Unraveling the Mystery of a Fantasy Quest
What are the keys that make one fantasy story a blazing best seller and leaves another similar novel stalled out at the side of the road? In this article, I will offer some ideas that might distinguish grand stories and things to help make a less than stellar novel better.
Here are ten elements that every fantasy quest novelist should consider for their stories.
- Understanding the elements of a captivating fantasy quest narrative.
- Create multi-dimensional characters to drive the quest forward.
- World building that immerse readers in the fantasy realm.
- Plot twists and turns: keeping the quest engaging and unpredictable.
- The role of magic and mythology in enriching the quest's storyline.
- Balancing action-packed scenes with moments of introspection and character development.
- Using symbolism and allegory to add depth to the quest's themes.
- Incorporating moral dilemmas and ethical challenges for protagonists to overcome.
- Strategies for maintaining pacing and tension throughout the quest's journey.
- Leaving room for reader interpretation and imagination to enhance the quest's impact.
Working with these ten concepts of fantasy storytelling will add depth and structure to your character's quest and make for an exciting read. For today's blog, I'm talking only about the first three elements. I like shorter articles, after they reach a certain length, I begin to just scan it and I miss out on the finer details.
1. Understanding the elements of a captivating fantasy quest narrative.
This first point is understanding the elements essential to good storytelling. You'll need to create compelling protagonists, work in epic world-building, and crank up the conflict and increase the stakes as the story moves forward.
Your protagonist, the hero in your story, must have certain fundamentals. The characters should have distinct personalities and motivations. They should be intriguing, but relatable and have flaws. You don't want to create a perfect character. It's when they have flaws that the reader sees themselves in the character and helps the reader relate and engage emotionally.
Robert Jordan created six major characters, and though three of them were young males, all from the same village, he imparted into them a different character trait. Matt was a gambler, a risk taker, and liked to play tricks on the villagers. Rand was the classic farm boy, interested in the local village female, and wanted to live the same life as his father. The last boy was a large boy that worried about hurting his friends when he played with them, because of his size and bulk. He became a blacksmith. So, his frame of reference always led him to relating his experiences with his life as a blacksmith.
Epic World-building
I think many authors like the aspect of epic world-building and that is what drives them to writing fantasy. There's nothing like creating a rich, detailed, and immersive fantasy world. You can't just look at the scenery, dungeons, or buildings, but also pay attention to unique cultures, landscapes, creatures, and don't forget the magic systems. The magic system itself can take days or months to figure out the ins and outs of when it works, when it might not work, and how long the magic will work for your main character.
Remember, even Superman isn't invincible. He's got that flaw that makes him vulnerable to kryptonite. Robert Jordan built rich cultures from the different cities his protagonist visited during his journeys. There was the large New York City type culture, the seat of power and large buildings. He created a city with a culture that reminded me of the city of New Orleans with its own vibe and beliefs. Then the religious organization known as the white cloaks with its beliefs and flaws.
High Stakes and Conflict
High stakes and conflict fuel a gripping fantasy quest narrative, whether it's the fate of the world hanging in the balance, personal vendettas, or moral dilemmas that challenge the characters at every turn. There is nothing like a moral dilemma to heighten suspense in a story. Or that character that continues to take risks in order to resolve a personal vendetta against a person who has harmed him, his reputation, or his family? What quest is complete without the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of that young protagonist, who wasn't that long ago, shepherding his father's flock?
2. Crafting multi-dimensional characters to drive the quest forward.
In a fantasy novel, a diverse cast of characters can enhance the richness of the story. A good writer tries to come up with character types that delve into relationships between father and child, the character's desire for good and his own basic instinct for bad, and an opportunity to see what happens when he realizes he has unlimited power with a magic he didn't know he had. Here are some character types that are found in the fantasy genre.
The Reluctant Hero: A character who initially resists the call to adventure but is ultimately compelled to step up and take on a heroic role. Their internal conflict and growth provide depth to the narrative.
The Wise Mentor: A seasoned and knowledgeable figure who guides the protagonist(s) on their journey, offering wisdom, advice, and training. The mentor provides crucial support and guidance while also having their own backstory and motivations.
The Rogue: A charismatic and resourceful character skilled in stealth, deception, or thievery. The rogue adds intrigue and unpredictability to the group dynamic, often serving as the voice of skepticism or pragmatism.
The Magical Being: Whether a wizard, sorcerer, or mystical creature, this character brings magical abilities and arcane knowledge to the group. Their powers can help to overcome obstacles and adversaries, but they may also struggle with moral dilemmas or the burden of their gifts.
The Loyal Companion: A steadfast and loyal friend or animal companion who accompanies the protagonists on their journey. This character provides emotional support, comic relief, or practical assistance, serving as a source of comfort and camaraderie amidst the challenges they face.
By incorporating these diverse character types, the author creates a dynamic ensemble cast with complementary strengths and weaknesses, interpersonal conflicts, and opportunities for growth and development throughout the action-adventure fantasy quest.
