I'm working on fantasy story, but I'm also trying my hand at some supernatural (I wanted to try psychological but I don't think it's working)
Well, mine's not fantasy like "Oh! A witch! kill her!", mine's more like a medieval story with some magic thrown into it. No dragons though I have written some realistic fiction and some historical fiction, but medieval fantasy seems to work best for me.
I like fantasy stories that actually do have rules, laws, and what not as to what can and can't happen. It makes it seem more realistic. That's why I prefer sci-fi. Sci-fi, in a way, can be very realistic, and it really makes you wonder. That's my opinion. I've gotten started on a few fantasy stories, and they started off okay, but just lost that good "magical" touch after awhile. They began to sound more like medieval realistic fiction. So yeah, I prefer sci-f, and most of the stories I'm working on now are sci-fi. Not only is it a fun genre to write, but it's also very challenging, because you can't defy the laws of nature. In a way, the "magic" you see in most modern fantasy novels is an excuse for not having a reason for something. Sorry about that. I'm gonna shut up now.
Charlie, I LOVE your avatar by the way. I agree about how having laws makes things more realistic. Like, fantasy stories where you can just go "Oh! Resurrection phial!" and come back to life are a little/lot stupid. I've tried my hand at sci-fi before, but it just never really worked I guess. Although, I do love reading sci-fi.
They say that sci-fi is one of the hardest genres to write, and I'd have to agree. There are quite a few different kinds of sci-fi. I find future sci-fi to be the easiest, next to alien sci-fi. And Legolas wishes you all a late Merry Christmas.
I tried writing sci-fi of an advanced civilization. Not exactly futuresque, but how we could've ended up now. Legolas = coolest pretty boy ever.
Well, I'm not writing any fantasy right now, but I've had this idea growing in the back of my head. I don't think it's been done before, because... Ah. That would be telling. I want to keep this secret just in case I decide to go through with it, because it most certainly could work. But not now. Now, I'm working on this near-future kind of thing. Some of the weapons and such use lasers, but they're literally lasers, not beams/streams/pulses/bolts/whatever of energy. They use light rays so intense that they can actually burn through rock. I have a good explanation for how that's possible in my story, but I'm not telling. Oh, and the main characters... I guess they're a little fantasy-esque. It's still sci-fi. I know, I'm secretive. That's just the way I am. I like surprises.
I wrote a romance book and my little sister before she died wrote a fiction book called "The Waiting Room". I do agree that mine is original yet could be considered played out but my sister's is so great unfortuneatly I am still trying trying to recover it all from her friends. I totally am beginning to think fantasy is a little pushed to it's limit right now and that it'll be great to finally see some variation soon enough.
Too funny! The first post I see here is this one- and to think-I originally popped in to get a little inspiration of a dying fantasy story I had started. I went so far as to draw out all these relevant maps, plot a coherent story line, absolutely loved my characters- and ya know what? I just can't find it in me to believe in that fantasy world enough to write a convincing story. *sighs* Oh well, back to the drawing board. So, for the record, I WAS going to write a fantasy adventure. Not anymore.
lol I write predominantly fantasy. In fact, I don't know if I've ever done a realistic piece. Anyway, fantasy does indeed pose the problem of originality, but I believe there are those out there with enough talent to come up with original plots and characters. I have read many incredible fantasy books that changed the way I think about the genre, and I continue to find them all over the place. I also hate the conventions that many fantasy writers tend to use. Like Crazy Ivan said, though, they can be used the right way! Even better, conventions can be toyed with, and that's always fun. I love reading and writing fantasy, and I think I'll stick with it ;]
Well, at the moment I'm working on something that is fantasy...I think. It takes place in a somewhat old-timey world...maybe comparable to Edwardian England but with further advances in technology. So, it would just be some sort of steam/dieselpunk/sci-fi thing but there's also non-human beings (that are not aliens) in the story as well. An example being, gremlins, small, ugly creatures that have an odd habit of stealing important gears and engine pieces. None of them (so far) use magic though.
I definitely agree that most fantasy writing these days is unoriginal. I'd go a step further and say that 3/4 of it is just mimicry of Tolkien's work. The thing is, Tolkien WAS original, the copy-cats are not. Don't write off Tolkien's writing just because the market is now littered with knock-offs, remember that Tolkien's work is pretty old. The Hobbit was written in the mid-30s, and LOTR was written in the mid-50s. Science Fiction is the same as Fantasy though. A lot of it is knock offs of Star Wars or Star Trek. Of course, there's also plenty of giant robot crap as well. I don't see why you guys are saying that realistic work or Sci Fi are better than fantasy. How about Old Westerns? Are those original? Can you really argue that realism is more original than fantasy though? Some people like to invent characters and stories, others like to invent times and places to go along with their characters and stories. Any writer in any genre can be cliche and unoriginal, but a good writer can write in any genre and be very original and totally non-cliche. Anyway, I'm working on a Science Fiction piece, but I also have several ideas for Fantasy works floating around my head. All of them are more-or-less original, and you can be certain that I'll do my research before actually writing anything. I think people just need to read a lot before they write, that way they know what's out there and can actively avoid the cliches. Also, people shouldn't even pick up a pen (or keyboard) to write until they thoroughly know the Monomyth and can avoid that as well. Gee, thanks George Lucas.
