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writercises Original Posting March 20, 2018
Writer's Digest, January 1991, had an article by Matthew J. Costello, on pages 30, 31, 33, and 34, all about the six magical elements of fantasy fiction. The subtitle was "How to create the fantastic worlds that thrill readers and editors with their magic – and their realism."
Matthew starts out talking about a four book series where he was asked to write one of the books. About a planet where the dominant intelligent life form was cats. 12 page bible explaining the habits and social structure, but the story was something he had to provide. But he was happy to do it because "with a few special twists that I'll explain, a good fantasy novel comes from the same wellspring of all good fiction."
First, understand what fantasy is not. It's not science fiction. Science fiction is plausible fiction dealing with the real universe. Laws of physics need to be obeyed. Fantasy is free of those bounds. Magic, impossible creatures, "anything goes in fantasy, as long as the world you're writing about follows these key rules."
1. Use reality. That's right, reality is what readers know. Use it to make your fantastic visions believable. Matthew describes a scene from his book, which has the hero who is a little bit furry, and herdbeasts. Everything else feels very ordinary and recognizable! Then he explains that your details need to be realistic. "These realistic details create an atmosphere of belief – a mood of acceptance that supports your fantasy world." Lots of realistic details brings a sense of reality for the fantastic creations.
2. Be consistent. "You might think that anything goes in fantasy. Talking cats, sea serpents, magic potions, you name it." However, with the creative freedom, the author also promises to be internally consistent. You can make an incredible universe, but don't be self-contradictory. If there's magic, define it carefully and the limits. Make your decisions, then keep them consistent.
3. Research your world. Wait a minute, fantasy, nonexistent creatures? How do I research those? Well, look for the analogs, the similar things in reality. Jane Yolen, writing about dragons, researched large birds, hollow bones, and various wing structures. Understand the reality, and where your fantasy differs.
4. Create realistic characters. They may have fur, they may have scales, they may be very different, but "your characters need to touch readers." Make sure that your readers can relate to the characters. "Follow the rules that hold for all well-drawn characters." Know what motivates them, and make their motivations real and credible. Think about their histories. Think about their flaws. Their back story shapes their personalities. Sometimes you may have to work out a really complete biography, with the important events.
5. Provide tension. Readers may love the world and the characters, but they read for a story with suspense. From the beginning, make the readers feel the tension. Look for conflicts and problems. Make it interesting!
6. Tell your tale. Many writers try to write to the market. Tell the story you believe in, not what you think the market wants. Copycat is almost always boring. Yes, you need to know what's on the racks, and you need to know the classics. "Your reading will give you an idea of the range and the scope of fantasy, and the clichés to avoid." Then… Start with an idea of the type of world you want to write about in the characters. Play with possibilities. Brainstorm situations. Take the clichés and rework them into something fresh. Explore the mythos that other people have not seen yet! Do your research, build your world, develop characters that your readers relate to. Make a multilevel plot with plenty of suspense. Write your story!
Oh, yeah. Page 32 has a one page piece about magic by Piers Anthony. I'll summarize that another day!
So, you want to practice? I guess the key thing here would be to write a fantasy story. Look for the touches of reality, be consistent, do your research, make the characters real, provide tension, and make it your story. Once upon a time…
Write!
Writer's Digest, January 1991, had an article by Matthew J. Costello, on pages 30, 31, 33, and 34, all about the six magical elements of fantasy fiction. The subtitle was "How to create the fantastic worlds that thrill readers and editors with their magic – and their realism."
Matthew starts out talking about a four book series where he was asked to write one of the books. About a planet where the dominant intelligent life form was cats. 12 page bible explaining the habits and social structure, but the story was something he had to provide. But he was happy to do it because "with a few special twists that I'll explain, a good fantasy novel comes from the same wellspring of all good fiction."
First, understand what fantasy is not. It's not science fiction. Science fiction is plausible fiction dealing with the real universe. Laws of physics need to be obeyed. Fantasy is free of those bounds. Magic, impossible creatures, "anything goes in fantasy, as long as the world you're writing about follows these key rules."
1. Use reality. That's right, reality is what readers know. Use it to make your fantastic visions believable. Matthew describes a scene from his book, which has the hero who is a little bit furry, and herdbeasts. Everything else feels very ordinary and recognizable! Then he explains that your details need to be realistic. "These realistic details create an atmosphere of belief – a mood of acceptance that supports your fantasy world." Lots of realistic details brings a sense of reality for the fantastic creations.
2. Be consistent. "You might think that anything goes in fantasy. Talking cats, sea serpents, magic potions, you name it." However, with the creative freedom, the author also promises to be internally consistent. You can make an incredible universe, but don't be self-contradictory. If there's magic, define it carefully and the limits. Make your decisions, then keep them consistent.
3. Research your world. Wait a minute, fantasy, nonexistent creatures? How do I research those? Well, look for the analogs, the similar things in reality. Jane Yolen, writing about dragons, researched large birds, hollow bones, and various wing structures. Understand the reality, and where your fantasy differs.
4. Create realistic characters. They may have fur, they may have scales, they may be very different, but "your characters need to touch readers." Make sure that your readers can relate to the characters. "Follow the rules that hold for all well-drawn characters." Know what motivates them, and make their motivations real and credible. Think about their histories. Think about their flaws. Their back story shapes their personalities. Sometimes you may have to work out a really complete biography, with the important events.
5. Provide tension. Readers may love the world and the characters, but they read for a story with suspense. From the beginning, make the readers feel the tension. Look for conflicts and problems. Make it interesting!
6. Tell your tale. Many writers try to write to the market. Tell the story you believe in, not what you think the market wants. Copycat is almost always boring. Yes, you need to know what's on the racks, and you need to know the classics. "Your reading will give you an idea of the range and the scope of fantasy, and the clichés to avoid." Then… Start with an idea of the type of world you want to write about in the characters. Play with possibilities. Brainstorm situations. Take the clichés and rework them into something fresh. Explore the mythos that other people have not seen yet! Do your research, build your world, develop characters that your readers relate to. Make a multilevel plot with plenty of suspense. Write your story!
Oh, yeah. Page 32 has a one page piece about magic by Piers Anthony. I'll summarize that another day!
So, you want to practice? I guess the key thing here would be to write a fantasy story. Look for the touches of reality, be consistent, do your research, make the characters real, provide tension, and make it your story. Once upon a time…
Write!