Doubtful

[=Tamar]

Sir Terry Pratchett included privies in Discworld. But not, I think, flush toilets.
You can have anything in your fantasy as long as you make it plausible.

Somewhere I have a very long list of stories published before 1990 in which there is a school for magic, with proper classroom lectures and so on. Sometimes it is only hinted at, as when the wizard gets the request for a donation from his old magic college. The list goes back to the 15th Century.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Hmm, wasn't sure what Wattpad is, so I googled it:



Now it makes sense. They're all writing parodies. But, yes: there are no bathrooms or toilets in a fantasy setting, and -- I guess? -- nobody wants to read about, um ... bodily emissions (to put it politely).

As for people going to school ... in a fantasy setting??? ... well, there are such things as guilds, and I presume some guilds would have the equivalent of jocks and geeks. (Lord Vetinari was a geek in the Assassins' Guild, and Lord Downey was a jock, ditto. But not in the American sense, obviously).

Now there is an interesting thought: how about a school for Necromancers? Or Barbarian Heroes? "Now, class, what did we learn from what Thog the Indescribably Violent did?"

Class of wannabe barbarians (in unison): "You do not use your barbarian rage on the poor lunch-lady. Or the fried fish." =P (Please ignore the blinking, sizzling sign that says "Parody" in huge letters)

Obviously I wouldn't write like that for something I was intending to publish or anything professional. But it's a kind of fun. *shrug*

I haven't read Shannara before (or any Terry Brooks, sorry). I did recently read The Toyminator, which was fun.

Ah! a Robert Rankin book he hasn't written a lot lately just one at Christmas.
The school for necromancer's was a bit of a dead-end.

 

[Jan Karlsson]

I can understand schools in the context of the story, especially if there are clear reasons behind them, such as colleges of magic, but the kind I’m talking about are actual American-style schools like something right out of a CW show, but in a medieval-ish fantasy setting. Grades and graduations, locker talk and detentions, oh my! Just brings the entire story to a screeching halt for me, even if the author is otherwise pretty good.

Anachronisms. I love the word, hate to see them in medieval-ish fantasy settings. Which is odd, really, considering that Sir Terry played fast and loose with the technological level of Discworld. I suppose it takes a singular talent to pull it off.

They bug me. I refuse to even use the word ‘second’, in narration, when referring to units of time in my fantasy stories because of it because it just feels … wrong.

 

[RathDarkblade]

I can understand schools in the context of the story, especially if there are clear reasons behind them, such as colleges of magic, but the kind I’m talking about are actual American-style schools like something right out of a CW show, but in a medieval-ish fantasy setting. Grades and graduations, locker talk and detentions, oh my! Just brings the entire story to a screeching halt for me, even if the author is otherwise pretty good.

Agreed. When members of a fantasy guild talk about detentions and rock bands, and compare T-shirts ("Have you seen my latest Metallica T-shirt?") or swap fashion tips ... bleh.

Then again, maybe a detention can mean something else entirely if a guild student is "detained" in the headmaster's office in a threatening atmosphere (think Lord Downey as head of the Assassins), or suspended out of a window by his ankles ... detention. =P

As for rock bands and T-shirts, Dibbler did them both in Soul Music (and very cheaply, I mean, reasonably too). =P Also, I believe fashion tips were mentioned in Making Money.

Anachronisms. I love the word, hate to see them in medieval-ish fantasy settings. Which is odd, really, considering that Sir Terry played fast and loose with the technological level of Discworld. I suppose it takes a singular talent to pull it off.

Again, agreed. I don't think I could do this with my historical fantasy (i.e. history/mythology blend) novels ... e.g. in the time of Vikings -- "Check out this rad new T-shirt, Olaf!"

"What is a T-shirt, Leifr? And what does 'rad' mean?"

"I don't know. Odin gave it to me. It's like a chainmail vest, only made of this thin and totally-useless-for-protection material."

