R. L. Stedman

Writer

Fantasy

Love Fairytales? Here’s 5 Enchanting Movies To Try

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The Enchantment of Fairytales —

I love fairytales.

5 Books I Fell in Love With

The Brother’s Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Arabian Nights — fairytales are charming, exciting, heart-breaking and funny. Fairytales come from all nations, and we call them folktales, and we think they’re all made-up because, well, they’re fantasy.

But are they really?

The reasons fairytales retain their appeal is precisely because, although they’re fiction, they contain things we can all relate to. Like Cinderella, we’ve experienced people being mean to us, saying “you’re ugly”, “you’re worthless.” And like the Little Mermaid, we’ve had a helpless crush on someone who really just…is not interested.

But in fairytales (unlike real life) also contain a happy ever after. In fairytales, good always triumphs. And, as an added bonus, for some reason, fairytales seem to have beautiful dresses,  handsome Princes and True Love.

And because of this, fairytales make for fabulous movies and amazing TV. Here’s my top 5.

Hope you enjoy these clips!

 

5 Fabulous On-Screen Fairytales.

5.  EverAfter

Watch the clip to the end!

4.  Shrek

Who doesn’t love this great movie? And the sequels that somehow were just as good as the first! My favourite line: ‘Some of you may die, but that is a price I am willing to pay…’

3.  Enchanted

The Happy Working Song is the best! ‘Even though you’re vermin…’ I have no idea how Amy Adams managed to sing this song with a straight face.

2.  Whale Rider

This is a retelling of a Maori myth, and is an absolutely stunning movie. Its based on the book Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera. No actual whales were harmed in the making of this movie.

1. Beauty and the Beast – the animated version

The animation in this film is amazing, but really I love the characters, especially the French candlestick and Chip the cup (what a great name!)

 

Bonus! – An Extra Movie

And as an added little bonus, who could forget the amazingly sublime…The Princess Bride.

Okay, so it’s not really based on any actual fairytale, but it has a Princess, a Romantic Hero and, most importantly — the Best Movie Sword Fight Ever.

 

Fairytales are Fun: Cinderella and A Tremendous Fart

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Fairytales are Fun

I love fairytales. Based on folk legends, they’re retellings of the oldest stories in the world.

5 Books I Fell in Love With

Paulo Coelho says there are only three stories: love between two people, love between three people and a struggle for power. Fairy tales contain all three.

My favourite tale is Cinderella. Why? Because she rescues herself. She’s told she’s ugly and she’s not to go to the ball – but she goes anyway. And she puts on the slipper and wins the Prince.

There are different versions of Cinderella. In some, the stepsisters cut off their own toes, so as to fit the shoe. In another, a tree provides her ball dress. (Yep. That’s fairy tales for you.) In a Native American version the stepsisters burn her face. You can read these stories on-line here.

In Welcome to Faery, I’ve written three versions of the Cinderella story: Cinderella as assassin, working to a tight deadline. Cynders as (male) chimney sweep. But my favourite is the Charming Brands story, where Ash is an assistant in a shoe store.

 

That’s the great thing about fairy stories, you can take one part of the fable and change it up, but provided you stick to the core truth of the tale it still has meaning and readers can still relate.

Fairy stories are often funny; they’re over-the-top and rarely believable. I mean, pumpkins turning into coaches? Please. But that doesn’t matter. We don’t need to believe a tale is true to enjoy it.

Fairytales can contain themes that aren’t popular today. A prince has more rights than a commoner; men have more status than women. Fairy tales are frequently sexist – think of One Thousand and One Nights, where Scheherazade has to keep retelling stories to avoid beheading.

That’s something we often forget: fairytales have sex and blood and vengeance. Which brings me to the purpose of this blog post. Fairytales are often bawdy.

Set out below is my retelling of a story from One Thousand and One Nights.

(I’ve quite freely copied this story from A Continued Sense of Wonder night at the Dunedin Library (more about that programme here). Since the retelling was copied it from a much older work, I’ve taken the liberty of  adding a few small embellishments.

