10 BEST Tips for Writing FANTASY

hello everybody today i'm talking about my absolute favorite genre in fiction fantasy a lot of you have asked me how to write a fantasy novel and that's not the easiest question to answer seeing as it's a very big very broad genre that said after a lot of thought and research i have compiled a list of the 10 best tips to consider when writing fantasy this is relevant to all fantasy subgenres so whatever you're writing i got you covered before we get started thank you so much to world anvil for sponsoring today's video world anvil is a browser-based world-building platform for writers and novelists that means if you're a fantasy writer this is the perfect platform for you it allows for quick easy and organized world building you can create multiple timelines you can track your world history you can include interactive maps family trees you can even write your own novel on world anvil one of world anvil's newest features is their diplomatic relations tracker it's a super useful tool for tracking how different nations religions or organizations feel about one another within your world do they like each other do they get along are they at peace are they at war all that good stuff on top of that world anvil is the only world building and novel writing platform that was recommended by writer's digest this year so basically they're kind of a big deal and pretty legit the free version of world anvil gets you set up with all of their major features but guild membership offers you a ton of extras like comprehensive privacy settings co-authors presentation options and so much more and right now you can get twenty percent off master and grand master membership using code jenna marusi all you have to do is click the link below and plug in your coupon code and you get 20 off you can build your fantasy world and save some money it's awesome but first let's talk about fantasy and how to do it right if you want access to even more writing tips be sure to subscribe to my channel and ring that bell i post videos on wednesdays and bonus content on mondays and if you like dark fantasy check out my number one best-selling novel the save your sister it's available at all major retailers in ebook paperback and hardback i got the links below check it out on to the best tips for writing fantasy in three two one go number one fantasy is not one size fits all gatekeepers run a muck in fantasy they believe if you're not regurgitating the hobbit or worshiping at the feet of brandon sanderson you're doing it wrong the truth is fantasy is one of the largest genres with too many sub-genres to count urban fantasy portal fantasy low fantasy dark fantasy if i list them all we'll be here all day it's great if you enjoy some of fantasy's bigger names but you gotta acknowledge the industry at large trying to publish a token-esque fantasy nowadays would result in zero agency representation and dismal sales reader expectations change over time and fantasy has evolved since the days of the shire plus people are sick of fantasy purists they cling to outdated often narrow-minded views of the genre and aren't interested in any new or unique insights the point is just because you're not info-dumping an elven world doesn't mean you're not included neckbeards may bark the loudest but bestseller lists prove that fantasy readers are diverse and abundant don't feel like you gotta be an old white man to write in this genre there is a place for you number two understand the genre fantasy is not a narrow niche genre it's very broad and easy to define fantasy represents a genre of speculative fiction that takes place in a fictional world and it's usually influenced by mythology legends folklore or fairy tales it's as simple as that that means you do not necessarily have to feature magic though magic is extremely common you also don't have to set your story in a medieval world though medieval worlds are also extremely common all you have to do is create a world that relies on themes that are common in myths and legends but jenna contemporary fantasy takes place in modern times it sure do but it also contains elements that are outside of our modern world like dragons or demon hunters guess where dragons and demon hunters come from that's right mythology and legends understanding the genre is a very important first step not only because it'll help you classify your novel it also reminds you that the genre isn't nearly as limiting as you might think it is number three understand the subgenres this is where gets specific dark fantasy is fantasy with dark gloomy themes or some underlying sense of dread portal fantasy is when a character is transported from one world to another and their fantastical quest begins you don't need to understand the precise definition of every single fantasy subgenre but it helps to know where your story exists within the mix it also helps to understand that many stories are multi-genre for example my series the savior series is dark fantasy and romance and action adventure understanding subgenres is mostly helpful in two ways first it'll silence the inner voice that tells you your writing doesn't fit in anywhere yes it does there is a sub-genre or multi-genre classification for literally everything you're fine second it'll help you understand who to market your work to and how to market it urban fantasy typically reads differently than high fantasy and comic fantasy isn't gonna have the same approach as dark fantasy understanding your niche will make the writing and publishing processes a whole lot easier number four magic systems come in all flavors as we already covered magic is not required in fantasy however it is very common and highly recommended that means the odds are high that your story is going to include a magic system and you'll have to decide between a soft system or a hard system generally speaking a soft system doesn't have hard and fast rules at least as defined by the reader a hard system is the opposite it has very specific rules guidelines and limitations what you decide to write will depend mostly on two factors first which character are you following if you're following a magical character or a character who is learning magic then the intricacies of your magic system are going to be relevant in which case a hard magic system makes the most sense if your character is ignorant to magic then a soft magic system makes more sense because the details aren't necessary and second how important is magic to your world and story if magic is the crux of your story then a hard magic system will help readers understand what the hell is going on if magic is more of a background or side element then a soft magic system is probably all your readers need number five build the world as you go i know people are obsessed with tolkien and the lord of the rings is a classic but the truth is that style of writing probably wouldn't get published today storytelling changes over time and modern audiences reading modern books have modern expectations obviously it will vary depending on the sub genre for example epic fantasy is probably going to be more world heavy than say urban fantasy but typically you introduce the world to the readers as it becomes relevant and you do so by showing the world around the characters as they travel through your story not through massive info dumps this means if your character is trudging through the desert this is the perfect time to describe the hot climate it is not a good time to describe their complex system of government if they're attending a grand party then you can discuss their social expectations and lavish outfits this is