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| Barefoot Books Folk and Fairy Tale Collection |
4 Tips To Writing Fantasy Stories
Do you feel overwhelmed because you never know how to come up with an opening line to your fantasy book?Most people feel a writer’s block when they start writing their story because they do not know how to start or where to begin.
Here are four step-by-step approaches or categories to get you started and focused on your writing.
1. Create A Character2. Create The Setting
3. Create A Conflict
4. Create A Solution-Ending
I just finished reviewing a fantastic juvenile fiction series called The Kelmar Trilogy by Laura Sepesi.
Master of Kelmar and Secrets of Kelmar, plus Guardian of Kelmar. As you probably already know, Fantasy is highly imaginative writing, just spinning an adventure that just isn't real or true. For example, one can read about animals talking with one another, expressing emotions and wearing real clothes. Fantasy can be set in medieval times with castles and dragons, wizards and knights. Or the story can be set in the future, which is why the Star Wars series was so popular.
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| Knight |
So, when you begin to write your fantasy story, you will need to come up with a name for your character. Keep in mind that you will want to choose an exciting name and not just “dragon” but rather, “dragon-lord.” This is what we call a compound word, taking two separate words joined together to form a new word, like “candlestick.”
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| Maiden |
At this point, you will want to create details of your character from his or her size, characteristics, color, appearance, and descriptive titles to your character. For example, Dubious the dark-knight or Phoebe, the good-fairy of Seaguard Cove have soft or hard sounds to their name.
Once you’ve established the main characters and sub-characters of your story and have included a variety of dragons, dwarfs, ladies and lords, it’s time to move on to the setting.
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| Castle |
Will you start with the Great Fortress of Camden, surrounded in an enchanting forest? Perhaps the wise queen of Goshen lives in the High Tower of Gadzar. Whatever setting you choose, you will have lots of scene changes to create from barren deserts and empty plains to evil fortresses and radiant cities. I love visualizing worlds beyond.
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| Dragon |
The next hearty step of your story outline will be the meat-and-potatoes part. Will the dark forces pose traps, plots and schemes to force their opponent in battle? Will monsters arise, sorcerers cast spells and a witch uses an invisibility cloak to lead a surprise attack to defeat their enemies? Yes, more descriptive writing occurs here to develop a real page-turner story. Success is when you just can't put the book down!
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| Fairy |
My favorite and final point in writing a fantasy story is to provide an ending that hopefully pleases everyone but after all, it is your story and you probably will choose a predictable ending, like good triumphs over evil, but then, maybe not.
I personally like to read about the Good Lady Diana being rescued by her favorite, Great Knight Nicholas, from the treacherous and barbarous William Zardk, along with his companion, the dangerous Dragon Dunzabar. To be taken to Nicholas’ enchanted castle to meet his father, the Kindly King, and to begin a new life atop a pinnacle of rock, overlooking a lush valley would be a great ending, and indeed another sequel to a marvelous, new beginning.
One special note to share, if you're interested in winning an iPad or Kindle Fire, Rafflecopter is hosting a giveaway and their services are now being offered for free. You can enter the give away on my other blog, LadyD Books at Rafflecopter-launch-party-giveaway-win
Good luck to all and best wishes,
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis
