caribbean Sea, the officiial Pirate group is The Breathern of the Caribbean there official flag and tattoo is the smiley face. In the Caribbean it's the ultimate symbol of being a bad ass in the Caribbean. Having an official Breathern tat on the arm will get it cut off by an official pirate member or by the Breathern Blackguards.

An official Pirate Captain is same rank of Capo in modern Mafia, and the Captain has official right to commisson the Breathern Tattoo on a hopeful member. The Breathern of the Caribbean is let by a Pirate King or Queen, this person is the tuffest or most succesful Pirate in the Caribbean and a member in good standing of the Breathern. The Captain Concil tht not only chose the person that would be King or Queen but they advise as well.

LW
 

Quatermass

Sergeant-at-Arms
Dec 7, 2010
7,739
2,950
#6
I too am an aspiring writer with Asperger's. I suggest that one of the best things that you can do is read examples of the genre.

I recently read, partly because of the movie that was inspired by it, a book by Tim Powers called On Stranger Tides. It's an intriguing historical fantasy novel that is actually better in most regards than the Pirates of the Caribbean film, the fourth one, that was derived from it. I suggest you read that.

And while piracy's most notable age was during the 16th-18th centuries, there's no reason why you cannot set it during another time, as long as you do some research. In fact, your mention of Charon reminds me of the pirates that plagued the Romans. Even Julius Caesar was once captured by them and held for ransom when he was young. Once his ransom was paid and he was released, he did as he promised the pirates, hunted them down, and crucified them. :eek:
 
Nov 25, 2010
1,197
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London UK
www.youtube.com
#7
Best fantasy pirate novels I know is The Liveship Trilogy by Robin Hobb - very good, Mongo recomends.

If the the planetary river is called the Styx then the name Stygus springs to mind.

I would suggest that most of the seas would take their name from some feature they have - the sea of storms, the coral sea, the ice sea, like that
 

Australis

Lance-Constable
Oct 22, 2011
22
1,650
#8
Re: Help with my idea for a Pirate novel series

Hi. Having just come off a pirate movie script I'm trying to raise some interest in, I may be able to help.
lwhitehead said:
My setting is a world with Seven Seas and one River Styx, (My first problem what to call this world.)
My first thought was... Sevensea. Then Seaworld (yes, that's silly). Not quite enough info, I suppose. Even this planet, with 70% of the surface covered by water, is called... Earth.

The era is that of Baroque 1650 to 1750, what I want to do is set the timeframe in 21th century but some of you might feel that I'm ripping off Discworld on that.
Not really, many books are set in a similar timeframe. (Psst, 21st Century). Do you mean 17th Century technology, 21st Century outlook/viewpoint? Not a problem.

(my second problem is what do I call the sea going nations of the Baroque era, England, France, Spain and Dutch).
For the life of me, I can't remember where it was, but I read a book in which the analogue of a country was called after a region of the country it was based on (eg, for France, have Aquitania or Ardenne). This gives the reader a clue as to what type of nation it is while loose enough to have its own identity.

Now each sea has an official Pirate group like which handles all Sea based crime and Piracy to one who doesn't have there official tattoo and colors woe to them, there lives would worth a copper.
Um, okay. Better watch spelling and grammar, especially as a writer.

ETA: just saw elsewhere English is not your first language, apologies. The advice above is relevant if you're planning to find an English publisher. If writing in your own language, just take the care we all normally would.

The Life Clipper: My Reaper is called Charon the ferryman his boat is the Coffin ship the Life Clipper, he sails the Seven seas fishing the dead from the seas and stacking them below like cord wood. His ship is crewed by Skeltons and sails from the underworld along the River Styx enter the mortal world which the river empties into the Acheron sea from the island of Le Mort into what is known as the Dead sea, the sea itself is so full of salt that a person can't sink but floats but one still can die to lack of fresh water and food due to the fact that nothing living swims in that sea.

LW
Hmm, some of that seems a little close to PotC (the Davy Jones thing), but it's just a matter of working to make yours more original, which shouldn't be hard.

Seems like you have a good idea, and has potential. Go for it! My personal experience has been, the more you write, the better you get.
 
L

lwhitehead

Guest
#12
Re: Help with my idea for a Pirate novel series

This world has Six known seas the Seventh is space, I would still like some help on this world and 17th century 21th century timeframe as well.


LW
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
30,841
3,650
Cardiff, Wales
#13
Re: Help with my idea for a Pirate novel series

Blimey - five years on and you haven't written it yet? Sorry but if you haven't gained enough research material by now, I doubt that any of us can help.
 
L

lwhitehead

Guest
#14
Re: Help with my idea for a Pirate novel series

Well that's one of my problems my Asbergers make hard for me to stay on the idea for long time, the other problem that I need help creating the world itself,


Secondly my grammer skills dispight the fact that I can read at very high level, I can't spell or write at college level more like grade 3 to 4 if I'm lucky,

For example there parts of Discworld writing I want to borrow that is how Terry P has those little blurbs that describes something at the end of page


The other thing that inspire me to create this world was the Monkey Island PC game series, one of the character I want to borrow or at use if I can get away with it is Stan, he reminds me of Dibbler.

LW
 
L

lwhitehead

Guest
#15
Paul Kirby doesn't like my Pirate world

Hi I was wondering why Paul Kirby doesn't like my Pirate world, my 17th Century world in a 21th Century timeframe.




LW
 
L

lwhitehead

Guest
#20
Re: Paul Kirby doesn't like my Pirate world

As you can see Grammer and spelling I am not very good at dispight being 39 and having Aspbergers, like one of the characters in Discworld I can't keep myself focus on one idea for very long.


The point I weas making is this Five years ago I inquired about him the doing the Artwork for my 17th Century 21th timeframe Pirate characters for my world, he turned me down flatly.


So now I'm trying to worthy for him my writing and world will be,


Example the Compass Rose

The Compass Rose as you know in our world is Nav aid, but in my world it's a type of Rose the grows on the Cuba like island that Port Lucre is on, this Rose known for it natural ability to point North this is due to the best way it has found to gather much light as possible from the Sun


Example GPS

The General Pixie System or GPS consists of a Winged Pixie siting a binnacle lamp near the pilot wheel of a ship and shout at the pilot which direction he is going on the sea or what type of landmark he is passing,




Also I ment the current Discworld artist,


LW
 

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