How do you write a fantasy fiction novel?
For many of us, an intrinsic part of our childhood was being transported through the wardrobe into the magical world of Narnia, thanks to the genius of novelist CS Lewis. Or perhaps it was immersing yourself in Frodo’s seemingly impossible quest to reach Mount Doom and destroy evil in the JRR Tolkien classic, The Lord of the Rings.
Whether you’ve read the books or just seen the film and television adaptations that followed, the world of fantasy is very much a part of people’s consciousness and cultural references. Once a small side section in the library, bestselling series by the likes of Terry Pratchett and George RR Martin have seen fantasy writing come front and centre. Authors such as Sarah J Maas now sit in the top echelons of the international bestsellers list.
Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Worcester, Dr Ruth Stacey, believes their appeal is a combination of factors. “Often they’re in a series and there’s something about returning to a favourite author and that world and the sense of escapism,” she said. She acknowledged that major book series adapted for TV in the last decade – Game of Thrones, The Witcher, Lord of the Rings, Shadow and Bone – have played their part.
But for those wanting to emulate these worldwide bestsellers, it is certainly a daunting task. Where do you start? And, with such a crowded market, how do you stand out? What are the secrets to success?
Characterisation and a Compelling Story
For Dr Stacey, the essential ingredient to fantasy fiction is simple and, in many ways, timeless: a good story and compelling characters. From that everything else can flow, she said.
“Someone can spend ages thinking about their fantasy world, but if it’s not a compelling story or it’s a generic retelling of another work it won't hold the reader's attention,” she said. “I think you have got to have a good story and put characters in that build the world as you go along. You have got to have an idea, a great plot, something they need to do, they have got to have conflict and motivation. The other details are fantastic, but if you don’t have that centre it doesn’t work.”
Dr Stacey said at its heart it should have a good structure with pace, like any book. “Outline a rough synopsis so you know what’s happening in the beginning, middle and end,” she added. “The biggest tip is to read a lot, read a lot of fantasy work. By reading you will learn the structure of writing and become a better writer. You can’t be a writer without being a reader.”
Characterisation is also key. “With all writing you have got to have compelling characters you want to go on a journey with,” said Dr Stacey. “There’s always things happening, but at the heart of fantasy is relationships. They may be being explored with dragons in the background, but it’s about how people cope with difficulties, challenges and relationships - that’s extremely recognisable.”
Decide on the Type of Fantasy Fiction
Dr Stacey said a writer also needs to decide what kind of fantasy book it’s going to be; with two types of fantasy fiction - low fantasy and high fantasy.
Low fantasy has a fantastical element placed into the real world, such as vampires or magic. In high fantasy, the novelist places the reader in an invented fantasy world with different rules and structures to our own.
“High fantasy’s usual features are a quest or a set of characters that are going on a journey,” she said. “They have certain motivations that drive them through this world and part of the journey in high fantasy is the enjoyment of travelling through this world. And it’s a place where anything can happen within that fantastical space.”
Worldbuilding
If writing a high fantasy book in particular, Dr Stacey said there has to be some work on ‘worldbuilding’ - creating the world in which your story unfolds. “You need to be building a believable world you want to spend time in,” she said.
Though there are different methods as to how that can be done. “Some people like to write the book and let it grow,” said Dr Stacey. “They start writing and characters, the setting appears as the story unfolds. That leads to more worldbuilding. Some people might want to build the world before populating it with characters.”
She added: “JRR Tolkien wrote The Hobbit first. He didn’t know everything about Middle Earth. As the novel progressed, characters he hadn't planned appeared, surprising him.”
Dr Stacey, who has been writing her own fantasy novel, said there are different strategies for imagining the world you want to create. “I’m very visual so I got somebody to illustrate a few characters,” she explained.
“I save photographs, I like to save information about castles and look at their floor plans. You can research the medieval or Anglo-Saxon period or whichever period is influencing the creation.”
Keep track of the world you’re building
Dr Stacey said the main challenge with this genre, particularly high fantasy, is having a lot of threads to weave together. She recommends using a digital document or app to record and build your world and keep track of it, and to keep on file details of each character.
She said: “I think it’s very important because you’re juggling a lot of different things. There could be different entire races, communities, a whole different system of magic, monsters, a history of this world and how it came to be, religion and currency. It will help you keep control and track all the different types of characters in your world and their past histories.”
However, this comes with a word of caution about not letting the world you are creating take over. “You are so excited to showcase your world because you have done so much worldbuilding,” said Dr Stacey. “But you don’t want to be wading through the back history of the world before you have got to the characters. It supports the story but must not run it. It should be immersive and pleasurable, not wandering through chronicles of what has happened.”
Time and Commitment
Dr Stacey acknowledges writing a fantasy novel is a major commitment. “You have got to spend time with these characters and develop them,” she said. “With my novel I had the idea years ago and put it to the side. To write a complete novel like this, you need time and dedication. Commit to writing as often as you can. Some people write every day, others once a week. There is no set way; you find what works.”
Consistency
And finally, consistency is crucial to making your fantasy world believable. “You have got to have consistency with any book, but in fantasy narratives, don't use magic as a sudden fix to get out of a plot problem,” said Dr Stacey. “You have to have mentioned this way around the problem earlier, or that magic had that potential capability; foreshadowing is important.”
She added: “But that’s part of the pleasure. As you have written it, characters have appeared that you haven’t expected, and the plot has taken different turns. Now you have to make it all fit and establish why this is happening. I like having a rough plan and discovering as I write. The fun of not knowing what’s going to happen, and being surprised, it’s kind of magical when that happens as a writer.”
For all those dreaming of being the next JRR Tolkien, Dr Stacey’s message is clear. There are key elements that form the basis of every good piece of fiction writing and adhering to those basic principles will stand you in good stead, but the fantasy novel presents some extra challenges that it is best to be prepared for. But putting time into tackling these will pay off and ensure that your plot doesn’t unravel.