you could rattle the Stars she whispered you could do anything if you only dared
and deep down you know it - that's what scares you most this quote comes from a
pivotal moment and throne of glass by Sarah J masse
some might find it cheesy but writing Y a means tapping into those teenage
moments of feeling the world is full of infinite possibilities when looking at
the big picture remember that fantasy stories are about
capturing that sense of adventure in part one we talked about the target
audience and qualities of popular why fantasy novels here will cover the first
three of the six core elements of a successful work in this genre using a
high-concept premise creating a vivid world building and writing in a strong
narrative voice whether you love them or hate them I've chosen example titles
that are widely popular or have won awards they represent what has captured
readers imaginations in the past few decades
number one high-concept premise a premise is the main idea of the story
whereas plot is the narrative arc the beginning at middle and end the premise
is what hooks the reader showcasing what's interesting about the story's
conflict for example a boy with dyslexia and ADHD learns he's the son of Poseidon
and must find Zeus is stolen lightning bolt to prevent a war between gods you
might recognize that as the premise of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief
that's high concept for three reasons it's easily summarized in one line it
involves dramatic stakes and it has familiar elements that can be visualized
a high concept novel often presents a twist on a familiar trope as Rachel
Hartman does with dragons and her novel Serafina in this world humans coexist
beside dragons who can take human form but are driven by logic rather than
emotion this unique world building element connects to the plot when the
human prince is found murdered the cold-hearted dragons are blamed six of
crows by Leigh bardugo also feels high concept six criminals carry out a heist
to steal an imprisoned scientist from a heavily
guarded fortress you can already smell the comparative titles Ocean's eleven
meets Game of Thrones the heist element and dark fantasy atmosphere are familiar
but when combined they create something new and intriguing these quick elevator
pitches are a way of telling readers hey if you like these types of stories
here's another one you might like high concept novels usually have broad appeal
making them easier to market the important thing is that what's unique
about the story is easy for the reader to understand it's what makes them go
wow that sounds so freaking cool I've got to get my hands on this book that's
how I felt when I first heard about this savage song by Victoria Schwab which is
set in the city called Verity where acts of violence give rise to monsters that
feed on flesh on blood on Souls a passage from the novel captures this
premise someone pulls a trigger sets off a bomb drives a bus full of tourists off
a bridge and what's left in the wake isn't just shell casings wreckage bodies
there's something else something bad an aftermath a recoil a reaction to all
that anger and pain and death that's all the phenomenon was really a tipping
point Verity had always been violent the worst
in all 10 territories it was only a matter of time before there was enough
mass and all that bad started pulling itself together
a high-concept premise can't work on its own it must be paired with a plot that
delivers on the promise of that enticing main idea this includes twists and turns
action scenes and surprises in the magic system the protagonist might be
manipulated or betrayed by another character they could break a recruit out
of a high-security prison or they might steal corrupt human souls by playing the
violin if you want to write a high concept novel think of your premise as
the one sentence log line for a movie compare your story to a familiar concept
and highlight what's unique about the characters in the conflict number 2
vivid world building even though why a sometimes puts less emphasis on world
building than adult fantasy the genre can be equally imaginative novels with
interesting worlds will pay special attention to the landscape history at
magic system and sensory details whether the story is set in a lush rain forest
or an Arctic landscape geography impacts how the characters interact with that
world the main character of all when Hamilton's rebel of the sands is a
sharpshooter who lives in the desert where a mortal monsters who lurk in the
sand like the boo Rocky for a second it looked like a mortal horse the next it
was pure sand shifting from bright gold to violent red fire and Sun and a
windswept desert magic systems often spring from the setting you can tie
world building elements to the conflict or characterization making them
inseparable from the rest of the story in rebel of the sands the desert setting
ties into a later reveal about the protagonists hidden powers history can
also inform the story central conflict such as with political tensions between
kingdoms the history that sets off the plot and descendant of the crane is the