Warning! Don’t read on if you don’t like reading about farts.

The story of Abu-Hassan and the Tremendous Fart.

fairytale book
Image source

Once upon a time in a great city lived a young man named Abu-Hassan. Though of humble origins, Abu-Hassan was a godly man. Now it came to pass that the King of the land took a new wife. This Queen was more beautiful than the moon and sun and greatly loved, for she was truly kind and gentle.

The King and his new wife began a journey throughout their kingdom, and they came to the city of Abu-Hassan.

Now everyone in the city wanted to see this new queen, but it was feared that the throng of people would be too much for the royal couple. The mayor decreed that they would cast lots for the privilege of attending the Royal reception, and that every right-thinking citizen might cast in their lot.

And thus it came to pass that Abu-Hassan was invited to a banquet at the mayoral palace to be held in the honour of the King and Queen.

Abu-Hassan felt very nervous, for he was a humble man and uncertain of how to act in the presence of Royalty. But his mother told him to be mindful of his duty to God and his host. He should partake of his food without complaint and offer sincere dutiful obescience to the King.

Abu-Hassan followed this wise counsel and the evening passed uneventfully. Despite his nerves, he ate heartily for the meal was rich and flavoursome.

After the meal came lengthy, florid speeches as each official tried to outdo his peers in eloquence. But finally the speeches came to an end. A slave banged a gong for silence.
‘The Royal Audience will begin!’ announced the mayor.

With a flurry of anticipation, the citizens filed through to the Audience Chamber, where the King and his new, beautiful Queen were waiting to receive the guests.

The room was magnificent! Candlelight gleamed on gold walls, lapis lazuli and precious stones glistened. Musicians played; jugglers threw flaming torches; contortionists formed strange shapes. There was a long wait until the presentations began, but Abu-Hassan was not at all bored. The Queen was even more beautiful than the tales; it was a pleasure to stand in one corner and watch her.

Then, finally, came the great moment.

‘Abu-Hassan!’ boomed the vizier.

Abu-Hassan came forward, made obeisance to the throne. The King appeared almost unaware of his presence, and barely glanced his way. Abu-Hassan felt concerned; perhaps he had offended his monarch. So, when bowing to the Queen, he dropped onto one knee, and made the deepest obeisance he could manage.

Unfortunately, in so doing, he had forgotten about his elaborate meal.

And as he bent forward, he let out the most tremendous, enormous fart!

The silk canopy above the throne shook. Candles blew out.

All conversation stopped. A juggler dropped his torch and a tambourine player dropped his instrument. It fell, crashing to the floor.

The King looked first annoyed, then surprised. And the beautiful Queen, who Abu-Hassan had longed to meet? She began laughing. Quietly at first, and then louder and louder, until nearly doubled up with mirth.

After a surprised pause, the entire throne room began laughing.

And Abu-Hassan, overcome with embarrassment, backed from of the room. The laughter continued, as the rumours of the tremendous fart spread. Waves of hilarity followed as he ran from the palace.

News of the fart circulated quickly. Beggars in the gutter laughed; merchants in the marketplace could hardly contain their glee. The guards on the walls laughed so hard they nearly fell.
Abu-Hassan left the city.

***

He came at last to a far town. He worked hard, and said little about where he had come from, and why he had left. He grew older, and was respected in business. He married, had three children. He told no one about his tremendous fart.

Time passed. Abu-Hassan grew old and longed to look once more on the city of his ancestors. He said farewell to his children and grandchildren and took ship to his homeland.

Drawing near to his old home, he said to himself, “I will wander about the outskirts and listen to what people are saying. Perhaps they will not remember me, or why I left.”

And as he entered the city he heard a young man asking: “Mother, when were you born?”

“My son,” said his mother, “I know exactly when I was born. It was on the eighteenth of March; the very night of Abu-Hassan’s tremendous fart.”

