chaos

I'm thinking of writing a *gasp* fantasy story and I would like to know what to avoid. I've read a little fantasy, but not enough to really be familiar with its cliches and things that just aren't cool anymore, or never were, or never will be. Some things are obvious, like don't use elves, orks, or hobbits, and don't have the main character be on a quest for a magic ring, or trying to kill some guy named Voldemort or even Moldevort, but I'm hoping for some more subtle advice.

And also this gives people a chance to vent about what annoys them in fantasy. For me, with my limited experience, its that people use horses way too much without knowing anything about them. Like, if people are traveling in caves and on cliffs riding horses...most sensible horses would not go near a cave or a cliff and what are they eating, rocks? Horses need a lot of food, and a lot of times they spook at wierd stuff and they really can't go gallivanting across the countryside at a dead gallop all day being pursued by enemies without going lame or bucking off the rider and...ok, you get the idea.

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mswietek

Search for "fantasy cliche" in google and you will find some humorous sites. Cliches that drive me batty.

1) Anyone part of an organized religion (especially if they are a priest) is manipulative, greedy, or otherwise hypocritical. They are usually contrasted with a naturalistic religion where everyone is good and harmonious.

2) The farm boy is actually a King, "The One", etc.

3) Female characters who are little more than purile adolescent fantasies. For the love of God, please write female characters with respect, dignity, and common sense. No female warriors in maille bras and panties and little else. No playboy play mates. No magic spells that cause the female character to have some sort of erotic laisson with the Bad Guy. Please, I'm begging you.

4) The band of heros that look like they were pulled straight from an RPG (warrior, mage, thief, cleric).

That's all for now. I am sure I will come up with more in a little while.

Michael

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mswietek

Switch to decaf.

From dictionary.com: Cliche - A trite or overused expression or idea
Dragonlance Chronicles is the example that first comes to mind.

Once again, from dictionary.com: Cliche - A trite or overused expression or idea. Examples Wheel of Time Series, Mallorean (I think, its been a while), Star Wars.

It's all in the approach. Nothing wrong with sexuality in fantasy, and there is nothing wrong with beautiful women, either. But too much fantasy writing reads like a 14 year old's fantasy. Piers Anthony is one of the bigger offenders. And, yes, I realize rapes occur. Should they occur in fantasy? I suppose, but if it's gratuitous, then it shouldn't be done.

Why riff off an RPG? Why not try something different? RPGs have been done and done and done. All you need to know that is look at all the series books associated with them. There is nothing wrong with it per se, but why not try something different?

Michael

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Kane

If it doesn't belong in the story, it shouldn't be done. If it does, it should be.

mswietek

And if you decide it really needs to be done, then do it properly. Rape is more than a sex scene with crying. And be prepared to deal with the aftermath.

And don't start your sentences with conjunctions...

Michael

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"Don't imagine that the art of poetry is any simpler than the art of music, or that you can please the expert before you have spent at least as much effort on the art of verse as an average piano teacher spends on the art of music." - Ezra Pound

Kane

I like to start sentences with conjunctions.

blademasterzzz

STOP REFERENCING EVERYTHING TO YOUR NOVEL!

mswietek

I never said explicit, I said gratuitous.

explicit
1) Fully and clearly expressed; leaving nothing implied.
2) Describing or portraying nudity or sexual activity in graphic detail.

gratuitous
1) Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified

In your description, I would consider the "insertion" portion to be gratuitous. If the purpose of the scene is to give the character nightmares and a fear of intimacy; being chained to a wall and raped will do that. Even though you may not show the scene as a scene that's happening as we read it, you will still have to explain what happened. The insertion is over the top, and you will have to work very hard to justify it.

Michael

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mswietek

And I do too.

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lisajane

I hope you're not thinking that for someone being raped, it wouldn't hurt physically.

I agree with Blademasterzzz. Are you unable to use other references besides your own work?

And what to avoid - writing fantasy

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mswietek

You may want to do some research. Gross errors like this will turn your scene into farce. But this thread has been thoroughly highjacked...let's wait until you post the exerpt, ok?

Back to cliches.

The Evil Villan who is very powerful but as an Achilles Heel is another one. I think Fantasy writing is no different than any other fiction, in that your events need to be believable and logical within the world you created.

Michael

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"Don't imagine that the art of poetry is any simpler than the art of music, or that you can please the expert before you have spent at least as much effort on the art of verse as an average piano teacher spends on the art of music." - Ezra Pound

Hodge

A woman has to be aroused to produce the level of lubrication that makes sex fun.

And if she's a virgin whose hymen is intact, then it'll hurt even more.



Want to avoid fantasy clichés? Read The Lord of the Rings and don't use anything from it at all. Avoid every little thing from it. Everything. While that book isn't cliché (because it started it), every other book that uses those elements is.

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midlandsmuse

A statement that should be tattooed backwards on your forehead so you can see it in the mirror every day. Also print it out in big letters onto A3 paper and plaster it around wherever you write.

By all means do fantasy but the genre is so loaded with tripe and the same stories and characters churned out that you really do need, more than any other genre I think, to come in with a new take on the subject.

And please remember... the characters have to be real. Even if it's a wizard it should bhave recognisable traits. This is why Terry Pratchett is so popular with people who don't usually read fantasy because his characters, while being wizards, witches, luggage, criminals and Death, have recognisable traits we see in everyday life.

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Anarkos

...and because he satirises much of everyday life and is just plain funny.

Cliches:
Races: Orks, trolls, dwarves, elves, dragons... (except Pratchett...dragons are small and spontaneously combust, trolls are made of stone and elves are outright evil.
Characters: Anything that fits into a class. Real people don't have classes. Real people have collections of hopes, dreams, fears, loves, hates, strengths, weaknesses and so on, and often possess self-contradictory sets of character traits. A character should not be defined by his swords or spells but by his...character.
97% of all magic and magic items.
Strange prophecies.

Um...

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midlandsmuse

That is another statement to plaster your walls with.

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