Fantasy is notoriously difficult to write well. It’s not uncommon for fantasy writers to take years to complete one single book. Also, a major aspect of writing fantasy is all the worldbuilding you need to put into it. But why is fantasy so hard to write in comparison with other genres?
The epic scope of a typical fantasy certainly makes for a much larger story that takes longer to write. A lot more effort needs to be put into some areas of fantasy writing than in other genres, such as backstory and worldbuilding, but you can conquer these areas to create great work. Find out what makes fantasy so hard to write and how to succeed below!
Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding is essential for fantasy (well, any genre, but fantasy especially). Just the extensive focus on worldbuilding helps make fantasy one of the hardest genres to write. Why does worldbuilding make fantasy so complicated? Often, with fantasy, you need to create an entirely new world.
Some fantasy might be based on the real world, sure, but the different parts of the story that make what you’re writing “fantasy” involve establishing certain things that are different from the real world. Fantasy exists in a realm of its own, often with many aspects completely or nearly completely different from reality. So, to make a world that is believable but distinct, you need effective worldbuilding.
How do you succeed with worldbuilding?
1) Find a balance between writing and worldbuilding. Sometimes writers focus too much on getting the story written down. Other times, they do so much worldbuilding that the story is neglected. Take the time to work on both separately. Not only will it put less stress on you, but your work will also end up with a good story AND a good world by the end of it.
2) Develop information, then incorporate it later. Infodumping is NEVER the answer. Sure, you have all the information on hand, but that doesn’t mean you need to include all of it at once. Have your worldbuilding outlined, whether in a separate document or even a sheet of paper, then drop in details throughout your story as they become relevant to the plot and your character’s environment.
3) Remember the steps to building your world. First, focus on what makes your world different, such as physics or geography, and explore how that works. Second, develop your societies and the different races you want to include. Third, focus on the individual elements of your world, such as your magic system and characters.
Also, worldbuilding involves creating societies and cultures. For an outline of what to include in a culture, check out my post here!
Complex History AND Backstory
You also need to fill your world with history on top of establishing how it works. With the history of your world, you need to be able to explain how your world existed up until the events of your story.
How do you succeed with your history/backstory?
To do so in a unique and meaningful way involves a couple of things.
1) Establish major events in your history (but write only what you need at the time). What kind of events could you include? For example, what if there was a major battle centuries before that influenced how the government or society of your story works today? In The Hunger Games, a major event like an apocalypse helps establish the city of Panem. Despite existing in what was once North America, the government, society, and culture are all wildly different thanks to this event that’s mentioned early on. Write down your events, then determine where best to explain them.
2) Understand when to insert it into your plot. Ask yourself: Is the information I’m including right now relevant? How does it advance the narrative or otherwise offer information to the reader or the characters? History needs to connect with what’s happening at the moment. Otherwise, you risk infodumping information readers don’t need to know right then.
The Overarching Story
Lastly, this is often where a fantasy story gets complicated. Not only is it difficult to balance multiple elements at once, such as multiple subplots and perspectives, but it’s also easy to make these factors TOO complicated on your own. You inadvertently frustrate your readers later on.
How do you succeed with your story?
1) Recognize the complex vs. the complicated. Multiple perspectives, subplots, and more bring out more of your world and get your readers invested in it. However, writers often confuse “complex” with “complicated.” They end up making a concept more difficult for readers to understand than it really should be. Introduce a concept, whether that be magic, a setting, an event, or whatever, and write down how it works or what it does. If it takes quite a bit of explaining, or even if you have trouble describing it, it might be too complicated. To simplify something, often “cut it out of the story” is the best answer. You could include it later, but if it convolutes the story, it’s best to just let it go.
2) Remember story structure. In an epic, you need a strong beginning, middle, and end. If you don’t know what to do or what direction you want to go, at any point, your story ends up wandering aimlessly, and that’s just frustrating. Establish your story structure ahead of time. This includes:
1. The inciting incident (where the main conflict kicks off the events of your plot)
2. The first try/fail cycle (where the main character experiences their first obstacle)
3. The second try/fail cycle (where the main character experiences the next obstacle. Often, epic fantasies might include more cycles, but it’s up to you)
4. The climax (where the conflict comes to a head and the main character faces their toughest obstacle yet)
5. Falling action (when the story builds toward resolution
6. Resolution (when all loose ends are tied up)
Additionally, make sure you know what each scene and setting’s purpose is. How does it advance the story in the long run? How does it connect with everything else?
Fantasy will always be a difficult genre to tackle. But it doesn’t have to be impossible. By simplifying the above, the writing, worldbuilding, and editing process becomes loads easier. Got a fantasy story in mind? Let me know all about it! Happy writing!
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