When Abu-Hassan heard these words than he rose up from the bench. “My fart has become a date!”

And he realised that such a fart will be always be remembered from now until eternity.

Abu-Hassan returned no more to the city of his birth. Instead he returned to his children and his grandchildren, and remained in self-imposed exile until he died.

May God’s mercy be upon him.

Behind the Scenes with A Skillful Warrior

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Where is A Skillful Warrior Set?

writer's notebook - behind the scenes

Paulo Coelho’s advice to aspiring writers: don’t keep a notebook. Just live your life. The things that are important will remain, and those that are not will fall away.I do keep a notebook, but not for recording thoughts and impressions. I keep my notebook for when I don’t have a computer with me. Sometimes this bothers me, as though I’m not a real writer.

But surprisingly, when it comes to story setting, I don’t need a notebook. I rely on memory. Take A Skillful Warrior, and its settings.

 

The Settings of A Skillful Warrior…

The story opens with Will, Dana, Jed and N’tombe travelling beside a river towards a moorland plateau.

Later, Will and Jed find a hotel in a fishing village just north of a town called Abervale. Nearby is a tower, like a castle, set into the sea, and accessible from the clifftop by a narrow bridge. Jed falls afoul of its owner, a woman named Ma Evans.

Rock Towers - behind the scenes

A little later there’s a scene where Dana meets a goat herder. He takes her to meet his family, and they share food and a lice-infested cave.

The last scenes of the book are in a maze-like network of narrow canyons. Once, long ago, people lived in hollow caves, carved from the rock. Now, all the caves are abandoned; the only sound is the wind, whistling sadly through the empty holes.

River Trail

…And The Real-Life Places

The river valley of my imagination was the Conwy River, in Gwynedd, North Wales. I worked as a physiotherapist in Llandudno Hospital in the 90s. Many of my patients were small-holding sheep farmers, wiry tough little men who eeked out a living in the harsh pasture of the Upper Conwy.

I went hiking in the Conwy Vale in my weekends, and gained a first-hand insight into why my patients had such bad knees!

Where the Conwy River meets the sea lies a castle, one of my favourite castles in all Wales (and there are plenty there to choose from, thanks to Edward I and his bottomless treasury), and the gorgeous medieval market-town of Conwy.

Back in the 90s I had no idea of writing a book, let alone a trilogy, so never really meant to cast these places as locations, but they crept into the book nonetheless.

Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle.

Abervale and the nearby fishing village of Towyn are totally fictional, but I used drawings of old Exeter – the Exeter from before the bombing raids of WW2 – and Chester (which was not so damaged) to form the idea of the narrow streets and over-leaning tudor-style post and beam buildings of Towyn. The tower in the sea is totally made up, although Tintagel Castle, built into the clifftops of North Cornwall, and Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy (see an earlier blog post) acted as a catalyst.

The goat-herder lived in the Sinai Mountains. I holidayed on the Sinai Peninsula nearly twenty years ago – diving and snorkelling, as you do – and the camel-riding, landrover driving Bedouin were a familiar sight along the coast. Later, we travelled into Petra. If you’ve ever been to Petra you’ll understand how powerful the landscape is; how evocative, and how lonely. Once you leave the beaten tourist trail you realise just how vast the place was. Once it must have been simply crowded with people. High in the cliff walls are thousands of holes – cave homes, now empty. Except for the lice that are legendary among backpackers.

Petra
Petra, Image by Pete Rojwongsuriya from Bucketlistly Photos

In one of these lonely caves we met with a goat-herder and his family. This wasn’t their regular home – the government had moved all the inhabitants away – but periodically they’d return, bringing their animals and their furnishings with them. They welcomed us into their cave-home, plied us with hot sweet tea and offered to be our guides for the day. Such hospitality is common among the Bedu, or so I’m told.

It’s strange how tiny events, not even important at the time, remain in the subconscious and eventually make their way into a story.

Makes me glad I didn’t bother with a notebook.

