The #1 Fantasy Writing Tip

Last time I gave my lifeline for writing fantasy, today is my #1 tip for how to write and survive writing a fantasy story. Well in reality it is five tips that are summarized with one phrase:

Get Organized.

Wait, that’s not a writing tip.

Actually, yes it is. When writing fantasy you need to write author’s notes. If you don’t write author’s notes there are inconsistencies, and a book riddled with inconsistencies isn’t going to be a best seller. Tip: readers hate inconsistencies. If a book has too many inconsistencies, there is a 95% chance the book will be tossed or returned.

Also, when you write these things down before the first draft, you will save yourself grief during the rewrites and editing. Author Notes is your story’s bible. It will keep you on track and helps you catch your loophole writing (AKA sections in the story’s plot where it is weak or moments you missed writing that is mentioned in a scene).

So what are the author’s notes categories one needs when writing fantasy?

 1.   Notes about the fictional world. 

  2. Magic rules.

  3. The world’s history.

  4. Weapons list.      

  5. Languages.

  6. The world’s cultures (sub folder for each culture’s background, weapons, language, architecture, style of clothing, society, people’s appearance, and an inspiration dump of what the landscape looks like). 

   And 7. The rules of the society your protagonist comes from.

Do you need all of these? Maybe not but if a book is a part of a series, you will need all of the above in your notes. I can list on my hands the number of projects I had to scrap because I didn’t do my AN while writing fantasy. World building is the major thing when writing fantasy even when writing a contemporary piece. A world is built with culture and rules; to not develop those key things makes the foundation of a story weak. If you write the pros and cons to the world you’re going to be writing in, you not only save time but you save yourself from writing a document that an editor, proofreader, and betas hate.

Next Time: Fantasy Exercises…