# Writing Fantasy



## WarofWrath (May 28, 2010)

Here's my issue,every time I write I get a little side tracked and want to write a horror story.Also when it comes to fantasy what type of things should I avoid? What are things you'd all like to see?(races,magic)
I look at Dungeons and Dragons or the game Oblivion and they inspire me to write...but when writing I wouldn't want to copy someone else work.
Right now i am working on a conjurer but not sure what type of personality to give him
any advice is appreciated
I know this is a little scattered sorry


----------



## Linton Robinson (May 28, 2010)

War, sorry to tell you, but these aren't the kinds of questions people can answer for you.  It's like asking, "what sort of woman should I marry?"

To put it a little harsher, if you can't get a glimmer on this, like the personality of your main character, then what makes you think you can write a story?


----------



## Ilasir Maroa (May 28, 2010)

Google "Limyaael's Fantasy Rants" and get back to us.


----------



## darknite_johanne (May 29, 2010)

Wohooo, that's a little harsh. haha.Will he come back?


----------



## garza (May 29, 2010)

If he comes back it should be to thank you. I've had little interest in reading and no desire to write fantasy, but Limyaael's Fantasy Rants make me want to give it a try. 

There are many great ideas there. I'm sure they are old hat to you fellows who write fiction, but to me, a non-fiction writer, they are a revelation, and not just for fantasy, but for any kind of fiction.


----------



## Ilasir Maroa (May 29, 2010)

darknite_johanne said:


> Wohooo, that's a little harsh. haha.Will he come back?


 

Harsh?  The person wanted advice on writing fantasy.  At least, that's the most answerable question they asked.  They're certainly not going to get a useful answer here.


----------



## Linton Robinson (May 29, 2010)

Well, they certainly could if they asked a useful question.  Such is life... if you can formulate the question you can get an answer.
So maybe he's a one-post wonder and goes elsewhere, where people tell him what his character should be like.
Or maybe he thinks it over and starts working on something and puts a story up.


----------



## Ilasir Maroa (May 29, 2010)

Pretty much what I meant, Lin.


----------



## darknite_johanne (May 30, 2010)

lin said:


> So maybe he's a one-post wonder and goes elsewhere,



That's kinda annoying.


----------



## caelum (May 30, 2010)

Negativity much.  That's no way to greet a new poster, get off your high-horses guys.  His question is earnest and he's obviously just beginning.



Ilasir Maroa said:


> Harsh?  The person wanted advice on writing fantasy.  At least, that's the most answerable question they asked.  They're certainly not going to get a useful answer here.


 Funny, because I thought this was a Writing Forum, as in a place where people come to ask writing questions.

OP I recommend you throw your material up whenever you have it ready and people will be glad to help.


----------



## darknite_johanne (May 30, 2010)

caelum said:


> Negativity much.  That's no way to greet a new poster, get off your high-horses guys.  His question is earnest and he's obviously just beginning.
> 
> 
> Funny, because I thought this was a Writing Forum, as in a place where people come to ask writing questions.
> ...


 
That's what I was saying. lol!


----------



## Ilasir Maroa (May 30, 2010)

caelum said:


> Negativity much. That's no way to greet a new poster, get off your high-horses guys. His question is earnest and he's obviously just beginning.
> 
> 
> Funny, because I thought this was a Writing Forum, as in a place where people come to ask writing questions.
> ...





OK caelum.  Next time someone comes in and asks someone to spend the next four years of your life educating them about a genre with thousands of books in it, we'll appoint you to the task!


There's nothing particularly wrong with using Oblivion or D&D as inspiration, but it's good to know the pitfalls.  There's no better resource for that than Limyaael's Fantasy Rants, so I see no reason why they ought to be duplicated here.  Maybe I should have given a link, but the site will be the first thing that comes up on google with those search terms.

I don't take a position as extreme as Lin's, but it's good to know what to ask if you want an answer.


----------



## Wolfson (May 31, 2010)

An opinion here... Not necessarily an answer to anyone. But...

This was what would appear to be a case of one of bazillions of gamers who have an itch to write about 'stuff my character would do'. That's not necessarily a _bad_ thing, but it also doesn't necessarily mean one has the capacity to actually write a _story_. Being both a writer, and a gamer, and a writer for games, I've seen it over and over again.

