A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider Point #10: Enrichment

Enrichment is the grand, all-inclusive term for education, the arts, and entertainment. This can be a subjective topic, and it most certainly relates to culture when you consider the fantastical world you’ve created. Where to begin?

Education
In Medieval times, education was not for everyone. You had to be wealthy if you were to be trained in the way of nobility. Boys would begin as pages, then squires, and the end result would be to become a knight (which was rather expensive!). Wealthy girls shadowed noblewomen. Often you were born into your line of work, and your education was delivered through an apprenticeship (also expensive!) where you served a master craftsman to learn his trade. And even when you had a proper education, you must remember that people then had simpler concepts of medicine, astronomy, and other sciences than they do today. Religion and superstition were the foundation of many educational principles. What lengths of schooling, if any, did your character endure? At what age did he/she begin this venture? What is this education for? Just some questions to consider.

The Arts
Now we’re talking music, painting, poetry, dancing, and literature. Are all of these present in the culture you have created? Are these concepts valued, or are they considered frivolous---even dangerous? Research some archaic instruments, and you’ll be surprised at the differences and similarities to what we have now. Painting was not as simple as going to the store, buying paint and canvas, and slapping color down in any fashion. There were schools of art based upon different techniques and beliefs. Brushes and paint were expensive (there’s that word again). Dancing in the Middle Ages was precise, with specific movements. Literature was for those who could read (a minority of people), and books were (guess!): Expensive! Mostly because they were copied by hand.

Entertainment
Closely related to art, entertainment can include dance, theatre, music, and the like. But entertainment can also be the court jester, children’s games, activities at a fair (knife-throwing contests, for example), jousting, and gladiatorial-style combat. The element of danger and violence was certainly considered entertainment value by many. Public executions drew crowds! The Middle Ages were a brutal time, they were also burgeoning in the arts. Does your world harbor these contradictions? What new games or spectacles of entertainment can you design?

Enrichment is hardly a necessity for survival, but it is a greater appreciation of what the mind can create and find intriguing. Is your character talented in the arts or well-educated? Or does he/she simply appreciate these concepts? Details like this can enhance your characters and the world in which they live. It’s fun to read about characters in a moment of “down time,” when you can see where personalities gravitate. Competition, sentimentality, aggression, excitement---what better way to spice up a good fantasy tale?

This concludes (finally, right?) the 10 points to a believable fantasy. Hopefully there have been some ideas of value you can expand upon in your writing/reading adventure. Writing a believable fantasy is a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge that for me, has helped me grow to be a better writer. Cheers!

-Stefanie