I would have to take exception to that comment. Good writing takes hard work, whether it be horror, adventure, thriller, or fantasy. It takes a great deal of effort to create a believable world, even if that world is Earth. So, if you are talking about GOOD fantasy writing, it is no easier than any other genre. If you are talking about mediocre or downright bad writing, fantasy is just as easy to write as any other form. So, to say, "... most people will write Fantasy because it's somewhat easier than writing in the real world," is simply unfounded and unsubstantiatable.
What type of grand fantasy do you not like? Just a question, it's helpful for me to know on why. Im writing one but my goal is to arrange the formula in ways no-one else has. (To OP) I by the way love Fantasy, especially because it has scenes of large battles and is most of the time set in a different world which i love to dive into fictional universes. I know alot are Tolkien wanna-bes, or something else of that mix but it's the certain ones that i love. For those who are tired of crappy cliches and want something new, i highly suggest reading The Cry of the Icemark. For me i get annoyed by many fantasy writers who try to be too much like Tolkien, but Stuart Hill is one of those who doesn't. It has many things that impressed me on alot of levels, and that's alot for someone who is highly critical of the genre. Anyway, i just love how you can pretty much do anything with it, kinda like your own dream into a reality. I just love the genre for it's unlimited stability, and if done right it could become an ultimate getaway and a deep, vibrant cultural impulse. (Kind of like Skyrim!) To Metus: My story doesn't have magic either, (well it used to but it will be explained in the story.) To Everybody else: What else do you guys not like about fantasy? Yeah, there is plenty of fantasy writers on this very site, but it's a popular genre. What's the big picture here?
On the first page, a couple of posts down from my first one, I said: "That's when you're trying to write good, thoughtful fantasy. The majority of people DON'T write good, thoughtful fantasy. Respect to you if you actually put work into it." That was in response similar to yours. I accept that good fantasy is hard to write. But the simple fact of the matter is that most fantasy that is written is not good.
mine is a crime novile and i am basing it in the real world with all the research that that intails but then the main character has the power of preminition and the book concentrates on how that effects her just because it is scifi dose not take away form the fact of how much work i am putting it to give it a realistic depth because out plots to ground it it could easily become lose in my own imagination.
This. I struggle to understand fantasy and sci-fi. There are a few exceptions, such as those with plots based around bio-terrorism and genetic engineering. I recently finished watching a fantasy TV drama, 「妖怪人間べム」 (Humanoid Monster Bem), and the "monsters" in it were failed experiments in creating artificial humans. Despite being predictable in terms of plot I liked it for the relationships between the characters rather than the fantasy elements. I write slice of life with homoromantic/erotic themes. My stories tend to focus on young men (anywhere from late teens to late twenties) with zero drive - usually those in uncommited relationships and working dead-end jobs.
I actually think a lot of people write fantasy because they DON'T have an imagination. It's all about the worlds they have read or watched created by others that they want to revive. I suggest China Meiville who has written some very different Fantasy novels. And of course there's always Terry Pratchett. I'm looking forward to reviewing some non-fantasy novel excerpts. No insult meant to the fantasy writers on here or those that I have read. That would be hypocritical of me afterall.
That makes no sense at all. I mainly read fantasy and every series/one-off book I have read has a completely different world than the last. With that said, I mainly write fantasy as well; I make it a point to write original and new worlds. Any kind of fiction takes imagination. What you are saying makes it sound like every fantasy writer is writing fan-fiction. Which is hogwash.
Would you perhaps be more interested and less harsh on the genre if there was built from the ground governments and cultures created just for the book? Introducing new customs and inventing new forms of government? Inspiration of cultures is good thing, but having too much can damper it. I get very irritated when i read fantasy stories that are heavily similar to other fantasy stories. As a fantasy writer, i try to stay away from typical style and add in some new formulas.
I don't read to escape the real world, necessarily, but to see reality from different perspectives and learn about people's ways of life I'm not familiar with. I like truth in literature, and therefore I do not read a lot of fantasy. Nor do I write it. Sometimes I like sci fi or horror, when it illuminates some aspect of humanity or the way we could potentially interact with each other or react to novel situations. Maybe fantasy can do this, too; I wouldn't really know. I worry about posting novel excerpts because I don't want any part of my story to be 'published.' If I put a piece of it on this forum, would I have to alert a potential agent I did so? How big does the excerpt have to be before it becomes an issue? I don't really know. Would be nice if I could share my story with someone, because I'd like help categorizing it. It's general fiction, maybe somewhere between commercial and literary, and has elements of romance.
Note that iabanon said "a lot" not "every". This is a problem I have with Fantasy. Fantasy writers treat it like it's about the world. I mean, if you take into account published and unpublished fantasy (and sci-fi, too) conworlds over the years, including any that were only dreamt up in a day, you've got probably at least a billion planets hangin' around the universe, pretty much all of them with dragons just 'cause DRAGONS. Note: most of these will have been created by semi-literate fourteen year olds and such. The story is more important than the world. David Gemmell's characters are brilliantly developed, even when you've only just started reading their stories. I urge you to read the Drenai series. You can start pretty much anywhere with it, considering it doesn't have very much of a chronological order or anything. You literally never get a map of David Gemmell's world because it's implied that it's very VERY far future Earth, and it's beautifully written.
Don't get me wrong, i focus on storyline too. Just because im 14 doesn't mean im entirely oblivious to the actual picture. Im going to admit i have much to learn about certain things but storyline has always been my main goal. I look at certain movies, games, comics etc. and think to myself: "What would make this storyline better?" And by that i try to compare my scenarios of the story to the actual ones and i evaluate it. Storyline is my main priority. And i no you have no means to insult me but i just want to make it clear i am not one of those dragon fanatics. I hate Dragons. Don't know why, but i do. Storyline, Theme, Structure, Characters, World and Writing style etc etc. Your right about the story being more important then the world. I should look that series up and read the books. Sounds very sophisticated and interesting.
I haven't written Fantasy. I do enjoy reading it. Right now I'm writing mainstream. Fantasy / Sci-Fi genre has the tightest rules of any genre, making it one of the more difficult to write. You create the world, and the entire story must live within its rules. As the author, you cannot forget the rules of your world, and you cannot avoid creating the rules of your world or spontaneously change them just because you don't want to abide by them. That is where your creativity comes in, challenging yourself to write within a box. Good example is in Avatar. The MC can only use real legs when he is functioning in his avatar. That is a rule. Cannot be broken. And when he is not in his avatar he is disabled. That too is a rule, and cannot be broken. It is the rules that are necessary for that genre, that insist on high levels of creativity, not the mindset of oh well its fantasy, I can just create any darn thing I want. <<You could break that rule, but your world will probably be unbelieved by the audience. The creative aspect comes in when the author is forced to work within his own rules...for example again in Avatar, the author needs to dream up a way for the audience to know when the MC is in Avatar state and when he isn't. The result? Disabled legs. Another example is Inception. If you have seen the film, think of the rules that existed with each level of dream state, and how to end them, and recognize them. Good luck to all the Fantasy / Sci Fi writers with their work! I may try it someday, but not right now.
To be fair, he only mentioned worlds. Which is why I only mentioned worlds; I stayed on topic. But with that said, I focus on story just as much as the world. I give everything in my writing equal attention. Not just the world. But, I completely agree with you on dragons. I am tired of them. Dragons and fantasy can be a whole new thread on its own, haha. Likewise so could elves and fantasy. P.S. My current work is an urban fantasy set in the near future of the real world. So no elves, dragons and the like. Though, high fantasy is my favorite to read; which makes me wonder why I am not writing it.