6 Old-But-Awesome Fantasy Series for Teen Readers

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Awesome Fantasy Series —

Know that awful feeling when you reach the end of a great series? Well, don’t panic, here’s a whole heap of old-but-awesome fantasy series to discover!

teenager - school visit

What Should I Read Next?

Because I’ve been reading fantasy for, oh, well, way too long to count, I thought it would be fun to set out some options based on some old and new series.

Warning:

This is a long blog post! Here you can download to read as a pdf 

PS: You’re welcome to copy and share this pdf.

 

1. Epic Adventure

 

If you like: 

The Shattered Sea Series by Joe Abercrombie

 

half a king by Joe Abercrombie

 

Try: 

The Belgariad by David Eddings

belgariadseries

 

What’s it About?
The Belgariad is a five-volume fantasy series, featuring good versus evil, wicked gods and powerful magicians. The series follows Garion, a scullery-lad from the country and his mysterious Aunt Polgara in their search for the missing Orb of Aldur.

At the beginning of the stories Garion is a young unknown, but as the reader continues through the books his exciting backstory is gradually revealed. When The Belgariad first came out, I haunted the library for weeks, just desperate for the next in the series, and had my name on all the pre-order lists.

The Belgariad feels like real seat of the pants adventure – Garion didn’t really understand what was happening to him, so neither did I, as the reader. I still remember the amazement, the OMG moment when finally I realised what was actually happening. (I don’t want to give too much away here, so apologies if this sounds ambiguous)!

Why Is it So Amazing?

The action in The Belgariad is great – it’s a fantasy, so there are heroes and battles and sword fighting and all that good stuff – but really it’s the characters that set The Belgariad apart. Eddings developed an enormous cast of characters, and each person is so believable that you really feel you know them; they each have their own foibles and way of speaking. I still think, even now, that The Belgariad has one of the best cast of characters in any series. Sorry, JRR, I think Eddings out-did you there.

Any Other Info?

David Eddings and his wife, Leigh Eddings, went on to write a number of other series, including The Mallorean, the sequel to The Belgariad, so if you do get hooked on this series there are plenty of other books to go on to.

Interested? Want to find out more?

Check out this review from Will Read for Feels.

2. Magic and Legends

 

Enjoy 

The Raven Cycle By Maggie Stiefvater?

the raven boys by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Try: 

The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.

The Dark is Risking by Susan Cooper

 

When I read that Maggie Stiefvater listed Cooper as among her favourite authors, I wasn’t surprised; if you’ve read The Dark is Rising you can certainly see the similarities. Although The Dark is Rising is slower-paced than Stiefvater’s work and doesn’t have any cars (plus its first book, Over Sea and Under Stone, is written for a younger audience), the settings feel way more evocative.

What’s it About?

The Dark is Rising is a good versus evil story, set in Cornwall and Wales, and tells the story of Will, the last of the Old Ones, born into a mysterious order. On his eleventh birthday, Midwinter Day, Will learns why a strange man is following him, and why he has to keep his family safe. Throughout the sequence Will is aided by Merlion (Merlin) and three children: Barney, Simon and Jane. The stories are all set in Britain, moving from Cornwall to Buckinghamshire to Wales.

Why Is It So Great?

The whole sequence is creepy and exciting and full of references to King Arthur and the Grail. It has a strong emphasis on music. It’s rare to find books that celebrate musicality in children – I still remember the excitement when I realised I wasn’t the only musical weirdo in the world!

The Grey King, the third of the Rising sequence, is set in Wales. This book has always been my favourite of the series, so much so that I worked in Wales primarily so I could see the area she describes in her books! I ended up setting my first book, A Necklace of Souls, in Angelsea partly because of Cooper’s The Grey King.

If you’re into Celtic mythology and adventure, The Dark is Rising is an absolute must-read. It’s really aimed at children around ten to say fourteen, but older kids will still enjoy it.

3. World-Building

 

If you enjoy Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Series, try:

The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula Le Guin.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

 

What’s it About?

First written as a trilogy, The Earthsea Cycle is a classic fantasy series. Set in Earthsea, a world made of sea and archipelagos, the stories follow the adventures of Ged, a wizard of Earthsea, and Tenar, a priestess. In 1990 Le Guin released Tehanu, the fourth in the cycle, and more recently, a number of short stories.

Why Is It So Great?

The Earthsea Cycle is world-building at its best; the detailed world of Ged and Tenar is immersive and exciting. Just a short warning: The Earthsea novels are slower than Sanderson’s Mistborn series – the action takes time to build – but what makes Le Guin’s novels amazing is the sheer believability of the world. When reading Earthsea, you really feel as though you’re walking through a market or sailing across the sea. If you enjoy travelling but haven’t the budget, The Earthsea Cycle is a must-read!

Any Other Info?

The Earthsea works were adapted into an Anime movie by Disney and Studio Ghibli.  The movie is interesting, although don’t expect it to resemble the book!

4. Schools of Wizardry

 

If you liked The Adventures of Harry Potter by JK Rowling try:

Harry Potter Series

Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

 

What’s It About?

Witch Week takes place over Halloween week at Larwood House, a horrible boarding school that’s home to many witch-orphans (children whose parents were burnt for witchcraft). Most of the class of 2Y are terrified that they will become witches – but some welcome the idea of magic. And others believe they are far too good to ever become a witch.

Witch Week is one of my favourite Wynne Jones novels, mostly because it’s just so funny.

“You girls,” said Simon, “all stink.”
The result was almost overpowering. So was the noise the girls made.

Why Is It So Great?

I first read Diana Wynne Jones’ Charmed Life when I was nine. I still have a copy, and it remains one of my favourite stories ever. Wynne Jones had the most amazing storytelling gift; she told stories of magic and multiple worlds and her extraordinary characters simply bounced from the pages.

I thought you were talking about a SERIES?

Yep. I am – Witch Week is one of the Chrestomanci novels. The Chrestomanci stories are all stand-alone novels. They’re set in many different worlds but they all feature Chrestomanci, a powerful enchanter with an allergy to silver and a highly developed dress sense. So if you enjoy Witch Week then good news! There’s heaps of other stories to try.

5. Adventure and Romance

 

If you like Kristin Cashore’s Graceling Realm, try:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

The Riddle-Master Trilogy by Patricia McKillip

The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A McKillip

 

What’s it About?

The Riddle-Master stories tell the adventures of Morgon, the Prince of Hed. Born with three stars on his forehead and the ability to solve riddles, Morgon doesn’t care about destiny or matters of state; all he wants to do is study riddle-mastery. Unfortunately for Morgon, the biggest riddle he must solve is himself. The characters, Morgon and his fiancee, Raederle of An, develop in unexpected ways through the series. There’s action and backstory and plenty of magic. The story is never boring.

Why is it so great?

The Riddle-Master series is notable not only for its world-building and strong female protagonists but for the beauty of its writing. McKillip’s writing is always lyrical, more like poetry than prose. The Riddle-Master series has the best concluding paragraph ever:

‘Raederle, her voice tranquil, began telling him about pearls and luminous fish and the singing of water deep in the sea…Peace, tremulous, unexpected, sent a taproot out of nowhere into Morgan’s heart.’

6. History and Myth

 

Love Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Series? Try:

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

 

What’s it about?

The Merlin Trilogy follows Merlin, the bastard grandson of a minor Welsh King, who has a gift for seeing things that others cannot. Set in Britain of the fifth century, the story takes place against the ruins of the Roman empire, where the crumbling remains of towers battle with memories of the old gods and their druid priests. There’s an ever-present threat of danger running through the novels; the Norse invaders, the new Christian religion and the death of a once-great civilization. Merlin knows the darkness is coming.

‘What was there to see? A young man with an injured hand, a King with his lust satisfied, a woman with her penance beginning. And for all of us, time to remember the dead.’

