Have you ever wanted to write urban fantasy but didn’t know where to start? There are a lot of characteristics that make urban fantasy unique from other fantasy subgenres, but knowing what works and what doesn’t is vital before you start writing. Check out the full article below!
What Is Urban Fantasy?
The defining characteristics of this subgenre are that it takes place in a city (or urban) setting and includes traditional fantasy elements. Unlike other genres like high fantasy, fantastical elements exist in our world rather than one you created yourself. This means that these stories include a lot of familiar elements such as modern technology and other things you would think of when living in the city. However, figures such as vampires, witches, ghosts, and others can also exist.
Creatures in urban fantasy stories might be:
1. Paranormal – think ghosts and other figures from urban legends or folklore like Bigfoot
2. Mythical – stories might draw on myths from different cultures and include figures in the urban setting, such as elves or fairies
3. Magical – figures who possess magic might also exist, such as wizards and witches
How to Write It
To write urban fantasy, first, you need to think of what urban setting you might like to use. The setting is one of the major keys to distinguishing this subgenre from other types of low fantasy. When you write your story, make sure that your characters live and interact with the setting.
Stories might be set in New York, Chicago, London, or others. But you can get creative and expand your setting beyond the States. Look at cities in Asia, Africa, Australia, or wherever you find inspiration. This lets whatever cultural figures you choose to include in your story stand out.
Speaking of cultures, urban fantasy also includes fantasy elements derived from the magical, paranormal, or supernatural. I mentioned several types of figures above, but feel free to do your own research and find legends and myths that you enjoy.
When you write them in, make the fantastical figures important to the story. They could be the antagonists, or they could just naturally exist in the world but your protagonist must interact and work with them. For example, in Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters Chronicles, demons, vampires, angels, and more fantastic creatures live and hunt in New York. They play an integral part in the story and the conflict because they hunt humans and the protagonist, Clary, needs to keep humans protected. Having these figures means your story isn’t realistic as well. Without them, your story isn’t a low fantasy.
What to Avoid
There are a few things to avoid when writing urban fantasy. First, don’t create your own world. Even if this story is a type of fantasy, this subgenre relies on the realism of our own cities. Readers need to recognize familiar places and concepts. If you create your own city that’s unlike any in the real world, your story is no longer a low fantasy. Instead, the city becomes a fantasy, which makes it no longer urban. Additionally, don’t ignore the city. This might seem obvious, but you need an urban setting for urban fantasy. If your story takes place in the woods or the countryside, then you can’t call it urban.
Also, don’t neglect to include creatures from myths, legends, or folklore. Without them, there’s no fantasy to your story. It just becomes a story taking place in a city, making it realistic fiction rather than fantastical. You might think of unique ways to introduce these figures, or they might exist in secret, but keeping them out of the story entirely takes the fantasy out of it.
Examples
Check out these urban fantasy examples!
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman – this book takes place in London, but most of the story focuses on a magical underground version of the city
Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files – in this series, a wizard in modern-day Chicago investigates supernatural-related murders
Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters series – in the world of this series, humans with angel blood, or shadowhunters, ensure that vampires, fairies, demons, and other creatures don’t harm the humans of New York
TL;DR
If you want to write urban fantasy, make sure you utilize an urban setting and include different fantastical elements.
When writing, don’t place your characters in another world or ignore the city entirely. Additionally, include creatures usually found in different kinds of fantasy.
Happy writing!
Want to know more about fantasy? I covered dark fantasy here and Arthurian fantasy here.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe!
#urbanfantasy #fantasywriting #urbanfantasywritingtips
…
You can check out my AUTHOR SITE here.
My 2022 chapbook
My 2023 micro-chapbook
Discover more from E. S. Foster
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
One thought on “What Is Urban Fantasy? A Definition”