The great fantasy door-stopper and long fantasy series are popular with both readers and writers, but how do you avoid falling into the clichés of the genre? Here’s how to write a fantasy series that will engross readers, from doing valuable research to creating great story arcs:
While some have looked down on fantasy fiction as derivative, poorly written or childish, the fact is that our oldest literature is fantasy fiction. From The Epic of Gilgamesh to The Odyssey to Beowulf, the stories that have survived the disappearance of ancient civilisations are stories of gods and magic and quests and monsters.
J.R.R. Tolkien is generally considered to be the father of modern English-language fantasy fiction for adults. There were fantasy novels written prior to Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, such as Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees and The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison, but it was the commercial success of Tolkien’s work that launched the modern genre.
Tolkien based his own work on his scholarly interests in northern European sagas and linguistics. One of the other strong influences on modern commercial fantasy fiction had less of a literary basis, and that was the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. It was itself influenced by Tolkien, and the enormous popularity of both spawned a number of derivative works that gave the genre a bad name in some circles. If your fantasy series involves traditional creatures likes elves and trolls and wizards or falls back on the role-playing cliche of having your motley band of travellers meet up in a tavern, you are going to have to do something very original with it. J.K. Rowling’s creation of a fantastical, wizard-filled world that exists in parallel alongside our own abounds with examples of fresh reimagining of old fantasy-writing devices.
Like every genre, fantasy is capable of producing fiction that is well-written and thoughtful with fully realised and original characters, settings and plots. Modern classics such as the Earthsea series by Ursula K. LeGuin or Jack Vance’s Lyonesse series stand as proof that fantasy series can have wide appeal amongst readers of many different preferences. Today, George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series is wildly popular with critics, readers and viewers of the TV series adaptation, Game of Thrones.
Despite the success of G.R.R. Martin, some still argue that the last thing the fantasy genre needs is more long series of novels. However, this view does not appear to be shared by either readers or writers, and there are plenty of things a writer can do to avoid hackneyed plots and situations:
How to write a series that contributes something new: Read widely
This advice is almost a cliché in itself, and yet it is common because it is so necessary. If you are thinking about writing a fantasy series, you are probably already fairly well-acquainted with the genre, but you may only read a certain type of novel or a handful of authors.
The only way to really become familiar with the clichés and pitfalls of the genre is to read a lot of fantasy novels. This includes the good, the bad and the mediocre, and as you read, think about what works and what doesn’t in these novels. You should also notice what kinds of things crop up often enough to be clichés. Read what is popular and what is critically acclaimed and what is both popular and critically acclaimed.The broader the scope of your reading, the better you will know what kinds of fantasy worlds and subtopics are underrepresented.
There are several fantasy awards, but most tend not to focus on this type of secondary-world series fantasy. However, the David Gemmell Awards do, and its shortlists can be a good place to get started regarding what is popular in fantasy right now.
In addition to reading contemporary writers, you should also read older fantasy. In part, this is important for understanding the history of the field, but it’s also important because it often provides insight on where clichés come from. When Tolkien penned the Lord of the Rings trilogy there was nothing clichéd about elves and long quests and magic rings and using Northern European myth as the basis for a long fantasy series, but that is no longer the case.
Having a handle on the history of the fantasy genre will help you understand how to write a fantasy series that avoids cliché. It also shows that elements of the fantasy genre that critics sometimes ridicule are not inherently bad but simply have been done 30 or 40 years ago and have been worn thin through overuse since.
Forget Tolkien
Tolkien is one of the best novelists the genre has known, but he also casts a heavy shadow across the field. Too many would-be and actual novelists who hope to follow in his footsteps have shoddily constructed languages and maps and worlds and created thinly veiled versions of his characters. You may have been inspired by Tolkien or you may dislike his work, but it’s important that you move away from it in order to avoid the many clichés it has spawned. Swarthy dwarves and stately elves can be interesting, but if you use stock characters such as these, try incorporate them in an innovative, novel way in your fantasy books.
Look to other fantasy traditions
Some writers feel that using the traditions of a culture that is not your own is a kind of appropriation, but the fact is you can draw inspiration from the history, art, literature and more of all cultures. This does require a level of sensitivity and a lack of condescension, if you want to steer clear of possible backlash.
British myth and legend may have been overused in fantasy fiction, but for his Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin turned to British history and the War of the Roses. By choosing a conflict and period of history largely ignored by fantasy novelists and approaching his novels as much like historical fiction as fantasy, Martin brings something fresh to his fantasy storytelling even as he draws inspiration from a part of the world that seemed as though it had been reworked to death by fantasy novelists before him.
Know when to stop
One of the most common complaints about fantasy series is that they are endless. Sometimes a story is simply too thin to stretch across so many books. Don’t let your series overstay its welcome. It’s better to leave your readers begging for more than complaining that you should have retired ages ago.
These are all things that you should not do, but what should you do? How do you make a reader want to follow your arcs across multiple novels? Here are a few tips:
Plan your story ahead of time. You should have the overall arc sketched out as well as the individual arcs of each book. Even if you think of yourself as a writer who does not plan ahead, you simply cannot write a five- or eight-book series that sustains the necessary narrative drive and focus to keep readers interested without some idea of where the story is going. Planning also helps you avoid introducing subplots and characters in earlier books that go nowhere. Errors like this can be frustrating enough to make your reader put your books down halfway through the series and never return.
Your books must be self-contained to some degree as well. You must balance the progress of the overall arc along with the smaller arcs. Your readers will become frustrated and may abandon you if you start to move away from the main arc for too long. Another challenge with this type of novel is ensuring that if you switch between arcs and viewpoint characters, you are able to keep your readers’ interest. Different readers will naturally have some characters and storylines that interest them more than others, but you need to keep all of your storylines engaging enough to keep the reader turning pages. One way to do this is by writing emotionally-engaging characters. Another is to ensure that the main arc of the story is furthered through subplots.
Even with outlining and advance planning, your story is going to change along the way as you write it. George R.R. Martin has now been writing his Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series for more than 20 years. Even if it takes you half or one-quarter that long to write your own series, changes in your own life and in your writing as well as the natural changes that happen as an idea begins to take shape on paper can and should inform the direction of your story. Pouring your own experience into your series in different ways is what will give it a unique, distinctive characteristic.
Finally, one of the most important points to keep in mind is that writing a fantasy series is in many ways no different from writing a novel. In fact, in one sense, you have to approach your series as though it is one very long novel. The same rules apply. You need a fully realised world for engaging characters to inhabit, a compelling plot and enough tension and conflict to keep your reader turning pages.
The fantasy series remains popular, with younger readers especially. By avoiding clichés and planning enough to keep a strong narrative drive throughout the series, writers can produce satisfying works. Keeping the main arc central throughout the novels and avoiding the addition of too many subplots and characters can help keep the series focused and moving along.
What would you say is the best advice for learning how to write a fantasy series?
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