I never said (NO one ever said) that one should stop writing fantasy. It's just that there's so much of that around that it's hard to find anything original or even worth reading just for being so complexed. but I've never been to a forum where someone's NOT writing fantasy. That's why I started it. I wanted to know if this forum isn't just filled with people like that or if I was the only one.
Maybe the problem is that people introduce too many weird creatures, and far too many new concepts that people get tired of following. Mine right now is more character centric with a few details on the world that they inhabit, so hopefully that works out well.
I agree with that 100%. I love fantasy books, but too many character make me dizzy. I guess you could say that I'm working on, realistic fiction maybe?
Too much suspension of disbelief Fantasy has always required too much suspension of disbelief for me. Try as I might, I just can't believe there are fairies at the bottom of my garden Someone said that the writing you write best is the writing you like to read. Reading fantasy doesn't work for me so I doubt if I could write it with conviction. For me, the most important thing about a story is the idea and the twist. Some of my characters keep wanting to be let out too and that prompts me to put fingers to keys. SciFi for me is OK as long as there is something about human relationships; endless battle scenes leave me cold. Perhaps all writing is fantasy, really. But then I am fiction author and do they ever tell the truth? Bye for now
I don't love or even prefer fantasy. Sure, I can read and write some, but never my thing. I like to be able to relate to reality, since that's more fun for me.
Now see, I enjoy fantasy in principle but it turns out that I seem to hate it in practice. There's so much that's just "A wizard did it." It's annoying. And there're always dragons. Plus, it'd be nice to see things presented vastly from what they're like with Tolkien. Strangely enough though, fantasy stories where they have completely made up things (i.e. not Dwarves and Elves) the stand in races just seem gimmicky. How to make a fantasy story different: 1. Use magic for something other than making fireballs. Like maybe, Magi-Tek. Sure it's been done before, but you can do it better. Why would people who can shoot lightning from their fingertips not have discovered the multitude of uses for electricity? 2. Something new in the old bestiary. There's always dragons, but never Barometz, or Crucotta. 3. Since you're railroaded into using the four races and variants (Dwarf, Elf, Human, Orc; also Dark elf, troll, halflings, gnomes, goblins, etcetera), toss it up a bit. Steampunk Dwarves are common, by why not toss it up and use point 1. and have cyberpunk elves? Or tweak their attitudes. I've heard of psychotic elves. 4. Why does everything have to be in a faux Middle Ages? Toss it up, why not have it take place in what's roughly equivalent to the fifties instead of an Anachronism Stew version of the middle ages? 5. Something other than a quest would be nice. Fantasy is interesting, it really only tells the Genre for the most part. Why are there so few detective stories? So few Romances? Sure it's a given that at the end the Hero and the Designated Love Interest will make hot sweet love, but why does he have to save her kingdom and travel halfway across the world to do it? What about a Fantasy spy thriller? James Bond is an Elf, Blofeld's a dwarf, eh? That'd be awesome. And all those zany gadgets Q makes can be magic artifacts he's created. Hell, write a story like The Things They Carried and put it in Middle Earth. Or a political thriller, a story about someone killing the King. Or, since it's a fictional world, the president. I actually forgot what the question was...
I used to do fantasy. Still do, in fact, but now I'm trying my hand at other genres. I wish Eragon would have gone better... seriously, ever since that came out, fantasy has gone down the drains. Nothing against Paolini, though: I actually enjoyed some of his book. (Gets shot). But only certain scenes. And ever since that series, everybody has decided it's the era of cliché appreciation. But that's a rant for another time. I guess I'll lay low in the fantasy department until publishing authors get a handle on themselves. Until then, I'll be broadening my horizons.
I am a proud author of stories that are not fantasy. I dont know, I've never liked reading them, never gave it a shot at writing them because I dont like reading them, and therefore probably never will. I'm more of a courtroom drama person.
Your answer is (To original starter) Potter-mania. Harry Potter series themselves are not great or even good fantasies and alas to the generation that follow its stream. What can we say, when there are Lord Of the Ringss, Beowoulf and Dracula but yet people follow Rowling?
I really don't think so... I mean, most of the writing seems to be the same or be in the league of Tolkien (Or at least TRYING to be Tolkien) not really of Potter. It also has the same dialoug and setting. Not in the 90's in England like Potter, but in a mystical world thousands of years from now or in the future
Yes, but it was Pottermania that drove most people to fantasy. Tolkin's works were written at the early period of past century, but it was after Potter that they started this genre.
