The growing demand for fantasy fiction has inspired many young writers. Its popularity lies in the fact that this genre allows the reader to explore worlds far removed from reality. This trend picked up with Harry Potter, after which there was no looking back. In a world of fantasy fiction, you are in charge. You decide whether there are people, half-people, or creatures. You also choose whether there will be swords, dragons, magic, or all of them.
Fantasy is a type of storytelling where magical things happen. Writing fantasy stories is all about make-believe and things that don’t happen in real life. They often have magic and creatures that don’t exist, like dragons or wizards. In these stories, the normal rules of our world are not followed. You might read about knights, kings, and castles, and they might use magic swords or talk about spells. Usually, these stories happen in a time without fancy technology, but where magic is a big deal.
You might know some really famous fantasy authors, like J.R.R. Tolkien (who wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), C.S. Lewis (known for The Chronicles of Narnia series), J.K. Rowling (famous for Harry Potter), and George R.R. Martin (who wrote A Song of Ice and Fire). In real life, mythical creatures like unicorns, mermaids, and dragons do not exist.
The next question for any writer will be how to write a fantasy novel. While it sounds like a lot of fun, the truth is writing an imaginative and fantastical world isn’t all that easy. Because there is a difference between letting your imagination soar into a fantasy world and writing a fantasy story that readers will love.
Don’t worry! We’re here to help you by giving you tips for writing fantasy stories.
What are the fantasy story writing topics?
- High or Epic Fantasy: These stories take place in magical worlds with their own rules. They often have big adventures and focus on one main hero or a group of heroes, like Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.
- Low Fantasy: These stories are set in the real world but have surprising magical stuff happen, like toys coming to life in “The Indian in the Cupboard”.
- Magical Realism is similar to low fantasy fiction, but in these stories, people act like magic is just a normal part of life, like in “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”
- Sword and Sorcery: These are action-packed stories about heroes who fight with swords and often use magic, like Conan the Barbarian.
- Dark Fantasy: These stories mix fantasy with horror to scare readers, like the monstrous creatures in H. P. Lovecraft’s stories.
- Fables: Fables are stories where animals and magical things teach lessons, like in Aesop’s Fables.
- Fairy Tales: These are magical stories, often for kids, with things like trolls and dragons. They usually start with “Once upon a time…” like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella
- Superhero Fiction: These stories are about heroes with special powers, like Superman or Spider-Man, whose powers come from magic instead of science.
Are you writing a fantasy book for the first time? If you find the idea of writing a fantasy book daunting, start with writing a fantasy short story. In this guide, we’ll explore the essential elements and key steps to help you embark on the journey of writing a fantasy story.
How to start writing a fantasy novel?
1. First, think of an idea: Every fantastic story starts with a really cool idea, your idea doesn’t have to be brand new. It just needs to create a wondrous world. Begin by sketching out a mind map, timelines, and descriptions of characters for your made-up world. Think about things like magic, politics, religion, and how people live. Get ideas from old stories, legends, and history to make your world feel real.
2. Write a basic plan for your idea: Once you have your idea, write down a simple plan for your fantasy novel. The goal is to expand your idea into a few paragraphs. These paragraphs should cover your story’s beginning, middle, and end. You can also jot down notes about the big problems in your story and any surprising twists you want to add.
3. Create Interesting Characters: Characters are important in stories. In fantasy stories, you can have all sorts of characters, like brave knights or sneaky elves. Spend time making your main characters, bad guys, and side characters interesting by giving them personalities and reasons for doing things.
4. Think about how each character fits into your story and how they interact with each other. Make up their pasts and relationships. This gives your story complexity and makes it interesting.
5. Create your World: When writing a fantasy story, building the world the story is set in is essential. Think about
- Who lives there?
- – What’s the weather like?
- – What currency do they use?
- – What language do they speak?
- – Who’s in charge?
- – What are the rules?
- – What kind of creatures exist?
- – What buildings are important?
- – Are there any cool places people like to visit?
- Thinking about these things will make your fantasy world seem real. It’s a good idea to keep a detailed description of your world so you can stay consistent as you write your story.
6. Write an Exciting Story: Having fantastic worlds and characters is great, but an exciting story keeps the readers hooked. A story with lots of action, surprises, and things at stake keeps people reading.
7. Add mystery, suspense, and maybe even a bit of romance to keep readers hooked from start to finish. Mix intense moments with quieter parts to keep the story moving and build excitement.
8. Enjoy the Magic: wizards, dragons, fantastic animals, trees that move, magic spells, door that open into magical worlds and more. Don’t be scared to let your imagination go wild. Make sure the magic in your story makes sense and has rules. Take readers to places where anything can happen and ordinary-looking objects can do extraordinary things.
9. Start Writing: The first chapter of a fantasy book usually introduces the main character, talks about where the story is happening, and gives a hint about the main problem. Keep your first chapter simple and don’t give away too much. Keep your readers interested by giving them just enough to make them curious.
10. Think about what kind of ending you want for your story. Do you want it to be happy, sad, or leave readers hanging?
11. Choose a Good Title: Don’t forget the title while writing a fantasy book. The title of your book is super important because it’s the first thing people see. Make sure your title is short, describes your story well, and fits with what your story is about.
12. Edit and Make Better: Writing a fantasy book can be tough, but it’s a fun journey. Once you finish writing, go back and improve your story. Ask other people to read your story and give you feedback. Listen to what they say and make changes that strengthen your story.
You are now ready to pen your first fantasy story and write a fantasy novel.
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In this blog, fantasy finds its voice, beckoning writers to weave their own tales of wonder and magic. This is a very useful blog for all aspiring writers.
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