Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol.

Did you know that 100 years ago, alcohol was illegal in the United States?

The Prohibition Era refers to the period of time when the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages was illegal in the entire country. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920 after a movement by Protestants and others who saw alcohol as a root cause of many societal problems. The result of Prohibition was government agencies to root out alcohol production and sales, vast underground networks of alcohol production and consumption, and citizens searching for alternatives for their favorite drinks.

One such alternative is the mocktail, or a cocktail beverage with no alcohol. Dorrance Publishing was 10 years old when we published a book of mocktail recipes in 1930 – Prohibition Punches by Roxana B. Doran was a book of recipes for non-alcoholic drinks for various occasions. 

The author of the book, Roxana Doran, was a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, an organization that was pro-alcohol prohibition. She was the wife of James M. Doran, who was Administer of Industrial Alcohol for the government at the time of the book’s publication. The publication of Prohibition Punches was part of this DC power couple’s plan to make prohibition cool. 

The recipes themselves receieved mixed response. Some enjoyed the mainly fruit juice cocktails, some were not buying the hype. A recent article about mocktails for Atlas Obscura titled “The Prohibition-Era Effort to Make Mocktails Fun“ discusses the response:

“With every positive review—“It is written so colorfully and intelligently it would tempt even cocktail crusaders to mend their ways,” raved the Pittsburgh Press—mild criticisms arose. “Mrs. Doran has padded out this slender volume on a rather restricted subject,” sniped “The Literary Lantern,” a syndicated Southern newspaper column. “When you boil out the duplicates and come down to basic recipes there are not so many different tricks in the mixing of these non-alcoholic drinks.” Other magazines had humorous takes, notably Vanity Fair writer Corey Ford’s December 1930 tribute, “Have One on Me, Mrs. Doran,” which noted that the author’s elaborate recipes could all do with one simple extra ingredient: liquor.”

The book is not just a collection of recipes, however. It is chaptered, and each chapter includes descriptive introductions that paint an alcohol-free life as an elegant and peaceful one. The recipes of Prohibition Punches are fruit juice cocktails for every occasion, even some for children. Various friends of the Dorans and the temperance movement submitted recipes for the book, and leave comments for readers.

Prohibition Punches is a time capsule of a time when alcohol was illegal in the United States – a concept virtually unthinkable now. Physical copies of the book, now almost 100 years old, can be found on Amazon and eBay. The entire book has been digitized and archived. Skim through the 104 pages yourself, and see what was on the minds of those Americans who were in support of the Eighteenth Amendment. 

(Sources: Atlas Obscura, Prohibition Punches digital edition, Wikipedia)

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The history of this city begins with the Romans who would use the city for its hot springs, which were an extremely important part of Roman life. Not only were these hot springs a center for healing and cleanliness, but they were also used for entertainment and worship. They were even used as places to serve food and alcoholic drinks on special occasions.

During the Middle Ages, Bath was used as a center for wool production and milling. This was fairly common for western England at the time as wool had become the most common textile used to make clothing.

Although the baths or hot springs were still around during this period, they weren’t well maintained. However, throughout the town’s history, the baths themselves were believed to have health and healing benefits (even to this day). Whether you were bathing in or drinking the sulfurous waters, they were said to have been the cure of nerves, gout, etc.

Jane Austen made her stay in Bath from 1801-1806, though she had previously stayed in the city for a month. The family’s stay in the city was a plan of retirement for her father, who ended up dying during their stay in January of 1805. The family remained in the city for roughly a year after her father’s death, before leaving the city of Bath in the summer of 1806. Although it was clearly a major source of inspiration for the writing, she wasn’t exactly happy during her stay. Later after leaving the city, she wrote to her sister Cassandra stating, “It will be two years tomorrow since we left Bath for Clifton, with what happy feelings of escape.”

On the same subject, Margaret Ward of The Irish Times wrote, “Although Austen enjoyed her early visits to Bath she was not at all happy when her father moved the family there, and she often satirized its social scene of balls, promenades and assemblies.” When they first moved to Bath, Austen and her family stayed on Gay Street which is located near the center of the city. However, they later took up in less luxurious lodgings as the family’s financial situation had declined. This was a theme that pervaded in one of the novels that the city inspired, Persuasion.

Although Austen herself may not have loved her time there, it did provide the perfect place of inspiration for her writing. It was a town entirely devoted to socializing pursuits and creating arrangements such as marriages- subject matter that Austen herself was most adept at crafting in her own writing.

