Can a main character simply strive for happiness or does it always have to be something grand and world changing?
Yeah, I know... Been trying to make a small scale story with a vibrant and dynamic universe, but it always come down to how to end such a plot. He dies or live happily ever after, what other ending would leave the reader satisfied? Do you have example of a fantasy story that is small and personal and yet novel sized? I suppose the Hobbit could be one, now that I think about it, the fate of the world doesn't ride on Bilbo, not yet, anyway...
Technically in thetfirs Harry Potter books Harry just tries to get through the story alive. You can always try thetclassic rags to riches theme, a group of adventurers after a treasure iniorder to get rich
I suppose, a story motivated by greed and ambition... I guess I just have to look at real life and people's motivations and decide whether their story has a happy or a sad ending; which is what makes the Hobbit such a masterpiece, I think, it is very down to earth but plays out a series of events that is not possible in any other instance than the work Ronald Tolkien created.
A reminder that fantasy is just a setting. Some settings serve certain narratives better than others, but any narrative can be set in any setting.
Not fantasy, but have you read "One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich"? If not then you should (everyone should, its brilliant).
If you have a story that's engaging, sure. It's much easier to do that with a grand scale storyline like "the whole kingdom is in danger!". Personal stories are trickier. Would a story about the life of the hobbits attract a large fanbase if there was no ring, orks, Mordor and stuff? Most fantasy readers expect to read about an adventure, not a quiet story about home-life. I can't think of a book, but there is a very popular fantasy movie ("Willow") where the main character simply strives to be happy. Of course, things happen that get in the way of this, so we get a movie and an adventure, but there's no saving-the-world or kingdom-in-danger thing. It's just this little guy and his friends who are in danger and have to save themselves, and eventually get back to their peaceful and happy lives. There are the fantasy love stories, too, and they have their own fan base. It's always good to check what's out there on the market. If there is no story like yours out there, that can be a good thing, too.
Step 1) Look at storylines that are popular in realistic settings Step 2) See what happens when you put them in fantasy settings
You can look at K.J. Parker's fantasy novel The Company, which centers around a small group of people and deals with issues of greed, etc.
Most of the fantasies you're probably thinking of have ensemble casts, or multiple POVs. Thia allows them to sprawl, tell the story from mulitple sides, and give the novel that "epic feel". Try mono-POV to make the story more personal. This is sort of what I've done with my story, unintentionally at first. I had 5 POVs to begin with, couldn't keep on top of it all, and eventually decided to concentrate on only 1 POV. Not only is my writing all the better for it, but the story feels very personal. Whilst I had previously planned epic set-piece battles that determined the fate of kingdoms, all of that is gone now, which doesn't disappoint me. But there is still enough adventure and mobility to give a feel of a larger world, or at least it feels like that to me. My MC's quest is basically one of revenge. Find the man responsible for the death of her parents, kill him. In doing so, she hopes it will cure her "affliction" - panic attacks and paranoia brought about by the trauma.
