How to Write Fantasy Fiction

This is a pep-talk about why it's a good idea to write fantasy.

A lot of people think that fantasy isn't realistic because it makes use of features that are not present in the real world.

I'm afraid those people have it all wrong. Fantasy is realistic. When it isn't, it doesn't work.

Like any broad definition of genre (see the links for my FREE course on genre), it's difficult to say what Fantasy Fiction is at any given time. But it is very valuable to have a context for the genre. Understanding where it comes from culturally (rather than psychologically which is a whole other question), will help you to focus on your readers, by thinking about Fantasy Fiction in the broad setting of its place in literary, and entertainment, history.

This is where the journey starts for me; in order to start a new story, I travel back to that familiar land, Castle Country, where all good fantasy stories happen. This lesson and the assignments that go with it, are all about how to get there.

If you are one of those writers who never tells the reader more than the reader needs to know, you probably don't need to know what I'm going to tell you. But if you are one of those writers, you probably don't write fantasy. This lesson is about the major pitfall of fantasy writing, how to avoid it, and how to make use of it.

Building on the techniques introduced in the previous lesson, I show you, in more detail, how to approach your world building and when to apply the resources included.

The nature of immersion in a story world is different for author and reader. This lesson (with the assignments) will help you get to grips with some of the concepts.

This lesson may be a little more conceptual than usual. Or maybe I'm just revealing my inner weirdness. I'd love to know if it speaks to you. I almost didn't include it at all. There are no assignments. But feel free to let me know if you have a particular way of picturing a whole story.

In this lesson I'm going through 10 different story archetypes. The purpose here is to help you to attach a name to your story type, which will aid you in being more conscious of it, and therefore writing more strategically.

The story types are as follows:

1. The Hero Who Saves the World

2. The Hero Who Changes the World

3. The Lone Wanderer

4. The Misfit Who Finds His/Her Proper Place

5. Rightful Heirs and Lost Orphans

6. Stranger in a Strange Land

7. Survivor in a Harsh World

8. Intrigue and Mystery

9. Epic Intrigue and Mystery

10. The Tyrant

This lesson is divided into two parts because it's a lot of information. Take your time with it.

Hero types in this half:

1. The Professional Hero

2. The Predestined Hero

3. The Self-Motivated Hero

4. The Accidental Hero

5. The Survivor

You may notice that some character archetypes bear the same names as some big tropes. This is not an accident. As you will understand if you have done my course "Creating Characters for Fiction," character and story are developed at the same time so often a description of the main character type is also a description of the story model.

Continuing to choose your hero, in this lesson I cover:

6. The Lone Wanderer
7. The Scholar
8. The Serial Adventurer
9. The Stranger in a Strange Land
10. The Misfit
11. The Runaway (I can't spell this word, so expect an error in the captions!)
12. Rightful Heirs and lost orphans
13. Gentleman Outlaws
14 Zeroes

Multi-character stories are also briefly covered.

Your fantasy world needs flora and fauna. Of course, most fantasy writers invent a few rare herbs or unusual trees (for Elves to live in). In this course I haven't covered fantasy ecosystems because I think that's more the domain of SF. However, all fantasy worlds need monsters. In this lesson you'll learn what Dragons really are (and where to find them!), and some key pointers for using imaginary creatures effectively in your fantasy world.

Also, spare a thought for the unfortunate owlbear.

Everyone knows that fantasy worlds have magical races. But the title of this lesson isn't a rather weak play on words. Racism is endemic to human culture, so representing multiple sentient races often results in intentional or unintentional themes of racism being included in fantasy worlds. It's important to do this with your eyes open; to take conscious decisions about it.

In this lesson I explain (very briefly) why the most common fantasy races are elves and dwarves, and but more importantly show you how to think about race and race relations in a useful and positive way.

You will find the internet is littered with advice and rules for creating "magic systems." Some people spend so much time and effort perfecting their magic system that they never actually write any stories. You will find that my attitude to magic is somewhat different.

It's about what the story needs. You should find this lesson liberating.

Many, though not all, fantasy worlds come with their own pantheon and creation stories, often told in overlong and wholly unnecessary prologues). I don't think it's necessary, but if the story is about the end of all creation, or the gods are themselves main characters, you might need it.

The main use of gods, myth and creation stories is to create the sensation of deep time, through what has been known (since early discussion of Middle Earth by Tolkien himself and others) as "unexplained vistas."

In "Read Worthy Fiction" (see the links) I talk in several places about locations as distinct from the story world. Along with characters, concepts, items, plot and events, location is one of the main features of a story. Locations in fantasy stories have the same needs as locations in any other kind of story, but their significance and their nature is generally "heightened" (intensified or exaggerated).

In this lesson you'll learn the most important technique for heightening the significance of a location. It may initially seem counterintuitive, but once you've got to grips with it, you'll start noticing the technique everywhere!