...Suuuure. =P

They bug me. I refuse to even use the word ‘second’, in narration, when referring to units of time in my fantasy stories because of it because it just feels … wrong.

Seconds, perhaps. But the convention of using 24 hours a day and 60 minutes an hour has been around since the Babylonians. (It was forgotten and later rediscovered).

I may mention that after the French Revolution, the revolutionaries toyed with a revolutionary ten-day week, and the results were a dismal failure.

 

[=Tamar]

I can understand schools in the context of the story, especially if there are clear reasons behind them, such as colleges of magic, but the kind I’m talking about are actual American-style schools like something right out of a CW show, but in a medieval-ish fantasy setting. Grades and graduations, locker talk and detentions, oh my! Just brings the entire story to a screeching halt for me, even if the author is otherwise pretty good.

Anachronisms. I love the word, hate to see them in medieval-ish fantasy settings. Which is odd, really, considering that Sir Terry played fast and loose with the technological level of Discworld. I suppose it takes a singular talent to pull it off.

Schools with modern-style classrooms lectures, etc existed ever since Oxford in the Middle Ages.

And yes, that is the kind I was listing, because it annoyed me that people kept praising a certain writer by claiming she had invented the concept.

They bug me. I refuse to even use the word ‘second’, in narration, when referring to units of time in my fantasy stories because of it because it just feels … wrong.

Ah, the Tiffany problem. Time being divided by factors of six goes back a few hundred years as well.

 

[Pickled1]

If I may join in the conversation:
I believe the genre of books one is writing in often pre-determines what should or should not be included in a story? I personally have stuck in items that are period-related, like privies (non-flushing) and a junior-infant school because it is an important place for my MC who is relentlessly bullied there and which gives him the strength and determination to do what he attempts to do later in the books. But I avoid 'modernisms' when possible. Having said that, sometimes putting something into a narrative that is clearly modern can have a very comedic effect and I would not shy away from it if I felt it was funny and added to my story.

I mentioned STP in my 'promo' in another thread since my books are STP-genre-based, I - unlike the progenitor of this thread - would not dare to presume I write like, or will ever be the next, STP. That is arrogance and foolishness to the n-th degree, in my opinion?

My style of writing is all my own - it's me - and is not copied from other authors; although it would also be naive to suggest that writers are not infuenced by other authors. Indeed, it was STP's Mort that inspired me to begin writing again, and then the great man's sad passing that spurred me to complete my tale; simply because I had tried and failed to discover anyone that could make me laugh like ST could.

I will add that my first book does not entirely reflect the way I write and think now, since it was started 37 years ago, but rather from the middle of book 2 and then all of book 3 is; generally because they were finally completed in the last three years.

I will add by saying that no matter who one is - published or unpublished - being original is incredibly difficult nowadays, and the overlap between old and current authors is probably unavoidable. It is made even more difficult because there are readers out there who have memorised almost every sentence written by their personal literary deity and are dying for the chance to point out a phrase, an action, a scenario or even some dialogue that comes close to something they have read. Some of these people also use these opportunities simply to score points on their forums of choice, often to the detriment of the author, who may have no idea that what they have written comes close to something someone else has penned previously. I was once forced to point out that every musical note, every riff and every chord has been used at some point in the past, but that doesn't make a musician any more unoriginal if they can produce something beautiful by re-using them.

May I conclude by saying that if anyone here has lots of stories, or just one story or one book either written or close to being completed, then get it in print! There are ways to do this and it's an achievement. It's also something most humans, elves, trolls, dwarves or even dextrous dragons only dream about but never take it to its proper conclusion. Lose the self-doubt (of which I am riddled with, like so many authors in my position), grow a thick skin - because you're going to need it! - ignore the detractors and the comparators and do your own thing, and the very best of luck to you, because you deserve it, if only for your courage and perseverance! And I know that last bit was my take on an advert here in the UK.....so much for being original, huh?