How to Write: Dystopian

So, I obviously didn't post last week, because I had some big stuff happen. Check back in Friday for the exciting news! In the meantime, here's a post from Alexa.

Thanks so much for having me, Krissy!

Greetings, readers of Words in my Soul! I am Alexa *bows* here to offer a few do’s and don’ts for writing the suddenly-very-popular genre that is dystopian fiction.

First off, I’d just like to say that I am not an expert by any means and basically have no idea what I am doing. But! These are a few tips I’ve collected and invented as my co-writer and I hash out our little dystopian project, and I think they’re all pretty solid. The tips, I mean. Though the project and my co-writer are pretty cool too.

Anyways.

Tip 1: Get Creative:

If you want to not-so-subtly hint at how horrible everything is in your society, then bring in this special ceremony/terrible thing that happens when teenagers come of age, culminating in an epic battle where everyone must RISE UP for freedom, that’s perfectly fine. But there are a lot of books like that, I mean, a lot of a lot, and since people are always searching for something unique, I think the most important thing in writing dystopian is to take that common storyline and make it your own. Add a fantastical element here, flip the whole world on its head there, you could even toss out the “epic battle” if you want to, depending on how you’ve formulated the action so far. Consider making the classic teen-girl protagonist the antagonist, or having the villainous society actually be the hero; just whatever you do, make it new.

Of course, that’s not to say you absolutely can’t use the classic storyline (my co-writer and I actually did), just that the more conventions you keep, the more creative you have to get with their execution. Which is actually not such a bad thing, because then you get to do more crazy worldbuilding. Which brings me to...

Tip 2: Thoroughly Develop Your World

If you develop your world enough, you truly explore the backstories and the complicated nuances of your society, carefully crafting it into something strong enough to suspend your reader’s disbelief, your story will most likely follow suit and begin to evolve into something unique and amazing.

To be perfectly honest though, I’m not stellar at worldbuilding. I’m very good at random-ideas-in-the-middle-of-the-night-or-while-washing-dishes worldbuilding, but thorough, systematic development of an entire world system? Not something that comes easily for me, at least not without prompting, and there were a lot of dystopian factors in our storyworld that I was just taking for granted without actually exploring what might be behind them or how they could be better. 

If that sounds like you, I’d suggest reading a lot of blog posts on the topic and maybe even finding a book about it (we used Storyworld First by Jill Williamson, and it was fantastic). Whatever you do, don’t let worldbuilding be something you brush off until the end. It’s one of the most important elements in writing a strong dystopian, and, though you do have to be careful of Storyworld Builder’s Disease, it can also be one of the most interesting and inspiring parts of the process. After all, you might discover something that spawns some brilliant plot twist or fills that massive plothole you’ve been racking your brains to fix. Worldbuilding can be as intricate and important as plotbuilding; make sure you use it to its fullest possibilities within the context of your story. :)

Tip 3: Make Your Characters As Real As Possible

This is not to say that you should kidnap a bunch of teenagers and force them at gunpoint to act out the situations living in your psychotic head--while incomparably good for research, which I obviously do not know from personal experience, kidnapping, coercion, etc, etc, is all somewhat illegal.

No, what I mean is to develop your characters the same way you develop your storyworld--carefully and thoroughly. Spend time with your charries, daydream about them, take some situation in your life and consider how the babies might react to it. Figure out who they are, why they’re that way, and make sure they stay true to themselves (not to say that they shouldn’t change at all, but for the love of the SS Katniss and Peeta, PLEASE do not have your sassy, street-smart, kickbutt dystopian hero suddenly have his/her brain melt and leak out of their ears the moment they lay eyes on their soon-to-be significant other. Please).

Also, making them real doesn’t always mean you have to fill out every character sheet, know the name of their favorite ice cream, and why they hated their kindergarten teacher. The most important things to know about any characters are who they are now, why they’re that that way, and how they’re going to change throughout the book. Now I tend to discover these things as I’m writing and editing; character worksheets are rarely--not never, but rarely--more than interesting information to store in the back of my head. However, if you are a worksheet kind of a writer, here’s a link to one that my co-writer and I used for both of the main characters in our dystopian, and I know there are a bunch more charts on that site as well. You just might have to do a little digging. :)

Tip 4: Study The Genre

Yeah. So I spend the whole post telling you to just create your own world and do your own unique thing--then for my last tip, I turn around and say to study the genre. Well, I think it’s a good idea so that you can figure out, one, what you could emulate (not plagiarize), and two, what’s already been done and what material you have to put your own unique spin on.