So... If WoW ever gets back online here in hopes of finding an answer, I'd suggest taking a creative writing class at your local community college. At least you'll get in some practice, and perhaps learn if you actually are capable of and enjoy creative writing of that sort. If you can and do, then start writing and hone your skills. If you can't or don't, then you can go back to the gaming table or computer and make your stories that way.

Fair enough?


----------



## darknite_johanne (May 31, 2010)

Wolfson said:


> This was what would appear to be a case of one of bazillions of gamers who have an itch to write about 'stuff my character would do'. That's not necessarily a _bad_ thing, but it also doesn't necessarily mean one has the capacity to actually write a _story_. Being both a writer, and a gamer, and a writer for games, I've seen it over and over again.



I'm sure they'll recognize that once they actually write a story and have it critiqued.


----------



## Wolfson (May 31, 2010)

Ugh. I had an acquaintance who handed me a manuscipt that contained a meandering account of the expoits of one of his favorite characters (halfling, of course) and his traveling companions. In and of itself, it was tedious - but it was filled with such gems as:

(In a description of the adventuring party) "... and an elf with a pension [sic] for not wearing clothes named Teann."

or

(In a description of a town meeting lead by a gavel-wielding magistrate) "... he hammered the room into silence."

Okay... The damn thing hurt to read.


----------



## Linton Robinson (May 31, 2010)

Hey, I wouldn't wear clothes named Teann either.


----------



## garza (May 31, 2010)

Do you ever tell people, 'Do as I did. Just start writing.'

I've only had one session of writing instruction, and I think I've mentioned it here before. I was 15. The editor of the local paper called me in and told me he was starting to have problems with my writing. He said, 'You're a teen-ager trying to write like a college professor. Stop it.'

That was that. I went home and just wrote without trying to have a style or trying to impress anyone. I still write pretty much the way I did then, and if you say 'yeah, what you write sounds like a 15-year-old wrote it' that's okay. I sold what I wrote then and I still sell what I write.

And I'm serious when I say it: that site, 'Limyaael's Fantasy Rants', is the most useful I've found on the 'net. It makes me want to get serious in my old age about doing some fiction.


----------



## Wolfson (May 31, 2010)

There's more truth to that than most realize. One thing I've noticed about most young writers when they first start out (including myself) is a tendency to write in a very stilted manner - trying to sound 'educated' I suppose. You can _really_ see it in dialogue. I usually suggest to people to write how they speak.

Although I can think of a few people whom that wouldn't work very well for.


----------



## Linton Robinson (Jun 1, 2010)

Very true.  That tendancy to Write instead of just write is so prevalent.  Slipping into odd diction and complex structure that sounds fake.
And the weird thing is, it's not imitating the books they say are influencing them.  It seems to be some sort of virus that affects all the same across the board.

Reading aloud might be a partial cure.


----------



## Wolfson (Jun 1, 2010)

Pretty much (unless you're lousy at that as well). My editor encourages me to read what I write aloud to myself... it makes it easier to realize where the word flow is awkward (as well as to catch a few more typos).


----------



## Linton Robinson (Jun 1, 2010)

> unless you're lousy at that as well



LOL

Many are called, few are chosen


----------



## alanmt (Jun 1, 2010)

naked elves!?

The bad writing thread is pulling at me . . .


----------



## Linton Robinson (Jun 1, 2010)

Well better naked than those lame clothes they wear.


Besides, wasn't Liv Tyler an elf in the LOTR movie?


I rest my case.


----------



## Wolfson (Jun 1, 2010)

Well, as I understand what was written, Lin had the right of it: She just didn't wear clothes named Teann. I'd suppose clothes named Delores, or some such, would be just fine.

Then again, better naked elves than, say, naked dwarves. *shudder*


----------



## Linton Robinson (Jun 1, 2010)

Flasher trolls.


----------



## Wolfson (Jun 2, 2010)

Point taken.


----------



## caelum (Jun 2, 2010)

lol, rank imagery.  You know, I've always found Tolkien's elves a little too Aryan-race.  They're so pretty and blonde and modely, with the pointy ears and the pronounced cheekbones.  The orcs are the same story, just the other way around.  Ugly and nasty as hell.  If only villains in the real world were so clear cut.