Why is it so great?

Who doesn’t like the idea of King Arthur and the Grail? In The Merlin Trilogy, the settings interweave myth with magic, but they’re underpinned by historical fact. Stewart must have gone to great lengths to ensure the stories are accurate – even small details like the hypocaust systems of roman villas are so well described that the reader could almost be there. This trilogy was the other reason I lived in Wales!

I don’t get how it’s like The Grisha Series? Isn’t that based on Russian History?

Check out Leigh Bardugo’s amazing website. You can see here how she used historical reality to shape her Grisha world. Stewart did something similar in The Merlin Trilogy; a great deal of the work is based on the History of the Kings of Britain, a medieval work by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Other info?

The Merlin Series was made into a TV series by the BBC (entitled Merlin of the Crystal Cave). Stewart was also a prolific writer of romantic suspense, so if you enjoy a range of genres, check out her other titles.

Conclusion

This is an epically long blog-post! Congratulations on reaching the end and thanks for your patience.

If you would like to print this out for reference, here’s the download link again.

And if you’re STILL short of reading material, here are four lists on Goodreads that might be of interest:

(All the cover art here is from Amazon, and I’ve added links to all the Amazon entries for these books too, in case you’re wanting to read more.)

Happy Reading!

An Exclusive Snapshot: The Backstory to the SoulNecklace Stories

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Just as Every Person has a Past…

…every story has a backstory.

Because nothing really starts (and nothing really ends), my stories are just a snippet of a grander, larger whole. I plan the larger whole just as I plan the snippet that constitutes the little pieces that make up the books. Today I’m sharing a part of the backstory of The SoulNecklace Stories.

 

Imagine…
A castle on a hill. A small girl plays a chasing game along its ramparts. Mid-stride, the girl pauses.
‘Daddy,’ she stares at the castle tower. ‘Look! I see someone!’
As her father grabs her into his arms, his crown falls. ‘No, Dana. There’s nobody.’
Peeping over his shoulder, the girl sees: a flash of red at the tower window, and a figure smiling. Her father is wrong. There is someone there.
‘She’s waving at me,’ Dana whispers.
Her father hugs her tightly…

 

My story-world begins in fire and ice. First came the fire, and then the ice, and then, much later, the fire returned. This second time the fire came it changed the world, and my story-world split away from our own Earth. So my story-world, the world of The SoulNecklace Stories, is similar to our own, but is also very different.

With the second fire came the Kamaye, creatures of great evil. Seeing the world, so beautiful, so small, they wanted it for their own. The Kamaye struck a bargain with a powerful emperor: they would ensure he would never die, provided he gave them his eternal obedience.

Of course, the emperor agreed (after all, who wouldn’t want eternal life?) and so the Arm of the Eternal was born. A side note: the emperor should have asked for eternal youth, but being young when he made his choice, he did not consider the effects of age. Youth was all he knew; he took it for granted that it would remain.

Over time the emperor grew old, but did not die. And being old and full of malice and a most efficient ruler, the Arm of the Eternal gradually spread throughout the world. Eventually the entire planet came under his domain. Except for one small island, far out to the west.

 

There is a castle on this island, and a tower within the castle and a woman within this tower. The woman wears a necklace, and the necklace protects the castle from the Emperor. This woman is called the Guardian.

There’s one catch.

There’s always a catch.

 

The necklace protects the land by taking her strength and magnifying it, but …At the base of the necklace is a ruby. The ruby lies over the wearer’s heart. Over time the ruby becomes the heart; the wearer’s ribs dissolve and her heart dissolves and they grow into the ruby, and the Guardian becomes the necklace. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to live without a heart, so when this happens the body of the Guardian dies. Another Guardian must be found.

Almost always the Guardian comes from the royal family. Almost always she is the oldest daughter of the King.

As The SoulNecklace stories begin, Dana is the daughter of the King.

