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Every writer should remember the fact that a fantasy story doesn't need elves, dragons, pixies, dwarves, orcs, dark lords etc. to be classed as a story within said genre. This also means that a fantasy story doesn't need to be set in a medieval world. It can be in the present world, Victorian times or any other period. Let's take it a step further and say that the world that you choose to set your story in can be completely foreign to anything we've ever experienced on Earth. There are no boundaries that you need to stick to when it comes to creating fantasy stories.

So, before embarking on writing a fantasy novel, know that you shouldn't feel as though you have to follow what Tolkien or any other writer did with their stories. If writers followed that train of thought, then there would be absolutely nothing new and we may as well just pick up our favourite fantasy book and read that over and over. There is one part you should try and adhere to though that was perfected with Tolkien's stories and the stories of others: you should make an effort to make sure that everything that happens in your world fits and makes sense. Create rules that the world should follow and make sure you don't break them, unless you want the reader's belief in the world that you've created shattered.

But above all, remember that you don't/shouldn't follow the tried and true formula of using elves etc. just because Tolkien and other writers did, because you think it'll enable your book to sell. I can't stress this enough.

Now we move onto the main part of the article:

1) You can skip this point if you can't write without planning. If you can write without planning though, you can simply start a story by thinking of a scene and then writing it. The characters that you envisioned in the scene should help set the backdrop for the world. For example, if they're totally alien, then you have free reign to do anything you want. If they instead seem like they're from a period of our history, then you can build the world and story around that slowly, bit by bit. Do note that even if the characters and a particular scene you write seem to represent a particular period from our history, you don't need to stick to it. You can still twist it as much as you want so that in the end, it goes from being recognisable to unrecognisable. The story should also naturally come together in your head as you write. As ever, things change though as you write, edit and redraft.

2) Get an idea of what you want your

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