Fantasy writing tips anyone?

Just wanted to know if anyone has any tips for an aspiring fantasy writer. I'm so stupid though. One time (about a month ago) I wrote a thirty-five chapter fantasy book on my computer, and I forgot to keep saving it, and the power went out, and the novel went bye-byes. I and I was very But, all in all, I learned a very important lesson. "If you want your novel to be published, don't forget to save." Yep, that's my favorite quote. So... anyone?

Common problems with Fantasy: cliches and info-dumps. Avoid both.

For those who happen not to know - a cliche is an over-used, unorigional idea. Info-dumping is when you give the reader lots and lots of information in a short space of time (often information about the fantasy world the writer wants to get in as fast as possible).

I couldn't agree with Sureal more. It seems that fantasy is plagued with clichés and info dumps more than any other genre!

Whenever you see a cliché in your story, turn it on its head. For instance, in my first draft, there's a character who's 1033 years old and possessed a huge amount of power. In the first draft, he was your clichéd sage-- silver hair, black eyes, robe, etc. I just rewrote that scene, and now he looks about thirty, is neatly dressed, likes wine, and most definitely doesn't wear a robe. Don't be afraid to make fun of yourself!

And there's no reason to tell the reader the entire history of the Elven Race and how it relates to the Chosen One prophecy. Most readers are pretty smart; let them figure it out for themselves.

Third, love what you write. Love the characters, not the plot and the world you've created. Because it doesn't really matter how great the setting is; if the characters are boring, the story will be, too.

Hope this helped. Good luck!

Think EVERYTHING through. If it doesn't make sense, scrap it or fix it.

Remember, the Laws of Physics still apply in a fantasy setting, they can merely be bent by the magic of the world.

Stalk Limyaael.

No, I'm not kidding.

Find her, and stalk her.

If you find that just a bit quesy or morally reprobate, check out her Fantasy Rants: http://limyaael.livejournal.com/

MOOHAHAHAH!

The first thing you should remember about fantasy is that at its core it should be just like any other piece of fiction, and should be written that way. It's just like the X-MEN, it has SUPAHPOWERZ.

*note* I haven't read anything above XD

If we could get a good list of links/articles about fantasy fiction, I'd be glad to make a sticky about it in that section, like I did for romance.

It's just like the X-MEN, it has SUPAHPOWERZ.

I did catch this though! *sigh* I missed your comments while you were gone-ness Cal! I'm glad you are back!

Sureal wrote:Common problems with Fantasy: cliches and info-dumps. Avoid both.

For those who happen not to know - a cliche is an over-used, unorigional idea. Info-dumping is when you give the reader lots and lots of information in a short space of time (often information about the fantasy world the writer wants to get in as fast as possible).

Guilty of info-dumping. Thanks for showing me the error of my ways!

Caligula's Launderette wrote:Stalk Limyaael.

No, I'm not kidding.

Find her, and stalk her.

I'm totally agreeing. Limyaael's rants help a LOT, and I read up on her vampire love story rants while developing my vampire Edmund. Plus, her rants just make you think 'hmm, where do I want to take this?' in a GOOD way. Therefore, my stuff isn't as sucky as they would've been, especially my fantasy stuff.