Emperor's tradition of executing soothsayers people who can see the
future and manipulate matter magic was outlawed centuries ago but the main
character enlists the help of a soothsayer to find her father's killer
not all why fantasy has a defined magic system but those that do weave wonder
into their worlds by highlighting one particular aspect that makes the story
stand out for the Bartimaeus trilogy by jonathan stroud that
practice the gin in this modern London setting magicians have no inherent
magical abilities instead they summon demons to do their bidding the interplay
between a young magician and a wisecracking 5,000 year old Ginny is
what makes this magic system especially appealing there's naturally character
conflict every time magic is used but we can see in the opening chapter of the
amulet of Samarkand when Bartimaeus is first summoned a kid
spoke there is quickly I charge you two to get on with it tell me your name
that's usually how they start the young ones meaningless waffle he knew and I
knew that he knew my name already otherwise how could he have summoned me
in the first place you need the right words or the right actions and most of
all the right name I mean it's not like hailing a cab you don't just get anybody
when you call I chose a rich deep dark chocolatey sort of voice the kind that
resounds from everywhere and nowhere and makes the hairs stand up on the back of
inexperienced NICs bartimaeus I saw the kid to give a strangled kind
of gulp when he heard the word good then he wasn't entirely a stupid he knew who
and what I was he knew my reputation sensory details also help world come to
life specific sights smells sounds tastes and textures invigorate the
reader making them excited to explore this new place children of blood and
bone by Tomi yada yummy is rich in detail inspired by West African
mythology in Yoruba culture one of the protagonists Amari observes the female
nobility they were their secrets like glittering diamonds embroidery woven
through their lavish booba tops and rapt eros gets their lies and Lily scented
perfumes taste the honey de Roma of sweet cakes I am no longer allowed to
eat other yummy also describes mythical creatures like
breasted fire hawks and snow leopard airs that are as big as a hut with a
thick horns protruding from its back sharp and glistening and black writers
can sprinkle in mentions about the clothing music food plants and animals
that are native to the world they've created why fantasy worlds encompass a
growing blend of cultures the tiger at midnight by SWAT eater dalla draws
inspiration from Hindu mythology and ancient Indian history wicked Fox by Cat
Chow focuses on Korean lore and featuring a protagonist who's a gumiho a
nine tailed fox who feeds on the energy of men to survive when you take
inspiration from other cultures or feature characters from different
backgrounds than yourself be sure to do your research and find sensitivity
readers who can tell you where you might be oversimplifying or missing certain
nuances doing research entails reading beyond the Wikipedia entry find articles
or blogs on the subject watch videos and documentaries visit places in person if
possible interview people from that background and listen carefully to what
they have to say be aware that some readers will take
issue with authors fictionalizing real-world belief systems like Native
American skinwalkers or the second coming of Jesus it's also important to
avoid generalizations and Hollywood stereotypes and forging a fantasy
culture instead of depicting an Asian esque world that's a mash-up of kung-fu
movies it might be better to choose a specific culture and delve into that
particular mythology and atmosphere it can seem like a lot of work to write
this type of world-building but the payoff can be immense a lot of
publishers are looking for stories with non-western settings and a diverse cast
that doesn't mean you can't write stories about a white guy with a sword
storming castles and medieval England diversity is about expanding the
boundaries of the genre fantasy has the freedom to create a world that's
different from our own history and that better represents the melting pot we
currently live in readers are looking for diversity not just in terms of
setting and culture but in reimagining how society perceives race ethnicity
sexual orientation religion neurological differences and physical ability diverse
settings characters break the boredom that comes
with reading the same type of book over and over it also enables more readers to
identify with the work widening the audience and gives other readers a
chance to empathize with people who might not look or think like them in
developing that broader sense of empathy can positively impact our attitudes in
the real world in addition this genre can be used to explore contemporary
issues through a new lens as daniel jose older author of the urban fantasy series
shadow shaper says in an interview with book list fantasy offers unique ways to
think about race power and culture because with fantasy we have a chance to
