How to write amazing fantasy

Writer's shop How to Write Fantasy Here you'll find information about how to write fantasy, with advice on the dos and don'ts of creating magical worlds.

Writing Fight Scenes Friday, April 10, Writing fight scenes is often an important task for a fantasy author. Some writers find they come naturally.

Every word spent outside of the action can kill the tension. At the same time, a badly described scene can make the fight lack-luster, boring — or worse still — confusing.

Setting the scene before the action begins is a great way of resolving these conflicting tensions. It never ceases to amaze me how putting in the hard yards to describe the environment pays off later on. It allows you to focus on the action when you need to, without sacrificing context and clarity.

Good writers will lay the groundwork well in advance of when it is actually needed. A favorite technique of mine is to have the characters visit the scene prior to the fight, perhaps even in an earlier chapter.

This is particularly true with fight scenes. The buildup is the perfect place to lay down what is truly at stake for your characters, to make clear the price of failure.

A good buildup will often last longer than the fight itself, and rightly so. It was the buildup to that moment which made it great — the lore, the menace and the darkness, the chase through the mines, all of it culminating with the breaking of the bridge. That nasty, serrated hatchet the goblin is shaking at your character speaks for itself.

Small details can help differentiate the impending conflict from a run-of-the-mill battle by increasing tension and upping the stakes. It can also be a great opportunity for horror. Get The Mechanics Right Now we get into the mechanics of the action itself.

Unfortunately, nothing is more likely to ruin a carefully constructed fight scene than confusing the reader. Clarity is key here. Some writers draw maps, and use toy soldiers to move their characters around during each phase of the battle to keep track of where everyone is.

I like to make up a list of events that have to occur to get me from the start to the finish. At the end, I go back and make sure they are all covered. The moves and actions of the characters also need to be realistic.

I loved the novel despite these issues, but the author lost points with me in the fight scenes. Secondly, being flat on your back is the worst place to be in a fight.

A reader will forgive these mistakes once. Fights, even in a fantasy setting, must follow rules of leverage, force, and weight. The more rigidly you follow them, the more realistic your fights will be.

The same goes for weapons and armor.Provided that you plan ahead, spend some time coming up with the particulars of how your world works and avoid the pitfalls of common genre clichés, you can write a fantasy novel that makes readers reluctant to leave your fictional world.

Nov 30,  · Cultivate ideas. Fantasy stories typically exist in fictional worlds or universes. If you want to write a fantasy story, you'll be creating a world for readers that's slightly different from our own%(). About the Author. Marc Davies Marc started writing as a teenager, and has always been obsessed with science fiction and fantasy.

He has a soft spot for books with fast plots, unusual characters and twisted humor.

25 Things You Should Know About Writing Fantasy – Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds

The more unusual, the better. He predominantly reads sci-fi and fantasy, depending on mood. Dec 21,  · Choose the kind of fantasy you're writing about. Decide whether you'll write about a medieval, futuristic or any other type of era. Take the time to imagine your fantasy world and the characters within it.

Take notes or write an outline of how your fantasy world works%(26).

Writing Fight Scenes « Fantasy-Faction

Urban fantasy stories are tales of magic, but unlike other fantasy sub-genres, like Epic Fantasy (think Lord of the Rings) or High Fantasy (like Game of Thrones), they’re set in the real world. Urban fantasy stories are HUGE on TV, film, and books.

Fantasy is a huge niche and one with plenty of fanatical fans. It's a brilliant genre to write in and today, Ben Galley, fantasy author and self-publishing expert, discusses the main aspects. It’s hard to write a guide to a whole genre, especially one as vast and as intricate as fantasy, but as a zealot of all things fantastical, it’s something I want to tackle.