Fantasy Writing

Squall Leonhart

Hi there,

I love reading fantasy books, and over the last decade or more I have read quite a number of these. My favourite authors in the genre would be David Gemmell, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkine, Paul Hoffman, and of course JRR Tolkien.

I have recently been giving some thought to doing some fantasy writing. Not necessarily with the hope of ever publishing anything, but for the self-satisfaction of writing a coherent, well structured and interesting fantasy story, better again if it contains a respectable level of originality.

I would like to hear from people who have done some fantasy writing, published or not, or from people who really love to read fantasy. Suggestions, advice, comments, etc, would be most welcome.

I have never written before. I am generally quite good with written English, having attained an A1 at higher level leaving cert, and I've always received good grades in any written elements of a third level course I've since completed. Of course, this is not enough on its own, but it's not a bad place to start I think.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,

Cossie

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Fastasy is probably the most difficult genre to write as ultimately it will come down to your ability to create entirely new universes/worlds/races etc. etc.
But when it comes to writing the best advice you'll ever get is, Just Go For It.
Put pen to paper and see what happens, just start writing anything that comes into your head, even if its just a monotonous account of your day thus far - this will get all the crap out of your head and leave space for the imagination to grow.

Since you're not used to writing I'd even go as far to say that you try writing a few short pieces first of about 1000-2000 words and post them in this forum for some feedback. Better still, if someone were to give you a title or theme for those 1000-2000 words and then you really have to focus your mind to create a story on those themes.

I did a creative writing course in college as part of my english degree and was also a member of a fantastic creative writing groups and these were the type of challenges we did and it led to some great creative flow, often with time limits of 10 minutes or so.

So, if you're really serious about writing I suggest you do the following. Sometime over the next 48 hours...

-Set 2 hours aside to write
-For the first 15 minutes do a word dump (just write whatever comes into your head and get rid of the crap - no one will read this, so no need to be self concious)
-For the second exercise take 15 minutes and write about "The Colour Yellow" (a very generic theme, so use your imagination and create something good, but stick to the time limit, it will really help you in the long run)
-For the third exercise, select a piece of music (might I suggest something by Sigur Ros or some sort of film score if they're available to you), listen to it once, then put it on repeat for the next 15 minutes and then just write, the music being your theme, but the possibilities will be endless.
-The final exercise, take a half hour to 45 minutes and write a short story under the title "For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn."
-Then take your 3 pieces, "The Colour Yellow", "<insert song title here>" and "For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn." and post them here for feedback.

If anyone else wanted to undertake this task it'd be interesting to compare and contrast different stories.

Squall Leonhart

Thank you so much for your reply CaptainNegative.

I'm actually moving house today and over the weekend, but will definitely give this a go as soon as I can, probably early next week.

Sounds like good solid advice.

Rozzie!

i have tried to write fantasy before. in fact on this very laptop i have pages and pages of parts of a story.

i start writing, get into it and 30 pages later a world emerges with characters and themes etc, then i decide to structure it and story board it etc... only problem is it never gets further than that. i always end up doing the start and arguably hardest part and then the rest just seems like to big a task!

any advice?.

pickarooney

Rozzie! wrote: »

i have tried to write fantasy before. in fact on this very laptop i have pages and pages of parts of a story.

i start writing, get into it and 30 pages later a world emerges with characters and themes etc, then i decide to structure it and story board it etc... only problem is it never gets further than that. i always end up doing the start and arguably hardest part and then the rest just seems like to big a task!

any advice?.

Don't keep writing the start - it gives you a false sense of achievement like cycling over a small hill and then seeing a long, slowly stretch of road in front of you. Write some of the middle or even the end. You don't even necessarily have to use these in the finished version but if you have some dots to connect it will give you more of a goal.

Rozzie!

pickarooney wrote: »

Don't keep writing the start - it gives you a false sense of achievement like cycling over a small hill and then seeing a long, slowly stretch of road in front of you. Write some of the middle or even the end. You don't even necessarily have to use these in the finished version but if you have some dots to connect it will give you more of a goal.

good idea.

ill try it, i already feel like that might work.

thanks!

FewFew

Rozzie! wrote: »

i have tried to write fantasy before. in fact on this very laptop i have pages and pages of parts of a story.

i start writing, get into it and 30 pages later a world emerges with characters and themes etc, then i decide to structure it and story board it etc... only problem is it never gets further than that. i always end up doing the start and arguably hardest part and then the rest just seems like to big a task!

any advice?.

I used to be the same. I've about 20 novels waiting to be finished, all started and sketched out chapter by chapter, but the hard work isn't the creativity, it's the writing.

Sit down and put in the long hours. I currently have two novels under my belt, one doing the publisher rounds and the other is with proof readers. Once you get one finished you'll have the confidence to do more. The core is hard work.

tbahh

Fantasy offers the ability to make anything possible which I find can be both fantastic and daunting. There are some times when I am thinking up ideas and plots where I stop and say to myself "Is this too unrealistic?". Then, I remember that most things in fantasy fiction are unrealistic and this motivates me to come up with new ideas.

I have been developing ideas for my series for years but I have never been successful. I, like many others, have been concentrating too much on the beginning and continue to change and rewrite it.

I think I will take up the advice given in this thread and hopefully I will come up with something or someway to help me. Thanks!

EileenG

I think I write science fiction but most people seem to label it fantasy. The basic thing is the same as any other genre, just tell a damn good story.

