3.1 Glean as much as you can from other fantasy authors' tricks of the trade
Instead of simply reading the books for pleasure, take some time t note down any strengths and weaknesses you find with the text and think about how you would have changed anything. Think about the style used, the viewpoint chosen (i.e. first person or third person) and how they managed to convey information about the world they have created to their readers. Look at the characters and any invented creature and note down how you feel about them.
Do you warm to them or do they irritate you? Do you feel like you know them or not? Do you want to know more about them? Do they have a relevant part in the story? Are you worried about them when they are in danger?
One of the most important factors in writing a story is to get your readers to sympathize, relate to
and warm to your characters. How do you think other authors do this?
You should also look at whether there are any big dumps of background or explanatory information that aren't linked to any dialogue or background story. These are known as info dumps and should be avoided as much as possible. You have created your new world and are proud of it and want to tell your readers every detail. But to read huge historic explanations of why things happened and why they are like they are now is boring for the reader. When reading your selection of fantasy novels think about whether there are large info dumps or whether you acquire information about the world or magic system little by little through different scenes and dialogues. Are there recurring themes or motifs in the text? What are they and what purpose to they give in building the story? There are plenty of questions you can ask yourself about each book and you can even imagine you are the publisher receiving the first draft and think about what your feedback would be. You can use your new knowledge to experiment writing in the style of different authors and using different viewpoints and see what best suits you and your story.
3.2: Valuable Resources and Further Reading Lists
The fantasy following are known to be a rather geeky bunch and this is a bonus when it comes to researching stuff such as different themes or magic systems. There are many online resources but a really useful one is the Encyclopaedia of Fantasy. It was started in 1997 and is regularly updated with information about fantasy authors and their works, as well as discussions on different fantasy themes, motifs and terminology. Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Another great way to find a good fantasy book to read is to look back at the winners of notable fantasy awards such as the International Fantasy Awards, the World Fantasy Awards, The Nebula Awards and the British Fantasy Awards. A simple Google search will bring up the history of winners as well as runners up for the various awards giving you an extensive reading list to work from. It may seem old fashioned but heading to your local library is also a great way to pick up some tips on new fantasy releases and find out what is popular. It's a cheap way to handle a high turnover of
books as well.
3.3: The Grandfathers of Modern Fantasy Literature
George MacDonald was one of the pioneers of fantasy in the late 1800s with his normal-starting fairy tales gradually turning bizarre and sometimes sinister. The Princess and the Goblin is an example of one of these and is just as much for adults as it is for children. J.R.R. Tolkien is undoubtedly one of the most famous high fantasy writers of all times and his books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings inspired many writers to branch into this new genre. The stories follow the lives of Bilbo and Frodo as they set off on their adventures across Middle Earth. William Morris was perhaps the first fantasy author to invent his own world and one of his first and most popular books is The Wood Beyond the World where an act of infidelity leads to a damsel in distress and a land of mini-giants. C.S. Lewis, a friend of J.R.R. Tolkien, is most famous for his children's series, The Chronicles of Narnia; in which four children discover a strange new world in the back of their wardrobe complete with a talking lion who is the king. He also wrote a trilogy of science fiction books. For any inspiring fantasy writer it is important to read works from the forerunners of the genre.They introduced the invention of new worlds paired with the supernatural and have captured the imaginations of many, from when they were first written, up to the present day. We can really appreciate the talent of the authors involved when their work is just as popular a hundred years later.
3.4: Children's Fantasy Writers
A well-written fantasy novel meant for children can bring just as much enjoyment to an adult and hopefully the following selection contains good examples of this. They are a good way to inspire your imagination as the stories in children's fantasy adventures tend to be more ridiculous and outlandish than stories meant for adults. Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree resulted in many a young child hunting through their local woods looking for the big tree that Silky and Moon face lived in, however her books were highly criticized for being predictable and using a small range of vocabulary. Lewis Carroll takes his readers down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland which is a children's book which some critics think have connotations towards sex and drugs. He later wrote a somewhat darker sequel called Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, which may have reflected how he was feeling at the time. Roald Dahl's delightful tales of burping B.F.G.s and travelling giant peaches continue to enchant as well as disgust countless generations of children and their parents, with his characters often suffering rather horrific endings. His adult series of short stories combine fantasy with a more sinister and darker edge. J.K. Rowling is the author of the instantly popular Harry Potter series of books. Readers follow the boy wizard through his years and adventures at Hogwarts. It's a skillfully woven tale with some typical motifs such as the orphan boy, the dark force, and the good old wizard, who is of course, always robed and with long white hair and beard. Depending on whether or not you are planning on writing children's books or not depends how much you will want to read in this genre. But as you can see from the selection above, just because the stories are aimed at children (usually having young characters to relate to), it doesn't mean that they are inferior in the way of building worlds and magic systems. Therefore they are still very relevant as part of your research.
FACT
23% of New Sci-fi & fantasy books published are for children or young adults Source: PW Roundtable - 2007
3.5: Fantasy Authors from Recent Years
Since about a decade ago the fantasy genre has become much more popular, meaning that there are far more authors trying their hand at writing in this genre. Maybe it was the release of Hollywood blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series that meant that the fantasy genre has become more accepted in mainstream culture, more commercially successful, and generally more widespread. Fantasy is no longer just for geeks; it's for everyone from boy scouts to manual labourers to lawyers to stay-at-home mums. It's good news for you aspiring new fantasy authors but it also means there's a lot of competition out there. Following are some of the most promising authors of recent years. George R.R Martin started writing his epic fantasy set in the continents of Westeros and Essos in the early 90s. One of his main strengths is the constant and thrilling drama which leaves your mouthwide open in surprise and shock after many a frenzied scene. He is also not afraid to kill off a main character but in the later books the vast number of new individuals introduced gets a little confusing, with the original story still not anywhere near to being resolved. Philip Pullman is most famous for his trilogy called His Dark Materials. He takes readers to a multiverse where they move between several parallel worlds. Although this work is classed as high fantasy, he himself regards it as 'stark realism'. Patrick Rothfuss is again most famous for a trilogy, his called The King killer Chronicle, with two books written and published and the third on its way. They follow an ill-fated hero called Kvothe on his coming of age action-packed adventures to become one of the most notorious wizards of all times, at least in the Four Corners of Civilization anyway. Daniel Abraham is fairly new on the fantasy scene but his series The Long Price Quartet has received a lot of praise. He brings a new and modern edge to the fantasy genre and leaves the wizards and goblins behind, preferring to use more relatable human characters and problems.
FACT
Amanda Hocking is currently the most successful self-published author of recent times. Selling more than a million copies of her books to Kindle users via Amazon.
Source: http://io9.com/
Module Summary
Lessons learned Above are just a few of the many talented fantasy authors out there but it's a good list to start you off on your fantasy journey. Remember to think about how the author wrote the book and what styles and techniques were used. Try using these in your own writing until you discover your own unique style. Remember to use the many online resources and reading lists available as part of your research and reading,
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