Fantasy is the oldest genre in the world, the genre of myths and legends. It’s also the genre I always come home to as a writer, both for the infinite flexibility and variety it offers, as well as the opportunity to explore worlds and characters from a perspective of wonder. Here are five of my tips for writing fantasy—though perhaps “philosophies” is a better word.
Author Alexandra Rowland image credit Charles Darrell
1. Figure out what you love. Not just what you really like, but what you love: Tropes, archetypes, plot beats, flavors of worldbuilding... The goal is to write a book that you adore, so stop caring what other people will think—your love is real and valid and cool.2. If you must think of anyone else as you write, think of an imaginary Ideal Reader and write to make them feel exhilarated, thrilled, welcomed. To me, this is much akin to offering hospitality to a guest in my home: I want to make my guest comfortable on my living room couch, cook a meal they’ll love and remember for years, present it in a way that will astonish and delight them, and offer them a second helping of dessert. If they go away happy and well-fed, then I’ve been a good host for the time that they were under my care—that’s how I feel we should treat our readers too.
3. One of fantasy’s greatest strengths as a genre is how much freedom it gives you to play. In the last decade or so, there’s been a trend towards very disciplined, rules-based fantasy—which is all well and good—but I find that even I forget from time to time that rules aren’t a requirement and let myself get trapped in other people’s concepts of how things “should” be done. Whether you’re talking about worldbuilding, magic systems, or serious themes of actual real-world problems, you can use the lens of fantasy to play with anything—but sometimes it takes practice to re-learn how to play.4. When writing fantasy, it’s great fun to start with something ordinary, and then dig into the details until it becomes extraordinary. It also works the other way around: taking something marvelous and rendering it entirely mundane. There’s more to a fantasy setting than just a cool magic system, so try exploring the boundaries between commonplace and splendid, because sometimes those happen in unexpected places.
5. I truly believe that characters more than anything else are what make readers fall in love with a story. If you want your characters to really come to life, give them more than one emotional note. Let them laugh, cry, and love as well as brood grimly into the distance; give them friends, family, and community. Remember: a truly complex character is not just a person with flaws—they also have virtues, and that’s often a lot harder to write convincingly.Alexanda's latest book 'A Taste of Gold And Iron' is out now
A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON
A sweeping fantasy romance set against the backdrop of an Ottoman Empire-inspired world, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light and The Goblin Emperor.
One false coin could topple an empire. Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, has no intention of wrestling for imperial control with his sister, the queen.Yet he remains at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court – the father of the queen's new child. Then a hunting party goes terribly awry, and Kadou finds himself under suspicion of attempted murder.
To prove his loyalty to his sister and salvage his reputation, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds. He enlists the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. But what appears to be a straightforward crime spirals into a complex counterfeiting operation, with a powerful enemy at its heart. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy. The conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing – and bring about its ruin.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland is published by Tor. Order here
Alexandra Rowland is the author of several fantasy books, including A Conspiracy Of Truths, A Choir Of Lies, and Some by Virtue Fall, as well as a cohost of the Hugo Award nominated podcast Be the Serpent, all sternly supervised by their feline quality control manager. They hold a degree in world literature, mythology, and folklore from Truman State University. @_alexrowland
Tagged in Books fantasy author facts