The difference with fantasy is you have to develop your world first. Some details will work themselves out as you go along, but you have establish the rules of the world, like are they magic users, and if so, what powers their magic and what limits it? How are they born, how do they eat, mate, die? What are their funeral rites? Why?

Then you have to put that world into the background and focus all your attention on characters your readers will care about.

kickarykee

My only advice here is don't try to write something "specific" - like a specific genre or for a specific audience. Just try and make up a story and you'll see where it takes you.
I believe that by focussing on a specific topic/genre/audience/whatever you kinda hamper your creativity even if you won't notice it. And by all means, don't try and write for others, write for yourself. If you like it, there are other who will like it. I bet that no bestselling author ever started off by trying to write someting others like, they all start of by writing something they like and others just join in the liking

Antilles

kickarykee wrote: »

And by all means, don't try and write for others, write for yourself.

If you are writing for yourself why not just keep it in your head where you can enjoy it yourself? I find it much better to write for someone specific.

Squall Leonhart

kickarykee wrote: »

I bet that no bestselling author ever started off by trying to write someting others like, they all start of by writing something they like and others just join in the liking

Hmm.. I'd beg to differ! I'd be fairly certain that plenty of bestselling authors have started by trying to appeal to others!

FewFew

kickarykee wrote: »

My only advice here is don't try to write something "specific" - like a specific genre or for a specific audience. Just try and make up a story and you'll see where it takes you.
I believe that by focussing on a specific topic/genre/audience/whatever you kinda hamper your creativity even if you won't notice it. And by all means, don't try and write for others, write for yourself. If you like it, there are other who will like it. I bet that no bestselling author ever started off by trying to write someting others like, they all start of by writing something they like and others just join in the liking

I hear ya, that's exactly what I do. If you aim for a specific audience I think you're going to end up writing what you expect that audience wants. Maybe it'll spin you some euro, but it ain't gonna do much fo' yo' soul bro. As you said, if you write something for your own enjoyment, chances are others will enjoy it too. Plus, if you enjoy writing it then the chances are higher that you'll actually finish it.

EileenG

I reckon you start by writing the story that is in your head, without thinking of a specific market or audience. Let the story play out the way it needs to.

When you have the whole thing finished, and have filled in the holes in the plot and fleshed out the undeveloped characters, you can look at it and think in terms of audience or market, and decide if you want to alter it or not.

When JK Rowling was writing Harry Potter, there was no market for stories about magical boarding schools.

Pope John 11

I would like to hear some comments about the level of english required when writing a fantasy. Is it possible for anyone to write their own novel without a high level of english etc

EileenG

It depends on what you mean by a high level of English. I don't think it is possible to write (or rather, to publish) any novel unless all the spelling is correct, the grammar is right and the writing is inviting.

I don't believe you need a degree in English to write a novel, but you need to be able to write well enough that your reader is not stopping to work out what you mean or to correct your spelling or use of English.

Kinski

Pope John 11 wrote: »

I would like to hear some comments about the level of english required when writing a fantasy. Is it possible for anyone to write their own novel without a high level of english etc

Well, it was possible for Dan Brown to not only publish a novel, but sell a gazillion copies of it, with a sentence as illogical as this on the very first page:

On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly.

EileenG

Kinski wrote: »

Well, it was possible for Dan Brown to not only publish a novel, but sell a gazillion copies of it, with a sentence as illogical as this on the very first page:

I stand corrected!

Elmidena

You might not have heard of www.nanowrimo.org; every November they run a challenge to write a book in a month. Sounds tough, but it breaks down to 1666 words a day or something and is often the incentive for writers to change a someday book into something material. Free to enter, no prizes bar the sense of achievement and downloadable certs for you to show you did it, but they often have offers with publishers for you to send your draft to afterwards. I have many fantasy books under my belt but never tackled publishing them yet; I wouldn't be happy personally if they were printed in the current state!

The nano has lots of groups all around Ireland that meet on a weekly basis during the competition to procrastinate, brainstorm and to remember that it's fun. I highly recommend it, and I'm the ML for the Southeast =D

Elmidena

Also, www.fictionpress.com is nice little site for publishing and getting feedback. The main advice I have is don't think you know how the book will end. Those buggers take a complete mind of their own!

Pope John 11

I don't mean not having a correct level of english or grammatical errors etc Eileen G but when I think of one writing books I automatically think of a person that has well read etc.

I have just finished reading 'Room' by Emma O'Donoghue and got so caught up in it that I read it in just 3 days.

Spoon Fed

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I have an idea for a book series. The problem is I do not think I can write it. I don't think I have the correct skills.
Basically I love books, not only what is inside them (that does help of course) but I love the books themselves, the medium. The idea for the series tries to use the books themselves as part of the story. Nowadays, you can find children's fantasy books that contain nifty pop ups, or concealed envelopes, pull out cards, intricate lettering and pictures embedded in the story etc...

I want to bring that up a level into teenage readers and adults.
However, writing the story is the problem, the hard bit!

How do I go about partnering with a writer who can work on the story for me and with whom I can develop the idea?


thanks

EileenG

Short answer: you can't. Writers have their own ideas, lots of them. I doubt anyone here is sitting round saying "I am burning to write something, I just need someone else to give me an idea." Most of us have more ideas than we can cope with, they just don't always fit in with what we are writing.

I should also mention that books in general are moving away from the printed page, and more and more towards e-books and other formats. While there will always be a demand for paper books, if your idea is only possible in paper, you will lose a profitable market segment, and price yourself out of the market.

Is your idea something that will only work the first time, or can you reread your book over and over again?

If you are passionate about your idea, then develop the skills and do it yourself.