| The first thing I want to impart on you is | | | | based on an accumulated wisdom. |
| about the very nature of "fantasy". It | | | | |
| implies an act of creative imagination. That | | | | Creation of systems and beings - This is |
| is great for you as a writer. You are writing | | | | where you can have a lot of fun yet still |
| a story and building a world. And it is your | | | | impart something special to your readers. |
| world. Absolutely anything applies! Write | | | | Aren't there already enough ogres, elves, and |
| anything you want to write. Don't be boxed in | | | | dwarves tromping around the pages of fantasy |
| by traditional rules of fantasy. You are in | | | | novels? Couldn't you come up with something |
| control of everything and nobody can tell you | | | | new? Draw some sketches and write down |
| otherwise. Let loose and just see where you | | | | outlandish ideas. How about a whale sized |
| imagination takes you. | | | | creature that floats through the air eating |
| | | | microscopic bacteria? Or a race or elf-like |
| And this doesn't just apply to the | | | | creatures that fire electric eels from their |
| characters, world and story. This also | | | | bows? As far as systems go wouldn't it be |
| applies to the rules of writing. Want to | | | | different to have your adventurer stay in one |
| write your whole novel in a new language that | | | | place and have all the adventures come to |
| only one-eyed centaurs speak? Go with it and | | | | him? Rather than tromping around the world |
| see where it takes you. Want your story to | | | | maybe the world would come to his front door. |
| jump around in time -spanning ten thousand | | | | How about a world where every single living |
| years? Cool! How about writing it in epic | | | | creature falls asleep for the duration of the |
| poem style or from varying points of view? | | | | full moon? It would be fun to find out what |
| This is your world. Write it any way you want | | | | happens when they all wake up. |
| to. Don't be afraid to explore the mechanics | | | | |
| of writing in new ways. If you have this | | | | Some cautions for your new imaginative |
| nagging feeling that you should be writing a | | | | writing |
| certain way then why aren't you? | | | | |
| | | | Just because you are writing something new |
| Here are some tips and ideas on what you can | | | | and creative doesn't mean you shouldn't have |
| tinker with in your novel to make it more | | | | any discipline. You are still writing for |
| creative and different | | | | people. And people have expectations. That |
| | | | means there has to be a certain logic and |
| Time - This is one of my favorite things to | | | | sense in your world. You have to lay out |
| tinker with. Time doesn't have to plod along | | | | rules in a way that the reader will |
| at the usual pace. And If you have been | | | | understand and accept as natural. |
| writing for a while you have become a bit | | | | |
| sensitive to time, nd you probably already | | | | So don't find yourself falling into the trap |
| tinker with it. Does a two minute sword | | | | of just coming up with something to solve a |
| fight take two minutes to read? Nope. The | | | | situation or crisis. One of the worse things |
| basic rules of time need not apply to your | | | | you can do is just all of a sudden grant your |
| writing. Want to write your whole novel in | | | | main character the ability to cast a spell |
| the one minute life span of some type of | | | | that solves a problem. Don't bend your rules |
| fantasy creature? I think it would be fun and | | | | to make your story work. Layout your rules |
| challenging. | | | | then work within them. |
| | | | |
| Perspective - Is your main character human? | | | | With a little bit of imagination you can come |
| That's perfectly fine but wouldn't it be a | | | | up with a world and a story that is totally |
| challenge and a lot of fun to use some kind | | | | different, yet totally rewarding for your |
| of other creature as your narrator? How would | | | | readers. Let yourself loose, try different |
| a strange fantasy creature think? An easy way | | | | things, and see where they lead. You are the |
| of looking at this would be from the | | | | creator of a totally new world and just about |
| perspective of a dragon that lives for | | | | anything goes. Just make sure you temper it |
| thousands of years. Wouldn't that dragon have | | | | with some discipline so it makes sense. |
| a whole different outlook on the world - | | | | |