FANTASY PARADISE.
Introduction to Writing Fantasy by Fantasy Ghost Writer.
Over the last two years, the markets have seen a huge leap for an appetite for fantasy novels. With a surge of over 45%, fantasy has evolved into one of the most dominant genres amongst romance, young adult fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. As a die-hard Fantasy Ghost Writer and fanatic, compelled by my passion for fantasy in a bid to assist prospective clients and aspiring writers, I decided to create an article thread that focuses on fantasy so that writers and prospective fantasy clients can be fully informed about what to do when planning to write fantasy stories.
Let me make this clear before I take you down the gratifyingly wonderful world of fantasy. Fantasy is NOT a narrow, niche genre. Several times I get baffled stares and raised eyebrows when I ask my clients, “What niche are into in fantasy?” Okay, I know I have your attention now. I promise you, just like they do in the churches, your life will never be the same again after reading this post.
You probably know what fantasy is but for the sake of clarity, allow me to bore you with the details again. Fantasy, in layman’s terms, represents a genre of speculative fiction that takes place in a fictional word. It’s usually influenced by mythology, legends, folklore or fairy tales. And to further elaborate…Oh, a timid hand at the back there…
“Is that a hand at the back there…yes, Mr John Doe?”
“Is there anything called Fantasy Sci-fi?” Yes, there is! I will come to that later on, just hold tight there.
In fact, there are twenty defining fantasy genres and it is of paramount importance to know and identify each and every one of those sub-genres. That’s the whole reason why I decided to write this article thread: To educate prospective clients and aspiring writers so they may know what class of fantasy they are dealing in as this may mean that huge difference as to whether your book can potentially make the next best-seller or not.
Editors and agents will look into this before they even consider your book. So get that pen and notebook and hey, make sure you read the article threads to follow this one because on this post we will only be able to cover fantasy as a type of writing only. On the subsequent threads we will one niche at a time, shake that thing empty of every grain of knowledge you need to plan and write your next book.
As we have indicated above, there are several sub-genres, which we may call niches or sub-genres under fantasy.
Types/Niches Under Fantasy.
Urban fantasy
High fantasy
Contemporary fantasy
Dark fantasy
Fairy tales
Science fantasy. (This is not Sci-fi!)
Sword and Sorcery
Low fantasy
Paranormal fantasy
Comic fantasy
Grimdark
Magical realism
Portal fantasy
Fables
Juvenile fantasy
Steampunk
Demons
Defining fantasy
Fantastique
Fantasy of manners
Hard fantasy
Immersive fantasy
Intrusion fantasy
Medieval fantasy
A toast, sire? Hither’s to the perpetual wink of thy ignorance. We now commit that knave to the dark depths where it belongs. With the blood of this fattened calf, thou’ve been exorcised.
Away with embellishments and theatrics, Shakespeare, let’s get cracking!
Why Is It Important to Know What Type of Niche in Fantasy You’re Writing?
Understanding each genre or in this case, fantasy niche you’re working on is an important concept to consider as a writer. Being able to identify primarily your genre and subsequently, the subgenre/niche helps you create cohesion and resonance among your plot, characters, language, character arcs, and theme. You guessed right, you also need this information when marketing your book/story to publishing agents and readers!
To further this, there are certain sub-genres in fantasy that find it hard to sell unless your name is Stephen King or George R.R. Martin. You may want to keep clear of those of you intend to make an early impact on the markets as a writer. But, hey, relax…relax okay. No need to pack yourself out of here. We will cover all of them, including those not-so-marketable genres.
Questions and Myths in Writing Fantasy.
Genre overlapping.
People have asked me if it’s okay to overlap to other major genres and subgenres in writing. Let’s get this clear: it is almost impossible to write a book that doesn’t have a sprinkling of romance, drama, mystery, and/or several other genres.
- Is fantasy a magical world?
Not entirely. Forget Harry Potter, you can still have a fantastic fantasy story without the employ of magic. - What’s the purpose of writing/reading fantasy?
There is a psychology behind the writing of fantasy. Perhaps the most obvious one is that fantasy allows both the writer and reader release or escape from reality. We do need to get out of this world once in a while. Fantasy readers and writers are also considered to be up there among those who are known to be life’s problem solvers! It is also a great way to develop the skills to resolve emotional conflicts and alleviate nativities especially in teenagers. - Does fantasy have to be archaic?
Nope, nada! Look-see here Doc, this is creative writing not your final dissertation on the study of the human anatomy in relation to the Pythagoras theorem. Get it? Fantasy is what it is: fantasy. Whereas the other is, well…reality. Okay, let me get back to safer ground. - Do I always have to draw a map and come up with some intelligible, weirdly sounding, out of this world language?
