How to be a (fantasy) writer Part 4

I am not a fan of magic or "You are the Chosen One" stories.

Good fantasy examples: George R.R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" saga and Glen Cook's "The Black Company" series.

A lot of amateur fantasy authors try to cram an encyclopedia's worth of information into the openings of their stories, making it difficult for readers to grasp what concepts are being presented to them.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

I am a detail guy myself, but do not want to waste a reader's time on information they may just not care about. Raymond E. Feist has included cast lists for his later works, George Martin puts in the back of his books each house and all the people involved, from the families to servants, etc.

For "A Gang of Daggers," I went for a total immersion experience where descriptions and actions are given, but that is it. The reader can interpret things their own way, and assign their own thoughts to what they witness. This pays off with the magic used by the characters, since it is subtle and invisible magic. This also allows readers to more easily put themselves into the character's shoes, and live out that fantasy.

Tension is the key to any story. Characters should not be invincible, they should be struggling, flawed, human. They should grow and amass power, but it can be taken away. Same with antagonists.

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[levilisko]

basically you dont like fantasy

[SilverSerpentRider]

omg, you can't go posting videos just saying how horrible some people's stories are! NOT EVERYONE'S STORY IS UNORIGINAL AND STUPID!

[futurediva222]

I definitely can agree with a lot of the things your saying about typical science fiction/fantasy novels following the same cliche. I'm currently working on my first novel which I hope to get published one day. It does in fact, fall into the science fiction/fantasy genre however the story revolves around normality with heavy hitting characters, plots, emotions, etc. I want to break the norm of science/fantasy and create a story that people can relate to and feel inspired.

[squaferno]

Thanks! This video has been very useful. You got me thinking about strengths and weaknesses more which was what I needed to do.

[JaneDoeme]

Quite frankly I agree with what you say. There are a lot of fantasy writers that info dump and confuse readers. What you said was true that it is not possible for one person to solve all the world's problems by themselves. I don't think you are narrow minded or ignorant. It is clear that you have a great understanding and experience in what you are saying. It is good to see someone taking an innovative approach to fantasy. Giving traits first before writing a story is great advice too. Thanks!

[jaydawg0913]

You had me at George R R Martin. Then, well.... you kept talking.

[Paddis92]

Many, many fantasy books are built up that way. But, keep in mind that there are alot of books out there and believe me, not all of them are built up on that groundstructure. You can't jugde the entire genre by just reading one or two books.

[Paddis]

While I'm writing this I have paused the video at 00:26. You just said that fantasy is all about ''you are the chosen one''. You're just narrow-minded and ignorant, at least in my opinion. So right me if I'm wrong.