So just what is "An Epic Tale"?

You may noticed that over the past few days I have started publishing bits of rather disjointed fantasy fiction here under the the title "An Epic Tale" and are thinking "What's up with that?"

Basically, I am doing it as a bit of self-therapy.  Recent current events and especially the election have gotten me down, so my response has been to laugh through the tears.  I am indulging in my penchant for humorous fantasy fiction in an effort to lighten my mood and, hopefully, the mood of my friends.

Also I am doing this to just simply practice my writing style.  Like many of my friends I've always wanted to be a writer and while I am good at things like characterization and setting, I tend to be weak when it comes to actual plot.  Plus I have some stylistic quirks I need to work out and I hope regularly writing short bits of fiction, generally only a few paragraphs long, will help me see and fix those problems.

To that end, in addition to other geeky stuff I am putting my bits of fantasy flash fiction up here as well.  And while it may seem rather scattershot now, eventually (I hope) it will all come together.

I should say that this is not wholly my idea.  I was inspired by my college friend Daniel Myers, author of the excellent Medieval Cookery website and its companion Medieval Cookery blog.  (Check them out as they are a mine of  great information.)  When we were at Miami University, Dan kept a notebook in which he scribbled similar bits of humorous fantasy flash fiction which he dubbed The Heroes of Sachran.  I always loved the idea and while Dan's sense of humor is even more surreal than my own, it is to him I owe the credit/blame.

Finally, as this is meant to be a project for both readers and writers please leave comments about my posts.  I want to know what is working and what isn't and where I am making a mess of things so I can improve.

Thanks.

On writing

One of the reasons I started this blog was an attempt to get into the habit of writing something every days.  As you can tell, that's not happening.  Though I am pleased that I am posting more than once in a while.

What I really want to do is write science fiction and/or fantasy fiction.  My brain is full of ideas.  The problem has always been getting them out of my brain and down on paper.  Or electrons as the case may be.  So by getting into the habit of blogging I am hoping it will carry over into the habit of writing fiction.

My main problem with fiction writing is that while I am very good at characterization and world building I stink at coming up with an original plot.  My characters and backgrounds are lush and realistic and full of detail.  My plots, however come across as boring and derivative.  Sure I understand there are so many basic plot ideas out there but I can never seem to come up with that twist to make mine unique.

I am wondering if working with some sort of writing collaborator, ideally one good at plots but iffy on characters/backgrounds, may be a good solutions.