Now, this depends on several factors which we will consider on the preceding articles but the answer is no, you don’t have to. This includes creatures, system of governments, etc. - Why is fantasy hard to write?
The right question, My Lords, is “Is it hard to write fantasy?”
Okay, I want to approach this one very carefully. And I mean carefully. Yep and nein. That’s me, sire. That’s my answer.
The truth is in writing fantasy you are kind of sticking yourself out of the norm, into the underworld. There’s little to nothing as far as knowing what’s out there in the underworld which makes it even more intriguing as much as possible to be a fantasy writer. My last statement meaning that since you’re not bound by anything, your imagination allowed to flow without bounds, surely it must be easier to write fantasy because nothing limits you? Am I exempted from the chopping cleaver?
So you’re sold and you cannot wait to start writing your first fantasy novel, what tips does this dreadlocked mountain guru have for you? Plenty, thanks to years of reading around and rubbing shoulders with other fantasy lovers.
Genre Tips On Writing Fantasy.
You Write as you read.
Read and re-read. Here we urge you to desist from reading only from your favourite author. Read widely. Everything and anything so as to broaden your knowledge and spectrum of this delicate category of writing. Between reading and writing, I consume an average of three books a month. Allow yourself to ‘study the classics of the fantasy genre’ as Dan Brown, Author of MasterClass puts it. fantasy allows you to explore the realms of fiction in an adventurous way that goes beyond your own creativity. You will be shocked by what your mind, once awakened by the works of others, can be unlocked to the deepest, darkest dungeons of fantasy.
- Choose Your favourite POV.
You can adopt the third person narrative through omniscient voice, you can also decide to adopt the first person narrative through the perspective of one narrator or employ the advantage of using different POV’s and backgrounds. - Thread Slowly.
Pacing your story is important. You do not want to overwhelm your reader by introducing too many characters, settings, and every lot of everything. Allow your story to build gradually while throwing in some cliff-hangers and twist suggestions and open-ended teasers to keep your reader glued on and dripping in anticipation of the next chapter. Employ all the five sensory devices to create the story as you slowly pull them into the inescapable swamp of your story. - Identify the voice of your book.
The voice is important in identifying you as an author or at least that particular book you’re working on. book. Are you sarcastic? Are you humorous? As much as characters will have distinct languages, it is important to have a voice that you employ in telling your story. - Keep your dialogues authentic.
Dialogue is another way that enable you to show moods and impetuses, as well as social ancestries within of the people you’re showcasing. Dan says that “rather than cramming unnatural amounts of exposition into the conversation, use action to advance the plot while treating dialog as an opportunity to convey a better sense of who your characters are.” - Have rationale behind your story.
Every aspect of writing needs to be rationalised and grounded to certain rules that you as the author sets, enforces and keeps. Rationalising your story gives it a sense of originality. It doesn’t have to make sense, step out the normal0 bounds but adhere to the new bounds you set. Even with the adoption of magic in your story, there are certain perimeters that you set that magic cannot overstep. There are certain forces that you cannot go above, even when hard-pressed or cornered into killing your favourite character you wish to save. If they have to die, let them die to preserve originality. - Create A Story Outlie
The Stephen Kings of this world may write a book without a detailed outline but the truth is, they have developed the ability to write without one over years of being in the trade and I doubt that they don’t have some sort of outline written down somewhere. Outlining your book is important to avoid sticky situations like repeating yourself, jumbling up threads, confusing names and so forth. Research on how to write an outline. Pros do it for a reason, so should you. - Take your time to scout for the right characters.
Sorry, nobody is coming to save you. Scout inside your mind. Create characters and give them physical properties that are distinguishable. Make them unique and complex and as imperfect as any other real person you can point at. Give them secrets, lots of them, habits, standards, emotions, history and make them as human as possible. - Consider your audience.
This is an important part of writing. Who are you writing for? What’s the age, the class and so froth of the people you’re targeting as your readers. If you have an agent that you’re writing for, ask them the preferred language and the class of people who will be your book’s readers. - Create a good plot.
Creating a good plot erases most of the frustrations of writing. It creates a direction of flow, twists, teasers and much more.
Our next article will look into each of these niches and how best one can create a story that is synonymous with each in a way that will make your book as palatable as possible.
Ciao!
Simosami Ndlovu is a Fantasy Ghost Writer and Teacher.
For Ghost Writing Services and other enquiries, you can write him here:
writeitryt@gmail.com
References:
1. https://dalspace.library.dal.ca
2. https://writersedit.com
3. https://fabledplanet.com
