Work Text:
In no particular order, here are some opinions I have about fantasy writing.
1) The characters that are important enough to have their own POV should always be crucial to moving the plot forward. They should also have markedly different personalities, enough so that if names and other identifiers were removed, the reader would have a good chance at guessing whose POV it was. The occasional one-off, vignette-like POV is fine, but it should also serve the plot as a whole.
2) Show, don’t tell. Whenever possible, do not simply say that [subject] is [adjective]. Always try to reveal qualities through a character’s actions, dialogue, or other subtext. For example, don’t say Character A is stingy; instead demonstrate it through heavily-patched clothing or the way they haggle, etc.
3) Characters should almost always act within the 95%. This is how I describe a character acting within their own established morality and/or character traits. For example, if a character is making a decision, 19 times out of 20, their decision should reflect who they are as a character. On the off chance that they must act in a way that clashes with their morality/traits, make sure that the character is anguished by what they must do, or that they only acted in such a way out of a fit of love, hate, or another extreme of emotion. Acting outside of the 95% can also be a good way to show character development, but only if the new way of acting is maintained.
4) Avoid overly rigid, flowery language just because it “feels fantasy.” Language, as much as any other character trait, should serve the character who uses it. A king should be more well-spoken than a vagabond. A massive pet peeve of mine is when pastoral village folk speak in highfalutin Shakespearian phrases just because the genre is fantasy. A villager doesn’t need to know when to use who or whom, so their dialogue doesn’t need to be 100% Webster’s Dictionary-compliant.
5) Your system of magic should have an element of science to it. That isn’t to say magic must be scientific in nature. Rather, magic is much more satisfying when the reader has a basic understanding of the rules and what is going on. The more your system of magic is codified and explained, the better grasp your reader has on the limits of magic, and the less magic feels like a deus ex machina.
6) Miscommunication is a weak plot device. It always frustrates me when the plot moves in a certain direction just because two characters were not on the same page. It usually means that no matter what actions the characters had taken, it wouldn’t have mattered because they simply didn’t share information with each other. And it usually feels as hollow as it sounds.
7) Coincidence is an even weaker plot device. I absolutely hate when the stars have to align for the plot to take place. I am currently rereading The Inheritance Cycle, which was a favorite of mine growing up. I still enjoy it, but OH MY GOD it pissed me off to no end when Eragon just happened to be arrested, so that he could just happen to find another crucial character in a prison. Then when they escape, they just so happened to randomly pick the only direction which would bring them to their ultimate destination, where they just so happened to arrive in time for a character not to die by poison AND just in time to fight a major battle. UGH. A coincidence here and there is fine, but the more often it happens, the less fulfilling the plot feels as a whole.
8) Create a cohesive world where things are happening off the page. A fantasy world should feel as if it doesn’t depend upon the main characters to exist, but rather that the characters are simply moving through it. The world is as much a living, breathing entity as the characters who inhabit it. Each village or city or outpost should have its own quirks and customs, and if the characters are going to spend any amount of time in a particular place, a few bits of flavor text about a local wedding, trial, drought, etc. can add a lot of color to the story with relatively little effort.
9) Alter your writing style to suit what is happening in the plot. I feel that most of the time, the fantasy genre benefits from more description rather than less. But if there is action going on, it’s time to reign in on the 5-syllable adjectives and flavor text. If your character finds themselves jumped in an alley, they may have just enough time to notice one, maybe two things about their assailants or their surroundings. That’s it. And describe them very quickly, with short sentences or even sentence fragments. Don’t let your writing become a barrier between your reader and an impending action sequence. If the fighting drags on for any amount of time, it is acceptable to throw in other descriptors here and there, but don’t break the flow of the action. Wait until the fighting resolves before your character truly takes stock of the scene.
10) Some characters are unredeemable. If there is a tyrant that has murdered hundreds of people, no amount of character arc and development should save them from the consequences of their actions. My least favorite trope in writing, especially in animation, is when a bad character has a change of heart and is instantly forgiven by the "good" guys. In my opinion, if the heroes don't exact an appropriate punishment on the villain as soon as they are able, the heroes ain't that good. And never, ever, ever have the villain suddenly go pure face and join the heroes on their quest. It makes whatever the heroes were fighting for hollow, and it cheapens the villain. The only exception is when hero and villain must come together to face an even greater threat, which, when executed properly, is a trope I rather enjoy. But even then, after said conflict, if the villain is still not redeemable, DO NOT REDEEM THEM.
It is late, and I can’t sleep, hence my brain spitting out this list. I may add to it as I think of more random things, I may not. Feel free to add to the list in the comments, or bring up anything you disagree with.