----------



## Wolfson (Jun 2, 2010)

You know... I knew a guy who was freaked out by Jim Henson's "Labyrinth" because the 'good guys' were so... ugly. Well... At least the puppet ones. But then, so were the 'bad guys'. I think there's a part of some people that seriously wants to believe that Pretty = Good and Ugly = Evil. Sadly, they also vote...


----------



## Linton Robinson (Jun 2, 2010)

On the other hand, I always amused by the assumption that being pretty rules out substance.   Brad Pitt can't be a good actor because he's beautiful.   John Cusack must be a good actor because he's indistinquishable.  
And so on.  

I'm trying to imagine Lord Of The Rings with the Orcs played by male models, but keep losing the point.


----------



## alanmt (Jun 2, 2010)

lin said:


> I'm trying to imagine Lord Of The Rings with the Orcs played by male models, but keep losing the point.


 
me too!


----------



## Northern Phil (Jun 2, 2010)

WarofWrath said:


> Here's my issue,every time I write I get a little side tracked and want to write a horror story.Also when it comes to fantasy what type of things should I avoid? What are things you'd all like to see?(races,magic)
> I look at Dungeons and Dragons or the game Oblivion and they inspire me to write...but when writing I wouldn't want to copy someone else work.
> Right now i am working on a conjurer but not sure what type of personality to give him
> any advice is appreciated
> I know this is a little scattered sorry


 
I think far to many people assume that Fantasy novels should be in the same style as Lord of the Rings, with Elves and Sorcerers everywhere. It doesn't.

I had a quick look on dictionary.com and an exact definition that has been given is;
_"An imaginative or fanciful work, esp. one dealing with supernatural or unnatural events or characters:"_

Technically, this definition makes any Fantasy novel closely relate to a horror novel. 

The only bit of advice that I would give you is, write whatever story you're going to write and don't worry about the category that it falls into.


----------



## Rue669 (Jun 3, 2010)

There's alot of fantasy out there that has horror elements to it. It's called Dark Fantasy.

If you want to write a Fantasy novel, the only advice I can give you is be original. 

Editors in fantasy HATE unoriginal fantasists. Have you read a lot of fantasy? Most fantasy writers aren't great writers; what makes a great fantasist is her originality.


----------



## MrSteve (Jun 5, 2010)

> I had a quick look on dictionary.com  and an exact definition



I'd be a little weary about relying too heavily on a definition of a genre because it either will be so wide as to be unusable or so narrow that it doesn't encompass all elements of the subject. Even the seemingly wide definition given in your example. I think you should be aware of who your reader is and what they want, then give them that. You can leave the petty definitions of topic until after your piece is written.

Ultimately, of course, you have to be true to yourself when writing and if you find yourself writing a horror story with 'fantasy' elements then it would probably still be classed as a fantasy book. I have a theory about genres which I might write about on the blog (since I have been neglecting it somewhat). I think this is what you're finding here. Fantasy is at the top of a rather convoluted hierarchy which allows it to encompass many sub-genres in to one.


----------



## Ilasir Maroa (Jun 5, 2010)

Rue669 said:


> There's alot of fantasy out there that has horror elements to it. It's called Dark Fantasy.
> 
> If you want to write a Fantasy novel, the only advice I can give you is be original.
> 
> Editors in fantasy HATE unoriginal fantasists. Have you read a lot of fantasy? Most fantasy writers aren't great writers; what makes a great fantasist is her originality.




Most _writers _aren't "great" writers.  After all, 90% of everything is crap.  It's just that different people have different 10%s.


----------



## thewordsmith (Jun 5, 2010)

Wolfson said:


> Ugh. I had an acquaintance who handed me a manuscipt that contained a meandering account of the expoits of one of his favorite characters (halfling, of course) and his traveling companions. In and of itself, it was tedious - but it was filled with such gems as:
> 
> (In a description of the adventuring party) "... and an elf with a pension [sic] for not wearing clothes named Teann."
> 
> ...



Eww! Sorry for your misfortune, Wolfson.


----------