That said, here are my recommendations:

Hunger Games: simply because it is so popular, and if you want to make it big in this genre, it might be good to know what everyone is raving about.

The Giver: I didn’t actually like the book (I think the visual effect just works better as a movie), but I’ve been informed that it was actually one of the first modern dystopian novels, plus it has an interesting way of showing its society that’s very different from a lot of the other series that have taken off (i.e. Divergent, Delirium, Matched, etc)

The Always War: Not my favorite dystopian, but it is interesting, it’s not particularly violent, and it’s also unique to its genre. A good starter, if you haven’t read a lot of dystopians before.

The Safe Lands series: Because this is my favorite dystopian, it’s beautiful and brilliant, and I will never resist recommending it when I have the chance. ;)

Don’t’s

Well, here’s the thing, I don’t really have any don’t’s (other than, don’t write a boring story, and don’t be cliche) because when it comes to writing, I’m a bit of a free spirit and I don’t want to tell you there’s anything you can’t do. Honestly, that’s one of the awesome things about writing speculative fiction: even the sky’s not the limit; it’s just the beginning (sadly, can’t take credit for that quote, but it’s pretty awesome, amiright?). To be honest, as long as you keep your story uniquely and gorgeously yours, I don’t see that there’s anything you cannot do. :)

You got this. ;)

When she was little, all Alexa wanted was to be an artist, but she realized later that being a writer is an art in its own right. Besides, everyone knows it’s way easier to write a few paragraphs than to copy the Mona Lisa. Well, she thought it would be anyway. Then she tried editing fifty thousand words and started to rethink that Mona Lisa thing.

You can find Alexa on Pinterest, Goodreads, Fanfiction.net, and her blogs, Summer Snowflakes and Verbosity Book Reviews.

How To Write: Surrealism

   Again. It's difficult to post with four small children running around your house. But today is their last day here *cries*, so I'll have time to post. Today's is written by Cait Potter.

Writing surrealism

   When people think of surrealism their minds usually lock onto Dali and dream interpretation and of course, with its main connotations being weird and strange and illogical, it’s easy to see it as something unapproachable, only attempted by the strangest among us.  But there is a sense to it, a method.
   Surrealism started as a movement in the 1920s, deep-rooted in politics and the ideas of dreams, such as the practice of dream interpretation Freud was bringing to light, artists and writers of that time explored reality in a way the completely uprooted it. But at the same time, creating work that made complete sense.

   By bringing a sense of familiarity to the viewer or reader.

   The idea was to take reality and twist it through dreams and the subconscious. Much the same way things feel familiar in a dream.  What you’re writing has to be real, quite possibly as real as you can make it and then you explore everything behind it. Reading between the lines so to speak. Finding the symbols then asking yourself, What do they mean?

   Is that house really just a house to that character? What does it mean to the character?

   Reality can be perceived in many different ways by many different people and surrealism offers a way to do that.
   Surrealists take this idea of reality, those all too real themes and the explore them through a veil of absurdity (There is actually a lesser known genre called absurdism and it usually goes hand in hand with surrealism) and strangeness. By doing so, they, in a way, lighten those heavy often dark themes

Surrealist writing can follow its roots back to writers such as the poets Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire, with Andre Brenton kick-starting the movement with his manifesto ‘Manifeste du surréalisme’

The stream of consciousness (Surrealist Techniques)

   It’s been argued that surrealism isn’t about the content of the story but how you write it and since surrealism is a broad movement thus having a broad definition, I feel that it can be both.

   Automatic writing conjures the imagery of a psychic hunched over a crystal ball scribbling down the messages they scried from the future. That’s all well and good but I raise you the image of a simple writer, hunched over for completely different reasons, pen whipping across the page like their hands are on fire.

