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Fantasy Writers, I need your opinions please!



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Tue Aug 14, 2012 4:26 am
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Threnody says...



Hello! Thanks for reading. I must warn you first that I do not have that solid of a grasp on the fantasy genre. I have read my Tolkien and whatnot, but I have never attempted to write in this genre.

That said, I would like to try to write in this genre and keep the style as traditional as possible. That said, I would want to progress the originally perceived "Middle Earth" to the Industrial era of their society. Therefore, it would result in a sort of steam-punk/fantasy portmanteau. (I already have a title. It would be Metal-Earth. Cheesy? I can't tell. :P) I'm not sure if this idea is plausible enough to be taken seriously by readers of either genre, and I don't mean to mock either genre by blending them together in this way.

So, that said, your thoughts would be much appreciated! I will do my best to answer any of your questions in order help you understand my idea better.

Thanks!
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Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:39 pm
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Tenyo says...



Taking on a new genre is a challenge, but it has both positives and negetives.

The negetives are obvious. Firstly the problem you'll face is that there is a whole list of dunnit-and-failed's that you have to re-learn every time you take on a new genre, including plots that nobody likes, cliche's that everybody hates and things that seem brilliant in your head but never work on the page.

Postives, however, are the things you can contribute to the genre that a hard core fantasy fan will never have seen. Combining tradition and revolution in art is a brilliant tactic if you can pull it off.

When you strip any fantasy down to its core principles it's pretty silly. A girl jumping down a rabbit hole, a boy who can fly to a place called never land where kids never grow up, a magic land on the other side of a wardrobe. If you can take it seriously yourself and bring your ideas to life then your reader will take you seriously too.
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Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:59 pm
DudeMcGuy says...



Hi Threnody,

I'm a relatively new Fantasy writer myself, but I thought I would just add my two cents here and add to Tenyo's reply. Tenyo is 100% right about the silly nature of the genre. If you go too far with this (pink unicorns, etc.) it will alienate the reader, but if you don't go far enough you will lose fans of the genre. But those same fantasy fans will be looking for obvious cliches (Damsels in distress held in a dark tower, Ancient evil lord awakening, etc.). The key is to find a balance between the fantasy and the realism without relying on tired cliches.

I personally think the best way to do this is to make the characters as realistic as possible. Not saying you can't have dwarfs/hobbits/whatever, but write these characters to act and react with others/surroundings/events in a believable way.

The best types of fantasy stories are the ones that show characters' realistic reactions to impossibly unrealistic situations (and also shows how they grow through this). If you can make the characters believable then that automatically makes the story as a whole more believable too.

Hobbits don't exist, but if they did I could sit down and have a discussion with Bilbo because he has a realistic character (thanks to Tolkien's brilliance). His character is realistic no matter how many dragon's/trolls/giant elephants/whatever he has encountered.

If done right, a reader will empathize with your character even though he has to slay the dragon using only his mythical arrows of magical elvish origin and sword of the last great King. (But avoid cliches!)

In short, the best way to achieve the "suspension of disbelief" you need for the fantasy (or maybe even any) genre is to have your characters believably rooted in the reality of the world you create. The reader doesn't even have to think "I would do the same thing!" as your characters either. They just have to think "Given what I know about this character as a person, I could see someone reacting that way in real life."

In my opinion this is the absolute best way to write this genre. Reader's will forgive almost anything if they feel like the character walking through that wardrobe is believable.
Last edited by DudeMcGuy on Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:02 pm
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Rosendorn says...



I believe that genre already exists: Gaslamp Fantasy. Considering it hosts one of the internet's more popular webcomics, I'd say the idea isn't silly.

I would read other things besides Tolkien. Seriously, read other things besides Tolkien. So many fantasy writers get ripped to shreds for copying Tolkien. Read others in the genre and start carving out your own style.

Fantasy doesn't have one set plot. The Quest was popularized by Tolkien, but there are dozens of other plot types. You can have tons of other plots and it keeps you from falling into formula.

Just let the idea take over. Fantasy doesn't have any limits, but the one thing to remember is internal continuity. That means you don't break your own rules. You can make up whatever you want, so long as you don't contradict yourself.
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Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:48 am
Cspr says...



So, it seems like you've gotten good advice already, but I'm around and feel helpful. Hi. I tend to write fantasy (high or urban) pretty often.

My first suggestion would be to look up fantasy cliches. You can use them, but be aware of them.

Second, find books on how to write fantasy and read them. There's a book on fantasy and science-fiction by Orson Scott Card--a Writer's Digest book--that I found helpful. I found it at the library. Libraries are your friend, if you don't know that yet. Just ask someone to lead you to all the on-writing books.

Third, read fantasy. I'll message you a book list, maybe? I'm an avid reader in the genre as a whole (or I am when I'm not crazy-busy).

In relation to tip three, Tolkien is one of the best known fantasy authors, but he isn't the only one. Me? I never even liked his work much; it's just not to my taste. Somehow, I managed to, early on, have work with a similar flair. Why? Because that flair has sort of soaked fantasy to the core. I didn't write like him, for I didn't like his style, but heck if I didn't have dragons and elves and dwarfs.

So, reading other fantasy is important.

For my fifth suggestion, I'd say think about what you want exactly. I'm new to the idea of gaslamp fantasy (I learned something new--TV Tropes will forever be amaze), but urban fantasy is one of my favorite sub-genres and I feel it is rather similar. If you're a fan of Tolkien, writing a more contemporary type of fantasy might be hard. Do you normally write historical fiction? If so, you should be pretty okay. Doing a steampunk-style fantasy will be more difficult if you're not knowledgeable about either genres. However, you do have an option. Fantasy is often based in medieval periods, but that doesn't mean it is based on Earth. It is often in another place, somewhere separate. If you were to write something fantastic and based in a separate world, but with steampunk themes and Victorian flair, you might fair a bit better. Less research, more creativity. I mean, it all depends on what you want, really. Me? I enjoy research. I tend to chose certain places, times, cultures, mythologies, folklore, etc. to base my works around. It's helpful. It's how we do most things; take something, and make it ours. I generally avoid trying to be too nitpicky, though. I have neither the time nor patience to write something completely accurate at the moment, so I make sure to cover myself by just basing what's in my writings off things and rarely using the real. It's why I make up towns for contemporary stories, rather than use my hometown--even if I know it well, obviously. I hope that makes sense.

On that note, too, Tolkien focused a lot on certain things, but you needn't. Its really cool to look up mythology and folklore, and a variety of it, for fantastic stories, I've found. I mean, there's stuff beyond dragons, dwarfs, elves, and orcs (also known as ogres). A lot more. And it's fascinating. I mean, sure, Tolkien-esque stuff is nice, but me? I love making things mine. I want someone to someday compare other people's writing to mine, rather than people calling me the next Tolkien or whatever.

So, food for thought. I'll message you that book list, okay?
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