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