not the time to describe the hot climate we already talked about and if they never not once attend a party then there is never a point in time where you need to discuss their party etiquette remember worldbuilding exists to support the story not eclipse it on a similar note number six your world and plot go hand in hand a lot of aspiring writers spend years building their world before they even touch their plot and that is a big mistake yet unfucked up the plot and world go hand in hand the world exists to build a foundation for the plot and the plot exists to complement the world what is the point of creating an entire race of mermaids in a strict class structure if that's never at all going to be relevant to the plot maybe the story is about a high-class mermaid and a low-class merman and they want to be together but societal norms are ripping them apart i don't know it's your book figure it out the point is if you're building a fantasy world then your plot should be fantastical in nature utilize what you've created to build your character's conflicts and goals number seven fantasy can be character-driven plot-driven or both a lot of popular high-fantasy novels are plot-driven so people tend to assume that all fantasy has to be plot-driven however whether or not your story is plot-driven or character-driven is going to depend on the themes of your novel the sub-genre and of course the plot itself for example if you're writing romantic fantasy then the odds are this is going to be character-driven because the story revolves around two or more people falling in love fantasy adventure on the other hand revolves around you guessed it adventure which means the plot is going to be the focal point basically while the genre can point your story in a certain direction ultimately the content of your novel is what's going to determine whether or not it is character-driven or plot-driven if your fantasy is highly focused on character growth arcs and relationships then it's character-driven if it's focused instead on taking action then it's plot driven and if it's a combo it's likely both number eight develop your characters obviously this should go without saying because characters are a pivotal part of the writing process but it is especially important to develop and plan out your characters in fantasy fantasy gives writers a multitude of options when planning their characters because we are not limited by this world's narrow scope of humanity your characters can have magic or super powers they don't even have to be human this is why you gotta take a deep dive into your character planning process and there are a few very important things to consider first how does the world affect your character's lifestyle and personality if your world is deeply magical this may mean your character is familiar with magic to the point of apathy second how does society affect their lifestyle and personality if you've created your own world that means you've created your own customs and social norms and when necessary our third point pinpoint the relevancy of their race because sometimes fantasy writers aren't writing about humans at all they're writing about elves or fae even if you are writing about humans there's a chance you've made up completely new countries which means brand new ethnicities it's a good idea to understand their cultural norms and how that affects their personalities of course you can't neglect the most basic elements of their humanity whether they're human or not think about their backstory their strengths and weaknesses their beliefs and their personality number nine keep it fresh some writers get into the game because they're a big fan of a particular author or a particular genre and that's fine it becomes a problem when you try to regurgitate your faves this is an issue especially prevalent in fantasy how many people have you met claiming that they're gonna be the next george rr martin that's why it's pivotal to remind yourself to keep your content fresh it's okay if your story shares similarities with other stories some sense of overlap is going to happen but if you can showcase a new perspective or introduce something original by all means do it a vast majority of fantasy takes place in a medieval inspired world why not write a different setting a bulk of fantasy writers right now are pumping out stories about fae why not try a different fantasy creature the fantasy genre is speculative fiction which means you get to invent whatever you want take advantage of this perk and try something new please i beg you last but not least number 10 outline i saved this for last because i didn't want you your pants until the end i know pantsers are very protective of their method and i'll concede that it can work for some writers but fantasy is not the genre to pants fantasy is one of the most complex genres in fiction because not only are you creating a cast of characters a plot and a subplot you're also creating a brand new world add to the fact that a lot of fantasy writers also create creatures within that world and those creatures have their own lifestyle and customs and alongside those creatures a lot of fantasy writers are creating at least one magic system if not more and lastly a lot of fantasy novels also have a large cast of characters which means you gotta keep track of a ton of different people and all their relationships and all their individual stories and subplots this is a lot of information and if you don't keep track of it you're gonna end up with a i've lost track of the number of fantasy writers who have pantsed themselves into a corner either they weren't able to finish their series or they couldn't even finish book one do yourself a favor outline your book create character charts create world building maps you'll be glad you did so that's all i got for you today thank you once again to world anvil for sponsoring today's video i cannot stress this enough if you are a fantasy writer and you like building worlds and writing stories world anvil is the perfect platform for you you can try it out for free or you can get 20 off your master or grandmaster memberships using code jenna moresi click the link in the description below plug in the code get yourself 20 off save some money don't forget to subscribe to my channel i post new videos on wednesdays and if you want to be alerted as soon as i upload ring that bell my number one best-selling dark fantasy romance the savior's sister is available in ebook paperback and hardback at all major retailers i have the links in the description below check it out and be sure to follow me on social media i'm on instagram tumblr facebook and of course you could tweet me at jenna maresi bye hey everyone i'm flynn i love myself so if you love me and you don't mind a bit of jenna then why don't you press the subscribe button you know you want to because then you get to hear more of me anyways press that button ding the bell and we'll have a great time

Channel: Writing with Jenna Moreci

Views: 18,893

Rating: 4.944139 out of 5

Keywords: write, writer, writing, read, reader, reading, book, books, ebook, publish, publishing, novel, author, literature, booktube, authortube, Jenna Moreci, bestselling author, the savior's champion, the savior's sister, writing tips, writing advice, writing motivation, writing inspiration, how to write a book, tips for writing a book, how to write, tips for writing, how to write fantasy, tips for writing fantasy, how to write a fantasy book, fantasy books, fantasy, fantasy genre, writing fantasy

Id: X-SJokJK_9M

Length: 14min 42sec (882 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 11 2020