LANGUAGE - POETRY - MUSIC

What would life be without poetry, music and the sounds of different languages? Can you even imagine? Yet, how many novels have you read, especially fantasy novels, where these elements were excluded? Many I dare say.

One of the reasons books such as Lord of the Rings or The Once and Future King were so very popular was because they contained these three elements. Including poetry, song, and language immediately brings the reader into an environment that a reader can relate to. Music and poetry fill our waking lives. And we know that any large group will contain several people who can converse in different tongues. So why don't authors include these elements in their stories and books?

It's difficult, especially in Fantasy. Tolkien was a linguist so creating new languages, both written and spoken, wasn't as difficult as it would be for most of us. But just because something is difficult does that mean it should be excluded from our work? I think not.

We all speak. Some of us even speak more than one language. We know that just throwing together a few vowels and consonants isn't going to pass for new tongue. But if you are mindful of the building blocks of verbal communication, such as tense and plurals, it isn't that difficult of a task to construct a viable vocabulary. Test as you go. Pronounce the words. Do they sound as you think they should? Watch your sentence structure. It takes some crafting but it can be done.

Music in books presents it's own problem - there is no soundtrack like in a movie. To write a description of a song being played by an orchestra that the reader can hear is certainly a challenge. But It's not impossible to accomplish. Blend the music with poetry and you have song. People sing. People sing when they're happy, when they're bored, when they're sad, when their in church, when they're with lovers, when they're alone. They sing in concerts, in ballparks, in nightclubs, and in their automobiles. Don't be afraid to include the songs of life in your work.

Some form of poetry invades almost every single culture you'd care to name. It doesn't matter if the language is written, spoken, or both. People enjoy poetry, especially if you are writing about a time before technology ruled. You'll find poetry everywhere, from the Bible to royal courts, from the halls of higher education to the simple farmhouse. Who has never attempted to write so much as one poem in their life? Don't be afraid to use poetry. It belongs.

I'll give you three examples of how I infused poetry into my work. In the first case, I decided that the OutSiders use form poetry in their courts. Summations by lawyers must be presented in a poetic form. In the second instance, OutSider Inns have poetry nights. They have peg boards where people can post their poems. Then people can take on off the board and read them. The poster and reader get a free drink. Finally, the Vigroth keep an oral account of their history through songs and poetic stories. These are sprinkled throughout my work.

Now that you have it, don't overdo it. Poetry, music, and language are like condiments. They should accent the flavor, not replace it. Used wisely, they will enhance your writing. Used foolishly they will overpower it. Bring it all together in your work and you will have created something that will last and be enjoyed for a very long time.