dream up new rules new arrangements new forms of power and also complicate and
dramatize existing ones he further encourages meaningful
diversity in why a fantasy stating folks tend to see right through transparent
and facile forms of box checking diversity ultimately this is a question
of cultivating a more honest more soulful more literary why a Canon this
is about telling better stories to more people and getting at deeper Troost what
are we waiting for number three strong narrative voice a
strong voice can be easily labeled with an adjective a specific emotion is
coming through on the page whether it's written in first person or a third
person point of view you can learn more about the distinction in my POV videos
and why a fantasy the prose should be accessible
meaning it's fairly easy to read each paragraph is dedicated to moving the
story forward even though the style is often more direct the tone can vary
widely the narrative voice might be lyrical dreamlike blunt light-hearted
serious reflective bitter funny or any combination thereof consider every heart
a doorway by Seanan McGuire in which teenagers attend a boarding school for
kids who have visited fantasy worlds and returned feeling out of place in the
real world here's how McGuire introduces the main character Nancy who lived for
years in the halls of the dead after walking through a magical doorway to a
pomegranate Grove this is the moment when she arrives
Eleanor West's home for wayward children she was tall and willowy and couldn't
have been more than seventeen there was still something of the unformed around
her eyes and mouth leaving her a work in progress meant to be finished by time
she wore black black jeans black ankle boots with tiny black buttons marching
like soldiers from toe to calf and she wore white a loose tank top the faux
pearl bands around her wrists and she had a ribbon the color of pomegranate
seeds tied around the base of her ponytail her hair was bone white
streaked with Runnels of black like oil spilled on a marble floor and her eyes
were pale advice she squinted in the daylight from the look of her it had
been quite some time since she had seen the Sun the author uses a more distant
poetic third-person narration which suits the story's tone as a dark fairy
tale contrast that with the Rye first-person voice of the thief by Megan
Wayland Turner huh I didn't appreciate the way he spoke of me as another parcel
to be dumped into a saddlebag or in my case a saddle he walked over to a horse
and I could see that he gestured to me to join him but I didn't move I hate
horses I know people who think that there are
noble graceful animals but regardless of what a horse looks like from a distance
never forget that they are as likely to step on your foot as look at you since
the thief's protagonist is a trickster character being forced to go on a quest
it makes sense for his voice to sound more casual and annoyed narrative voice
comes from filtering observations through a particular emotion as you
revise your story highlight any descriptions that sound cliche or
generic if you write the old building was
falling apart consider how you might enliven that sentence with fresh
phrasing in her novel on shantae Judith Shirley's describes the protagonists
home in an interesting way the stone edifice had once stood proudly but now
it leaned against its neighbor as if tired from standing straight all the
this sentence holds the same meaning as the old building was falling apart but
it creates a quaint mood by personifying the setting it evokes a feeling rather
than just a stock image when choosing a narrative voice make sure the tone is
consistent throughout that it suits the character if you're writing in
first-person or atmosphere if you're writing a third person also consider the
mechanics of each sentence and conveying that tone is the language informal or
formal do the sentences tend to be short or long is the vocabulary
straightforward or lofty be purposeful in the way you're telling the story why
are you telling it in this voice and not another if you're working on a Y fantasy
novel consider these three questions how would you describe the overall conflict
in one sentence what's unique about your fantasy world what three adjectives
capture the narrative voice in part three it will cover the character
aspects of why a fantasy driven protagonists contrasting relationships
and meaningful friendships one last tip reading published y:i fantasy novels
especially books published within the last two years can help you develop all
of these elements and will increase the chances that your book will fit within
the current market however I urge you to also read widely outside the genre
particularly books and genres you don't want to write in or that are outside
your comfort zone nonfiction can yield a lot of great story fought or two
innovative ideas come from the cross-pollination of genres and you can
cultivate intriguing hybrids by borrowing from the fruits of other
literary varieties
what stands out about your novel and press me in the comments whatever you do
keep writing