The town of Bath continues to tout its relationship with Jane Austen to this day, holding events in her honor such as the Jane Austen Ball and the Jane Austen Festival, both of which encourage patrons to come dressed in 19th century period costumes.

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1) Origins (Fact vs. Fiction)

To write a history for your fantasy world, you’ll have to start with the origins of the world. How did the world come to exist? Or, more importantly, how do the people of the world believe that the world came to exist? Similarly to our world, there are likely many different beliefs on how the world began and these beliefs can help shape the way the world grows and changes. Begin by writing a true or legendary origin or origins for the world.

2) Locations

Next, you’ll need a map of your fantasy world. In order for the world to feel as real as possible, the readers needs to be able to understand the boundaries and locations and how they logistically relate to one another. For example, vaguely naming new places as you get to them won’t feel as real as a reader being able to see how far one place is from another through distance and visualization. If your fantasy story, as many often do, begins with the proposition of a quest from one place to another, the weight of the journey the character will be going on can’t sink in if we don’t understand what the world looks like. Work on drawing a map for your world with the different cities included. In addition, consider hiring an artist to draw a map to appear in the front cover of your book as has become common practice for fantasy writers.

3) Parallels

When beginning to think about the current state of your fantasy world, it’s important to remember to draw comparisons and contrasts between our world and this world. People don’t want to read about a world that they can’t relate to at all, inserting human problems into this world will allow readers to gain valuable insights from your manuscript. So, when writing about the current state of the fantasy world, think about issues in our world and how a fantasy world could highlight them. Take the classic Harry Potter novels for example. Author J.K. Rowling used different magical creatures to address different issues. Through the introduction of House Elves she tackled the concept of slavery, through werewolves she addressed stigmatic diseases like AIDS, and through the idea of pure-blood elites, she showed discrimination.

4) Politics

Now that you have all of your different territories drawn up, consider how they relate to one another. Does one city hate another city because of a war that happened centuries ago? Does one city trade goods with another city? Is one city poorer and rougher while the other is rich and elitist? Does one city have a king and another a democratically elected committee of leaders? Creating political structures around each city not only helps make them more realistic, but it will also allow the reader to anticipate what a character may experience as they journey through each city.

5) Traditions & Culture

Similarly to politics, consider how each city in the realm is either similar or different in their traditions and culture. Perhaps one city has a certain religious group ruling it while another simply has some holiday traditions. Maybe there are certain words or sayings that everyone in the realm will understand, but then also cities have some of their own that pertain only to them. Maybe there are some food dishes or decorations that pertain specifically to a certain territory as well.

6) Sociology

Again, when considering building your fantasy world, it’s helpful to compare it to our world. There are certain sociological concepts that are cultural here. While in one area of the world something can be considered polite, in another area of the world it could be incredibly rude. In addition, take idioms. These are the bane of existence for any non-English speaker trying to learn English since their literal meaning and their culturally understood meanings are completely different. Consider these sorts of sociological concepts when building your fantasy world. The more specific detailed things like this that one adds, the richer the world will feel.

7) Characters

Finally, when creating a history for your fantasy world, consider the specific characters one is writing about. What was their upbringing like? Where did it take place? How has their past shaped them to the person that they will be at the start of your book? Write a short backstory for each of the central characters in your story. Knowing the different areas they grew up in and their specific sociological and economic circumstances can help you get to know them in a new way.

The post How to Write a History for Your Fantasy Novel appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Magic

Fantasy readers want some element of magic to be present in their books. This could come in the form of witchcraft or sorcery, it could be similar to Game of Thrones where the main element of magic is otherworldly creatures like dragons, or it could be akin to V.E. Schwab’s Vicious series or X-Men with characters developing supernatural abilities. Regardless of what you choose, it’s important to establish how the magic in your world works as well as its limitations. Though you don’t need to explain in as great of detail as you would in a science fiction novel, fans of this genre crave intricate world-building and that involves thoroughly detailing the world’s magical system.

Maps

As stated previously, readers of this genre crave complex world-building and one of the best ways to show that off is through maps. Maps are present in some of the most renowned fantasy series of our time, including Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Six of Crows, etc. In fact, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to spot a modern fantasy book without this inclusion. Including a map a) shows the readers that you did your homework in terms of world-building and b) makes it easy for your reader to follow the course of your protagonist’s journey. It will also likely lend you a hand in the writing process and allow you to assure continuity throughout your story.

