Writing Readable Fantasy

A lot of us are fantasy lovers. We love the larger-than-life elements of a fantasy novel that break us away from mundane and stressful life to put us in a world where the same core-issues are happening but there’s magic and occasionally dragons. The biggest complaint about fantasy (in my humble opinion) is the learning curve of world building and characters needed to get a grip on the actual plotline. And while I love fantasy, this is also a common gripe of my own. Sometimes I purposefully avoid reading a new book in the genre because of all the brain power it will require to understand what’s going on. Some of this is necessary while other times, us as writers can help ease the learning curve and make the story more enjoyable. 

The best advice, which goes for all writing genres, is to only explain what is absolutely necessary. We should all know by now that info-dumping is bad. Bad, bad, bad. With fantasy, some explanation is almost always required. We need to understand how the world works and what’s going on, but we don’t need everything explained at once. A common mistake writers make is thinking that too much information is necessary at once so be sure to have a critique partner or beta reader check for easy comprehension. 

This also goes into pacing. Your story should always be moving. Describe what’s needed solely for the scene around them. Hidden details and foreshadowing should also be included but make it brief. When the story isn’t flowing, your reader probably isn’t paying attention and is more likely to put down the book. 

Think of ways to sneak those elements of world building, descriptions, character traits into dialogue or sprinkled throughout the pages instead of a clunky word-dump. I see this a lot with character descriptions. Try to make it more realistic. When we look at people, we don’t focus in on a full, “ah, what does this person look like? What color is their hair? What is their bone structure like?” we tend to gloss over them enough to discern: if they are a friend or foe, if they are attractive, and possibly a defining feature if it sticks out. 

You can also play this toward whatever genre or sub-genre you’re writing. Tie the features in with emotions. With romance sub-genre, they’re more likely to notice more subtle features on who they’re looking at if they’re attracted to them, most likely when they’re in close proximity. In a fantasy-horror novel, your descriptions will likely spark a reaction of disgust or fear. Think of your character’s reaction to what you’re describing. Since we’re focusing on fantasy, at times you may have people with less-human descriptions. Instead of giving every feature in explicit detail, think of how you can save your reader (and yourself) time. If your character is a fae, most know (in fantasy) that fae are both beautiful and typically have characteristics like pointy ears. If they follow the general description, tell that but follow with more description on how they are different in your novel. 

There are times to “show” in a novel and times to “tell”. Tell what can be implied and isn’t new information necessary. Show the new stuff, the plot stuff, the stuff that will keep the ball rolling. Anything similar to real world life should not be described unless it is unique in some way. If you’re writing a lower-fantasy novel like our The Visionary, we do not waste time on things like the politics, currency, or anything that you may have to describe in a higher fantasy novel where those items are different. And for some details, you really don’t have to explain much. Like currency. Unless there is a nuance system relative to your plot, you need only explain what you call the currency. For example, in Jenna Moreci’s The Saviors Champion series, her currency is simply described as coin. That’s it. I don’t even think there is a description of what kind of coin the coin looks like. It isn’t necessary, so she labels it how she wants and moves on with the story. 

Speaking of lower and higher fantasy, keep in mind that readers have expectations depending on the type of fantasy novel. In a lower fantasy, the reader is going to expect a lot less world building than a higher fantasy. They just need to know how the world differs from real life. A higher fantasy novel expects that the world is vastly different from the modern-world. There is an expectation that the lands have their own unique names and features. That the political structure may be different and unique. This also means there is more grace in terms of providing exposition in a higher-fantasy novel. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to disregard the advice above when writing a higher-fantasy novel, but those readers usually understand a bit more exposition is required. 

Finally, and arguably most importantly, make your fantasy elements have purpose. This will go a long way in getting your readers invested in your novel. We can talk about cool dragons and superpowers, but there should be a reason why they’re incorporated into your story. The world itself should compliment the plot and purpose of the novel. Think of Avatar: the Last Airbender, the use of elemental powers tied into a lot of the character’s personality traits, political standing, and tied into the main message of the story: coming together as one people and living in peace and harmony. I could honestly do an entire blog post on how brilliantly the show was written, but that’s for another time. But all aspects of the world tied into something, it had meaning. That is why we care so much. That is why after years and years I am still talking about it. Make your reader care about the world and its purpose. The Harry Potter series will continue to be a comfort and favorite series for years and years to come. 

So, only say what you need to for comprehension. Sprinkle exposition and other “tells” and make sure it has a purpose. Then, even a complicated and complex fantasy novel will hook the reader right in and hopefully talk about it long after they’ve finished your novel. That’s it for this week and I’ll see you guys next time! Write-on!