So, the writer just creates these distinct characters and everything goes perfectly in the story? Nope. Nothing could be further from the truth. Creating multi-dimensional characters can be a rewarding but challenging task. The writer must avoid stereotypes, while creating characters that readers recognize, because they are stereotypical. Yes, hard. It can be tempting to rely on clichés or stereotypes when creating characters, but this leads to flat, uninteresting portrayals. Overcoming this challenge involves digging deeper into the characters' backgrounds, motivations, and personalities to make them nuanced and unique.
I just finished an interesting fantasy story that incorporated all the aspects of storytelling, but while her multi-dimensional characters were interesting, their complexity overwhelmed me at times. It's important to reveal layers of a character gradually, allowing readers to connect with them without feeling bombarded with too much information at once.
My developmental editor is key to ensuring that characters behave consistently throughout the story. I have three wizards at a tavern drinking ale at a table. Sometimes I have one wizard complaining and my editor says that isn't what that character would say. That other wizard would say those words. So creating multi-dimensional characters is important. The writer must still allow for growth and development. Characters should grow over time, but their core traits and beliefs should remain consistent unless there's an interesting reason for change.
The characters should feel authentic, so it's important to avoid contrived or forced character traits or behaviors. Characters should behave in ways that are believable based on their personalities, backgrounds, and experiences. Creating characters that evoke genuine emotional responses from readers requires skillful characterization and storytelling. It's important to explore characters' emotions and vulnerabilities in a way that feels authentic and resonates with readers on a deeper level. My dev editor is constantly saying, "Your character just had this happen to her, how does she feel about what happened? She can't just walk away after that verbal exchange.
Overcoming these challenges requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a willingness to revise and refine characters until they feel fully realized and compelling.
3. Building realistic worlds that immerse readers in the fantasy realm.
Creating a rich and immersive world is essential for engaging readers in a fantasy action-adventure story. Here are five world-building techniques that can enhance the overall experience:
Detailed Geography and Setting: Develop a vividly imagined world with diverse landscapes, from sprawling cities to dense forests, treacherous mountains, and mysterious ruins. By describing the geography and setting in detail, you can immerse readers in the fantastical realms of your story and make the adventure feel epic and expansive.
What do you see and hear in a virgin forest? Is it the sound of squirrels scurrying through the leaves? Birds that you can't see whistling overhead? When the author adds these little pieces of the forest, it brings the setting alive. Sometimes writers go overboard on their setting descriptions leaving the reader with paragraphs of world-building that bores the reader to death. The talented novelists will add a little of what the characters see, then add dialogue and movement, and then what the character hears or sees. Intertwining the story narrative with the setting.
How does the novelist know what to put in a scene? They visit a forest, the ruins in Mesa Verde, the old cathedrals of Europe, the mountains, the beaches, and the sprawling cities.
Populate your world with a variety of cultures, each with its own customs, traditions, languages, and social structures. Explore the interactions between different societies, including alliances, conflicts, and power struggles, to add depth and realism to your world. Robert Jordan did a great job having his characters interact between the different societies. I still can visualize the playful antics of Matt as he had fun with the staid, serious beliefs of the White Cloaks. By building rich customs and social structures, the author can create tension and conflict by putting people with diverse beliefs together and see what happens.
Magic Systems and Supernatural Elements: Establish clear rules and limitations for magic and supernatural phenomena in your world. Whether it's spells, magical artifacts, divine intervention, or mythical creatures, incorporating fantastical elements adds excitement and wonder to the story while also creating opportunities for conflict and discovery.
It's too easy to give a character super powers only to find that all they have to do is use their super powers whenever they want to resolve conflict. But by adding flaws and limitations for those powers, it gives the protagonist and antagonist things to think about as they skillfully prepare for the final battle.
History and Lore: Develop a rich history and mythology for your world, including legendary heroes, ancient civilizations, and cataclysmic events that shape the present-day setting. By weaving history and lore into the narrative, you can add layers of intrigue, mystery, and depth to the story, as well as foreshadowing future plot developments.
Robert Jordan created a legend and a popular book for his fantasy world that then came to life as the series progressed beyond book one. How did your cultures and cities come to be? What drove the people to build on that portion of the volcano? Was it the rich soils or a belief in the supernatural? Weaving these legends and histories into the story early allows the writer to use them later to drive conflict and tension.
Dynamic Factions and Power Struggles: Populate your world with dynamic factions, such as rival kingdoms, warring factions, secretive organizations, or tyrannical regimes. Explore the political intrigue, espionage, and power struggles between these factions, as well as the impact they have on the lives of ordinary people and the course of the adventure.
Let's face it, you can't have an epic action adventure fantasy without rival kingdoms. There is always someone that is unhappy with the status quo and wants what someone else has to drive the story forward. Why do kings always work to de-throne their rivals? The writer works hard to develop good reasons for the king to desire the other kingdom. It can be better resources, revenge, or for a desire for the other kingdom's wealth. When the author does a good job weaving the reasons into his story, then the reader stays involved.
By incorporating these world-building techniques into your fantasy action-adventure story, you can create a captivating and immersive narrative that transports readers to a fantastical realm filled with excitement, danger, and intrigue.
Next week, I will continue on with another three key points in writing Fantasy Action Adventure novels
Part 2 - Keeping the Fantasy Quest Engaging and Unpredictable.
Images are from Unsplash.
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