Romance

Though this most certainly shouldn’t be the central focus of a fantasy novel, most fantasy readers want at least one romantic element present in their books. Though fantasy and romance are very different, fantasy as a genre is rather romanticized. It’s all about magic being real, the world being bigger than we think, or us having more power than we realize. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that readers who crave these messages will similarly desire romance. But again, this shouldn’t be the forefront of the story. Depending on your own desires for the trajectory of your story, it could be a driving force behind your plot or as simply a background storyline as it was in the Harry Potter series.

History & Real-World Themes

We’ve talked previously of how important it is to construct a bible for your fantasy book, but this is because fans of this genre crave a rich history in their fantasy worlds. They want this world to feel as real as possible so that they can get lost within it for a while. Similarly to how our world has a long history that informs our choices and who we are in the present, so should your fantasy world. In addition, though readers of this genre definitely want an escape, they want to see small parts of our world reflected in your pages through specific themes and motifs. People are people, regardless of if they’re humans or elves, so your readers will want to see themes that show specific things (good and bad) that are relevant to our human nature.

Foreshadowing & Payoffs

Another major element to the fantasy that is actually similar to the mystery genre is they want to see seeds planted early on and harvested later with a huge payoff. For example, let’s take the Harry Potter series, which is famous in part for its continuity and payoffs (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD). In book five, when Harry is hiding the Half-Blood Prince’s potions book, he notices the statue of a wizard with a tiara sitting on top. At the time, he thinks nothing of it so neither do we. It isn’t until a full book later that it’s revealed to us that this tiara was both Rowena Ravenclaw’s and also one of the final Horcruxes. This is exactly what fantasy readers crave: that ah-ha moment showing just how thoroughly an author planned out their series.

The post Writing For Your Audience: Fantasy appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Identify your market

You may think you’ve already done your work as far as identifying your market when you chose your genre, but it’s actually more complicated than that. Will your story be high fantasy? YA or Adult Fantasy? Urban, steampunk, or grimdark fantasy? A common misconception about fantasy writing is that it all fits into a very J.R Tolkien type of world- elves, dragons, trolls, etc. But that’s not always the case. Many experts, for example, would argue that Star Wars would be considered Fantasy as opposed to Science Fiction.

Essentially the difference between the two genres boils down to the details. If we’re receiving detailed explanations on how the technology works, how the world works, etc. in a story, it’s likely considered science fiction. If, however, the details are vague and/or mythical then it would be considered fantasy. Making sure you know what genre you’re going for and which subgenre will help you know better how to write for your specific readership.

Write your novel/series bible

The ‘bible’ for your series or novel is the history of the world or realm you’re writing about. Any legends or lore that are important to your story need to be written out in great detail because these legends and histories will greatly inform the current state of the world you’re writing from. For example, take the highly acclaimed series Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin creates an incredibly detailed and rich history for the world and for each of the families that play a large role within that world. He details the period of time where the ‘mad king’ brought the downfall of the Targareyan house, the time where the Baratheons fought for the crown, etc. You can even find detailed family trees going back generations for each family. Now, obviously, this whole history isn’t detailed in its entirety in the series so you’ll likely only use bits and pieces of your own ‘bible’. However, having all of these details solidified and relayed through dialogue and action throughout your series will make it feel more like our own world, which also has a rich history.

Plot everything before writing

This is true for essentially every genre but is especially important for fantasy writing. You’ll likely have several character threads going, several species to introduce and explain, and several versions of history at play simultaneously. For the series to read as effectively as possible, you must plot out each thread as you’d like it to unfold as well as the POV and how and when the information will be revealed to the reader.

Use all five senses

Fantasy writing, regardless of the subgenre, should be incredibly detailed. It’s a very romanticized genre, and avid readers want to be fully immersed in the world and completely escape from reality. In order to create this to its fullest extent, all five senses must be utilized. If you’ve done your job right, your readers should be able to see, taste, smell, hear, and feel some aspect of every scene you’ve written. If you have the tendency to miss a few of the senses, make sure you do exercises to practice as you prepare to tackle your book(s).

Give the world internal rules

Although fantasy books shouldn’t have detailed explanations on how certain elements such as magic work, creating rules for the world will allow it to feel more real. For example, how is this world governed? Is there one person ruling on an iron throne or is there a magical government that exists right beneath our noses? How did this power structure originate (something to be answered in your book bible)? How does this power structure effect or dictate how citizens live in this world?

