HOW TO CRAFT A COMPELLING FANTASY NOVEL
INTRODUCTION
Based on facts, writing a fantasy novel can be daunting, even for experienced authors. Many writers struggle to build immersive worlds, create believable characters, and weave engaging stories. Indeed, writing a fantasy novel that truly captivates readers requires more than just a spark of creativity. It demands a deep understanding of world-building, character development, and storytelling.
So here are the questions you should ask yourself: How can I, as a writer with these challenges, navigate these daunting lines? How can I create characters that readers will root for?
In this article, we will explore the essential elements of writing a fantasy novel that will captivate your readers and leave them wanting more.
START WITH A STRONG OUTLINE
Many authors completely ignore this phase in the aspect of writing novels. Making drafts of the intended story helps organize your thoughts and structure your story. It makes you stay focused and ensure your narrative flows logically. Fantasy novels can be dissipated into various categories, or preferably, subgenres.
These include: High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, and many more. So when making a draft of your storyline, try to consider the expectations of your chosen subgenre. Take this for an example:
High Fantasy: These have settings built completely in different worlds and often feature magic, mythical creatures, and the likes
Urban Fantasy: These are often set in a modern city or the real world and feature more supernatural beings, like vampires, werewolves, and many others you can think of.
Both genre has different elements that won’t clash if there is a proper outlining.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Before writing a fantasy novel, try to under your target audience. This will help you craft a story that resonates with them. If your target audience is teenagers, you likely write YA fantasy to suit their tastes.
BUILD YOUR FANTASY WORLD
For most fantasy novels, the setting is built on magical/fictional locations that definitely might not be found in the real world. But there are certain things to consider while drafting out your setting, to fit into the storyline.
Bringing Your World To Life
Fictional worlds that are created based on one’s imagination can only be considered real in the mind of the reader when the sensory details are being emphasized. How would you expect your fantasy world to look like? A place vested in an eerie forest where magic and supernatural figures can be identified, or bustling cities? It is only a matter of proper description.
“The Meadow was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers – violet, yellow, and soft white. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the bubbling music of a stream” Excerpt from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga.
The Excerpt above laid out the exact description of a location in the novel, using visual and auditory details
Making Clear Rules
This might be a bit technical but helps a lot in developing a standard setting layout. That is, if your world is built on magic and other supernatural features, it’s essential to keep the flow till the end of the novel, to avoid loopholes.
BUILD A GRIPPING STORYLINE
I consider the ‘Plot’ as the backbone of your fantasy novel, providing the structure and tension that keeps readers’ attention. But what makes a plot truly compelling? Here are a few essential elements:
Start With A Strong Hook
The reader wants something that will retain their attention, your storyline shouldn’t be weak or have unnecessary information.
Include Quest/Adventures
Most fantasy novels are built on embarking on quest journeys, engaging in adventures, solving myths, overthrowing a dark lord, magical wars, and so much more.
Add Subplots
YA fantasy, for example, takes romance as a sub-genre. These are considered backstories to spice up the main genre.
Make Use Of Twists
This spices up readers’ excitement in most cases. Twists could come in the form of revelations, betrayals, discoveries, and romance between rivals. Leaving cliffhangers and keeping suspense is also necessary.
BRING YOUR CHARACTERS TO LIFE
Active characters are one of the features required in your fantasy novel; they are the vessels through which we experience the story. Well-crafted characters can transport readers to a world of emotions, and spark connections. Note that your main character, also called protagonist is whom your story evolves on, and should likely be introduced at the beginning of the novel.
Also, when introducing your characters (Protagonist, Antagonist, Foil, villain) using the ‘Show’ not ‘Tell’ technique will add spice to your description. Let’s briefly analyze these examples.
Example 1 (Tell)
“Lyra was a powerful sorceress with piercing green eyes and raven-black hair. She was feared by her enemies and respected by her allies.
Example 2 (Show)
“As Lyra stepped into the king’s castle, holding her snake-like carved staff, her piercing green eyes seemed to gleam with an inner fire. Her raven-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of the night, and the air around her made a whistling sound. The guards at the door shifted uneasily, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.”
Checking out both examples, you will notice that the first simply mentioned the character’s trait, while the second uses action, imagery, and reactions to describe the character.
INVOLVE THE USE OF NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES
Not so many writers understand the concepts of narrative techniques and their importance in a novel. I will consider it as a building block in the novel’s plot and setting. Here are a few and their uses
Foreshadowing
This device is used to suggest or tell of events/outcomes that will later happen in the story. You can check out novels like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, and ‘Game of Thrones’ for examples of foreshadow. Note that giving out much details might ruin the suspense which is meant to be kept. So your details should come in form of little ideas/information that will keep the reader in a state of euphoria.
Flashback
This shows event of the past that are directly linked to the present timeline. It will give the reader an idea of essential information that is not noted in the present timeline. The movie ‘Fear Street Trilogy (1994,1978,1666)’ is a good example.
Point of View
This is a narrative perspective, used in telling a story. We have two major narratives used in writing Fantasy novels; First-Person Narrative and Omniscient Narrative. First-person tells the story from the point of view of one character, while omniscient is simply the author telling the story. Check out these examples:
Example 1(First-person)
“I still remember the night I stumbled upon the abandoned mansion. As I stepped inside, the creaking floorboards beneath my feet seemed to echo secrets”
Example 2 (Omniscient)
Emily, a curious and determined young woman, was about to stumble upon a long-buried secret that would change the town’s fate forever. Meanwhile, in the abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town, a malevolent presence stirred, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
I believe in sticking to one style of narrative, but there are many authors out there who make use of both without loopholes. You should go for what can work for you.
EXAMINE YOUR TENSES
The proper use of tenses in novels is highly essential; it indicates the time/period of occurrences. However, it is good to maintain consistent tense throughout the narrative to avoid confusion. When using a narrative device like Flashback, with a first-person POV, past tense is best in that case, unlike Foreshadows which requires future tenses. But note that your novel can be written using either past or present tense, using both can be contradictory, except when necessary.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, believe that crafting a fantasy novel takes time, effort, and imagination. What makes a fantasy story truly memorable? Is it the magic, the action, or the characters? You should have gotten your answer from this article. Now, it is your turn to create your fantasy world. Follow these tips given, let your imagination run wild, and see where it takes you.