Xlibris Publishing returns to share some advice and tips on writing in the Fantasy Genre.
Think Outside Box: while Tolkien popularized the images of graceful elves, unyielding dwarves, and flawed but valiant humans, do not be afraid to reinterpret classic fantasy ideas or even use whole new ideas. Do not be afraid to depict elves as having gone mad and decadent from their immortality. Feel free to write a world wherein dragons reign as god-kings with the other races as their slaves.
Write a story entirely new, with nothing to do with magic swords, wizards, and dragons. That is the beauty of fantasy. It is where the imagination can run totally free.
Magic: Its Existence & Rules: Despite what many might think, magic should have rules. While writing magic as capable of anything is tempting, it can make for weak and shallow plots, where all major conflicts become trivialized. Whatever kind of world you set your story in, if it has magic then the magic needs to have rules it abides by.
Some might see this as limiting your story, when in fact it is establishing a strong framework and structure by which to support your story. Author Brandon Sanderson is a master of this, introducing the mechanisms by which magic works in a story and then hinging major plot events on said mechanisms.
Consistency: going hand-in-hand with the above rule about magic is consistency. As much as you, the author, need to be consistent with how magic works in your setting, so too do you need to be consistent with… well, everything else. Some writers go into fantasy with the misconception that they can introduce ideas as plot or story demands, without heed for whether it “makes sense.”
Some such writers might argue that, as it is fantasy, they can do and introduce whatever they want. The truly great fantasy does not work along this mindset. If you introduce a new character or concept to your story, you need to consider whether your story can already support the new introduction, whether the new introduction adds a new dimension to your story, or neither.
Early on in your story, you might want to establish the core principles by which your setting works. This could refer to the technology level, and if a major new technology is developed in the story, then consider the ramifications of that development. This could apply to social customs and norms. If hospitality is considered a sacred practice, then breaches of hospitality should be generally seen as horrible crimes.
Xlibris Publishing will conclude this article in part 3.
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By Ian Smith