Let’s say your world includes some type of magic or power. While you don’t need to answer how magic works, there are a few questions that you can answer that will help the world feel more realistic- where does the magic or power come from? What are the limitations of the magic or power? Is it different for everyone or the same, but some are just more powerful than others?

It’s important to be organized and careful not to break your own rules throughout the story (unless you do it on purpose). For example, you can establish a rule that people have a certain limitation on their powers, only for us to later realize that our protagonist doesn’t have this limitation in true ‘chosen one’ fashion. However, if you establish early on that someone’s powers will drain if used frequently, you can’t have them using them frequently in an epic battle without them draining and with no explanation whatsoever. Make sure that any breaking of established rules is both acknowledged and explained in your story.

Choose meaningful character names

OK here comes the fun part, guys. One of the most enjoyable aspects of fantasy writing is getting to choose your character names. Keep in mind when you’re doing this that fantasy readers are very astute. They’ll research character names, the prefixes/suffixes, the meanings in different languages, etc. Therefore, knowing this, it’s fun to give them little treats. As one example, J.K. Rowling chose her character names with great care. Each name has a specific meaning that gives the reader a clue into either the personality or nature of the character itself. For example, take the character name Remus Lupin. The name Remus is in reference a mythological character who was raised by wolves, while the last name Lupin comes from the Latin ‘lupus’ which translates to ‘wolf’. The name is very fitting seeing as (spoiler alert) we find out that he’s a werewolf in book three.

Make your characters complex, not archetypal

Although worldbuilding and plot are extremely important in fantasy writing, characters and character development are equally important. You can have the most well-crafted plot in the world, but if your readers don’t care about your characters then they won’t care what happens to them. Therefore, when you’re doing your bible work prior to writing, make sure you create detailed character summaries and create characters with complex personalities, wants, and desires. Don’t rely on cliche archetypes like ‘the loyal best friend’ or ‘the wise old man’…readers have seen simplified versions of these characters in fantasies too many times before. Part of making your series or book stand out is making your characters stand out too.

The post Genre Focus: Fantasy appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

Possibly the most important and complicated aspect of writing historical fiction is accuracy. You’re writing is set in a time that is tangible to us through history books and research. This means, unlike other forms of fiction where you have the freedom to improvise, you have to really stick to the facts. While there is still some room to be creative, when it comes to things like setting, clothing, items in use, etc.- you need to be incredibly accurate. In this genre, nothing will make a reader lose confidence in you quicker than if they spot historical inaccuracies.

Obviously, avoiding these mistakes involves conducting an immense amount of research- arguably more so than any other form of fiction. You want your readers to be able to see, smell, taste, hear and touch a time that has actually existed for us. You want to convey not only what that time looked like, but what the people were like, what they did for fun, and what their opinions were. We recommend not only conducting thorough research on your own but also working with experts on the topic you’re writing about. They may be able to pick up on some inaccuracies you may have missed so you can avoid potential reader backlash post-publication.

Don’t Go Overboard

While it’s important that you avoid inaccuracies and do the necessary research…don’t go overboard. Historical fiction writers tend to make the mistake of going too far in the opposite direction, including minute details on household items and wallpaper. Though you should always do your research, the last thing you want to do is bore your readers with a bunch of specific details just for the sake of showing your research skills. Include details- yes. But make sure you don’t focus too much on details that don’t pertain to your story. It’s a balancing act.

Stay True to Historical Figures

Often historical fiction or western novels will include characters based on real-life historical figures. If that is the case for you, make sure you’re staying true to the historical figures they’re based on. Historical fiction writers tend to make the mistake of pushing their own political or moral thoughts onto these people. You must remember that the figure you’re writing about is a person from that time- not ours. Allow them to be bigoted or politically backward or wrong. Don’t attempt to change them or have them make amends or make them forward thinking if they weren’t. Even great figures are allowed to be flawed and your readers will thank you for writing them with accuracy.

Pace Yourself Properly

This goes along with what we said earlier about not including too much detail. Historical fiction writers often make the mistake of getting too bogged down with exposition at the beginning of the novel. Your reader doesn’t need to understand everything about the era and your character’s place in the world right away. Pepper your relevant exposition throughout your novel as the information becomes relevant to your character and how they’re operating in the world.

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