by Currie Jean

Created on: February 26, 2008

Fantasy is arguably one of the most involving, demanding and taxing genres to create within. Whole worlds must be orchestrated, including land, characters, cultures, religions, even languages. As it requires so much creation, the more creative you are, the better. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't heed any rules.

What follow are ten points to keep in mind when it comes to writing a fantasy novel. Don't let them stifle you - they still allow for multitudes of creative activity.

1) GENERAL WRITING RULES

The first thing to remember is that many necessary qualities span all genres of writing. Keep your spelling up to snuff, know your grammar rules, punctuate properly, avoid using all caps, and format, format, format! Use a new, indented paragraph whenever a new person speaks to keep your work easy to read.

Spell check isn't an excuse to be lazy. It isn't as smart as you are, and can miss a lot of mistakes. Write your best, and then run spell check anyway, just in case. If you can find someone well-schooled in literature, see if you can get her to proofread for you, too.

2) STORY STRUCTURE

Most stories have a general method of creating suspense: the plot builds in intensity, suspending the reader's disbelief (that means keeping the reader emotionally involved in the plot and characters) more and more intensely. The characters are put in sticky situations, the mystery gets closer and closer to being solved, and then BAM! The climax pops up about four fifths of the way in, resolving the conflict, often with a twist that appropriately disregards the expectations built in the reader. The rest of the story is dedicated to calming down and reaching further resolution, often tying up loose ends. Every book in the Harry Potter series follows this structure transparently, aligning the end of the school year with the climax of the story.

This basic structure is open to reinterpretation and modification. Two or more of these "intensity peaks" could take place at the same time, in parallel branchings-off of the same story. Any one of these plot lines could also contain sub-plots, sub-twists, and sub-resolutions within them, taking the reader on a roller coaster ride of excitement.

Make sure to keep your reader in mind. Once you get used to writing, it will get easier to be both the creator and the entranced reader at the same time. You can use your objective, constructively critical viewpoint to direct how the story itself is told, and it will be all the better for it.

3) CHARACTERS

While

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