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So you want to write a fantasy novel. Good idea. Fantasy is becoming increasingly popular, and you might actually have a chance to market it. And the good news is, you don't have to do any research. You can just make everything up to suit yourself.

Not quite. Fantasy depends on the reader's willing suspension of disbelief. The author must lure the reader from the real to the imaginary. The novel must be anchored in premises that are so solid and recognizable that the fantastic elements seem plausible. What makes the Harry Potter novels work is that Harry and his friends are like people we know. This is a coming-of-age story at a boarding school. The themes of problems at home, relationships with peers, peculiar teachers, and the glory of athletic success are all familiar to us. Harry seems real, so by some fuzzy logic, it's possible for brooms to fly and a teacher to shape-shift into a cat.

Tip #1: The basic rules for crafting a novel also apply to a fantasy work. It needs a dynamite beginning, a plot that won't let go, characters that are so alive that they seem to jump off the page, a vividly realistic setting, and a satisfying conclusion with sequel potential. For starters, read a lot of fantasy works, pick out things that work well, and try to figure out why they work. Write a few scenes or short stories using those techniques. They are like the sketches painters do before starting work on their masterpiece.

Tip #2. Forget fan fiction. Don't try to re-invent Lord of the Rings or your favorite role playing game scenario. Soar beyond the things that are wildly popular today. They will be old hat by the time you finish your book. Invent your very own universe. What is it like? What makes it work? What are its rules? You can use elements from other authors' works, of course, but fit them together in a way that only you can into a consistent and coherent whole. Write down as much information as you can about this place, even back story information that you may never make use of. Keep at it until you start to believe that your private universe really exists.

Tip #3. Establish the basic parameters of your universe early on, weaving the description into compelling action. If your reader doesn't find out until chapter twenty that Prince Adelrod has four arms, it will cause a serious fantasy-reality collision. Give your work integrity by foreshadowing what may come later. Early in the movie "Willow", the protagonist performs a pig-disappearing trick which becomes

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