Hi guys,
Michael Pryor’s Extraordinaires 1: The Extinction Gambit has just been recognised as a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book. Well done, Michael! I asked Michael (on Facebook) if he would contribute something for our blog, and he’s kindly shared his top tips for fantasy writing.
Top Tips For Writing Fantasy
Michael Pryor
I was going to call this ‘Golden Rules for Writing Fantasy’ but I wasn’t happy with
the ‘Rules’ part. Rules are a problem in Fantasy because when imagination is king, anything
is possible. So as Captain Barbossa said about the Pirates’ Code, these are more guidelines
than your actual rules.
Tip 1. Do all the other stuff really well.
Fantasy writing is tricky. You’ve got to do all the fantasy stuff – invent new worlds, create
bizarre creatures, imagine mighty magics – but you also have to do all the things that make
for standard good writing. You have to have interesting, complex, motivated characters. You
have to organise your plot so it unfolds in a logical but engaging way. You have to make your
descriptions colourful and vivid. You have to put your words together in the right order so
they make sense.
Many would-be Fantasy writers spend all their time on the Fantasy side of the equation,
creating a world full of elves and dragons and high enchantment, but don’t pay enough
attention to the basics of good writing. Don’t be like that!
Tip 2. Choose a setting.
Many Fantasy stories are set in a world that’s roughly like our European middle ages in, with
castles and knights and long horseback journeys. But Fantasy can be much more than that.
Remember: History is the Fantasy writer’s best friend. Cast your eye over history, find an
interesting time and place, add some magic and Bingo! You’ve got yourself a new world for a
story.
Tip 3. Choose your type of Fantasy story.
Is it There and Back Again, where your characters start in this world, somehow go to a
Fantasy world, then return (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)? Or is it a full-on Fantasy
world and the whole story unfolds in this Other Place (The Lord of the Rings)? Or do fantasy
characters/creatures intrude into this world and adventure ensues (The Alchemyst)? Or would
you like a combination of some or all of these?
Tip 4. Get your Dialogue Level right.
If you have a story set in an old-fashioned society, full of kings and queens and swords and
armour, make sure the characters speak appropriately.(Don’t use ‘Okay’, for instance.) But
don’t overdo it, either. Having your characters spouting off ‘Forsooth’ every second sentence
gets a bit boring.
Tip 5. Think hard about magic.
Magic is almost essential for a Fantasy story. In fact, I can’t think of a Fantasy story that
doesn’t include some sort of magic. But magic is a real challenge for a Fantasy writer. All
of your carefully constructed plot falls apart if the reader says ‘Well, why don’t they just use
magic?’ to get themselves out of the dungeon, slay the dragon, find the treasure or conquer
the Evil Overlord.
So how can you include magic and have all the good fun with it, without letting it spoil your
story? Answer: magic should have some limits. Remember Aladdin? He only had three
wishes. Imagine if he had limitless wishes. All his problems would disappear and we’d have
no story. So if you include magic in your story, you have to figure out a clever way to limit its
use. (Magic can only be used once a day. Magic can only be used at night. Magic can only be
used by red-headed people on Tuesdays.)
I’m sure this will be appreciated by keen fantasy writers. See his post about his recent book award on his website here.