At the beginning of A Necklace of Souls, Dana wakes from a dream of a necklace and an old woman, dying…

This is only part of the backstory. There is more. Because nothing really starts, and nothing ever ends.

 

So you want to write fantasy? 3 reasons why there are no rules.

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No Rules, Just 3 Things to Consider

When you’re writing fantasy, there are only two rules. The first rule: don’t do what other people do. The second rule: There are no rules.

 

fairytale book
Image source

There are only three things to consider:

1. Tropes

Fantasy is truly one of the most awesome genres because there are literally are no limits. In a fantasy, characters can travel through time, they can change faces, they can live in a castle or a hut in the woods or somewhere at the end of the universe. Fantasy makes great story-architecture. So, if you’re writing fantasy, read the frigging genre. Think of the current YA tropes: Another bunch of teens fighting the system, falling in love and whoops, there goes another love triangle. Try and be innovative. Lord knows, there’s plenty of scope.

Read as many myths and legends as you can get your grubby paws on. Don’t just read Greco-roman; you’ll broaden your repertoire significantly if you spread your mythic wings to include Pacifica, Aztec, Native American, Chinese, Celtic storylines. Another great thing about fantasy? You can nick these myths (sorry, adapt) and you won’t have to worry about copyright. (Unless you start to infringe upon Disney. Don’t go there. Seriously.)

If you’re borrowing another culture’s story legacy, be respectful and understand the nuances of the story before you begin pulling it apart.

Because fantasy is often based on mythic lore, it’s easy to hit your stride and walk straight into another unoriginal tale of elves and dwarves, so it does pay to be aware of the traditions before you start. Once you’re aware of the traditions, of course, rule two applies. Because once you really start to break the rules, you’re able to create a seriously funny work. Shrek did this well, as did Enchanted. Terry Pratchett is probably the ultimate trope-user. Check out the disc-world series.

Image from wikipedia
Image from Wikipedia

2. World-building

Fantasy usually involves world building. This is the most complex and delightful part of writing fantasy and probably explains why some of the most successful fantasists (GRR Martin, Katharine Kerr) are Dungeon and Dragon fans.

When building a fantasy world, as JK Rowling says, you need to know the rules for that world. You may find yourself drawing maps and buildings, as Tolkien did, to help orientate yourself in your imaginary world.

Some writers like to plan the world in advance – maps, currencies, food, clothing, even (like Tolkien) complete languages. Others prefer to just write, and let the world develop around the character.

Either approach is okay – as I say, there are no rules – but if you’re developing the world as you go, you’ll probably need a proofreader to make sure you haven’t inadvertently contradicted your fictional world. (I just read an interesting post on Cornerfolds book blog about this very point, check it out if you’re interested in how readers feel about inaccuracies in books).

One tip: It makes it a little easier if you use reality as an anchor for your imagination. For example, in The SoulNecklace Stories, I based the Kingdom of the Rose on a real island (Anglesey, in North Wales). I did this partly because Anglesey’s Welsh name is Ynys Mon or Druid’s Island. I mean, how could I not use it!

I spent a lot of time looking at google maps and photos, and I visited Anglesey; this made it easier to describe everyday things like travel distances, directions, or the view from a window.

 

3. The M word.

Will you have magic in your world? Typically, fantasy does allow magic, although increasingly there’s a blur between technology and spells. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, explores the technology behind magic; China Mieville has a steam-punk world named Bas-Lag in Perdido Street Station; Helen Lowe looks at what happens when one world’s culture meets another in her brilliant Wall of Night series.

A true fantasy novel describes the intersection between the known and the unknown. Because sometimes what looks like magic is actually technology – and who knows? Perhaps the opposite is also true, and what looks like technology is actually magic.

Extras

A short note: I’ve speckled links liberally through this post. Some lead to Wikipedia entries; others lead to Amazon links, so you can read the beautiful books set out here. One link leads to an fantastic Lord of the Rings interactive map. Check this out!

Or don’t. Like I say, there are no rules…