The fantasy genre frees budding authors from the confines of reality that restrict writers in other genres. Has a fascinatingly rich and unique world slowly been emerging in the depths of your soul? You’ll decide to write a fantasy novel sooner or later because your universe is screaming to be shared.
If you’re a debut author, you need to know that writing your fantasy novel won’t be an easy ride. Take a look at these tips to boost the odds that others will fall in love with your character and world, whether you’re hoping to be traditionally published or want to go the self-publishing route.
- Make Sure Your Fantasy Novel Delivers All the Exciting Elements Readers Crave
Fantasy writers have an awful lot of freedom. You’ll want to run with it, but for your novel to be successful, debut fantasy authors do need to make sure their books contain all the elements readers yearn for.
Here’s a quick look:
- Magic! Your novel absolutely must contain magic or supernatural elements to fit into the genre. Do you already have richly developed characters? Can you envision the world they inhabit? Get to work on creating your own magic system if it’s not there yet.
- Complex characters. Your protagonist should never be perfect; readers won’t relate unless they also have serious (but perfectly understandable) flaws. Likewise, the main antagonist can’t just be a generic “bad guy;” readers must be able to understand how they got that way and have some sympathy.
- Vivid world-building. This is what truly sets fantasy apart from many other genres, because fantasy authors have the privilege of creating their worlds from scratch. Everything goes. However, it’s important not to drown readers with complex mechanics or distract them with overly flowery language. Make your world realistic, so your readers can see it when they close their eyes.
- A serious struggle. All good novels build up to a central conflict or struggle, culminate, and wind down to offer the audience a satisfying resolution or a taste for the next novel in the series.
- Add Illustrations to Your Fantasy Novel for a Full Immersion Experience
Your fantasy novel clearly needs a book cover. Don’t stop there. Self-publishing authors should strongly consider working with talented illustrators to bring their fantasy novels to life. Why? The beautiful language in your novel certainly allows readers to build their own visuals, but dreamy illustrators push them in the right direction.
You know what your world looks like, right? You know exactly how that epic elemental fight scene unfolded, and you can convey your protagonist’s facial expressions vividly. Hiring a fantasy illustrator allows you to share your vision with your audience.
After interviewing illustrators and looking through their portfolios, you decide where you want to go. Some fantasy authors make their own rough sketches, while others prefer to describe the images they’d like to include in their novels in writing. Both can work well.
Sometimes, a fantasy illustrator can even influence the plot — the images a gifted artist creates can add to your world-building efforts.
- Make Sure You’re Well-Read Before You Publish Your First Fantasy Novel
Nobody can argue against the idea that reading lots of novels makes you a better writer. Being widely read attunes you to beautiful language, masterfully-crafted plot lines, and characters so three-dimensional they might as well be jumping off the page and into your living room.
Reading lots of fantasy novels, specifically, also gives you a better idea of the tropes that are trending in your genre and those that authors overuse. Staying up to date with what’s published in your genre helps you avoid being turned down by publishers because they recently published a similar novel.
- Imagine Your Ideal Readers — And Write for Them
Do you think your fantasy novel is “for everyone”? Don’t. Your book will never be everyone’s cup of tea. That’s not just inevitable but also perfectly OK. Imagine a “reader prototype.” She might be curling up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a cat at her feet, for example. What are her hopes and dreams?
Imagining your perfect fantasy readers helps you narrow down your sub-genre, including:
- High fantasy, with its own unique laws of physics and fleshed-out magical system, may appeal to proud nerds.
- Low fantasy, which combines elements of the “real world” and adds surprising layers on top, is perfect for readers who are wondering if there’s more to life.
- Dark fantasy, a style with horror elements.
- YA fantasy, specifically written with teenagers and young adults in mind. This sub-genre may also appeal to older readers, but your protagonists will typically be younger.
You don’t dogmatically have to stick to a given fantasy sub-genre, but broadly defining where you take your novel makes it easier for publishers to notice you. If you’re self-publishing your fantasy novel, a sub-genre also makes marketing efforts much simpler.
- Hire a Book Editor
No matter how meticulously self-edit your fantasy novel, you can count on the fact that there will be:
- Plot holes
- Structural problems
- Style issues
- Typos
Hiring a competent and experienced fantasy book editor can help you weed these problems out before you take the next step. A well-edited book can help you land a literary agent who will get your work published. It also ensures readers judge your book by its story if you’re self-publishing and that they keep reading if you write a sequel.
- Don’t Give Up
Every author reaches a point where they think the novel isn’t worth sharing with the world or that they can’t possibly finish it and be happy with the results. Have a few beers, go meditate, or hang out with your friends to relax. Then get back on that saddle and keep going. You can realize your vision. Stick with it, and you’ll get it done.