   Automatic writing or stream of consciousness is one of the main surrealist techniques, used by the great artists of however many years ago, it creates a sense of flow that you might not have if you were actively thinking about what goes where in your story.  I reckon every writer has tapped into this flow at least once.

   It’s hard to say what gets you into that zone because it’s different for everyone! Music certainly helps me!

   For me, everything slows down, I get uber-focused on my writing and I fall into this lull. It feel like the words are just floating out of my brain and the next thing I know I’ve written 6000 words and I feel like I’m going to pass out!
   Anything is possible I guess!

Setting and atmosphere

   In writing surrealism, your main goal is to immerse your reader into the story. I find that some good ole world building can really push you in that direction.

   It’s all well and good throwing things in there for affect or aesthetic until you find that those things have absolutely no purpose.  When it comes to surrealist settings that familiarity really comes into play.

   Your character will only notice certain things in that setting, things that stand out or are familiar to them.  Make those things important; tie your character to the setting by giving them something they can relate to. Build the atmosphere with emotion and symbolism. Focus on your character and build the world around them.

   For example, I find that giving the setting an unsettling feeling helps me build a tense atmosphere and it helps me put my character ‘on edge’ 

   Makes them think;
   Is something going to attack me?
   Makes those shadows on the walls appear like more than just shadows.  

Modern surrealist writers

   Many writers can have surrealist vibes (I bring to mind The Secret History By Donna Tart and The raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater) and so can genres, like sci-fi and punk subgenres like cyberpunk and steampunk.  

   But when I think of surrealist writing I think of writers such as Kafka and Vonnegut. Writers that birth incredibly absurd stories into the world while at the same time dealing with dark, almost too real themes. 

   Kurt Vonnegut, in his book Slaughterhouse 5 examines aliens keeping a human zoo, the end of the world and concept of a character that can, or believes he can, travel through time. 

   But he also deals with heavy themes like war, death, even PTSD.  

   To me, surrealism is a way of exploring the bad things in the world in a way that makes them less harsh, easier to comprehend, offering an escape in a sense.  I hope all of the tish tosh above made sense! 

   Cait Potter is an 18 year old artist, writer and photographer. They spend most of their time scribbling odd things and working on one too many projects. You can follow them on Instagram here.

How To Write: Historical Fiction

   So...sorry about last week. And this Tuesday. Not sure what happened. But now we're back with a lovely post by Lydia.

Step One: Get Started

Seriously. Don't get hung up on research and the nitty-gritty's. I say, my dear writer, hammer out an opening line and dive in. You can change it later. For the moment, it's easier to work with something, no matter how terrible, than trying to work from scratch. Great things rise out of first draft confusion.

But to help you along, here's some raw advice from a writer whose barely begun to figure it out.

Set the Stage

This goes along with research (and that's next), but it's slightly different. The parts of setting come first so you know what to research.

Here's an equation:

Setting = Time + Place + Mood + Culture

There are many factors that determine setting. Where does it start? What is the location much of the story happens in? Think of Dickens. Many of his works are set in London, which plays a defining role in the mood.

. . .And Set it Well

Culture.

What is era-appropriate? Theme and names are important to consider.

A good example of this is the follow your heart trope, something that turns up often in Historical fiction. (Especially that featuring independent young women.) 'Follow your heart' is a mindset that has only become a popular and acceptable in the last 50-100 years. Even if that's how your character -and you-really feel, you may want to call it something different for the sake of accuracy.

Delve into the matter a little deeper and look for specifics. Is your character following their heart, or trying to survive on the streets? (See: Oliver Twist) Or find their identity? (See: Elnora Comstock in The Girl of the Limberlost.) Trying to follow the crowd drew her deeper into her love for nature. She didn't change fundamentally.

This has the potential to add a new facet to your story. I used a variation of it myself. The MC in my novel isn't following his heart as much as he's seeking approval from his family to use his talents on stage. Oh, and, it's a He. Guys faced opposition for breaking out of the mold too. Remember that. Historical fiction needs more male protagonists. I can hardly think of a title that does.

Do a Little Research.
Do a LOT More Research.
Research ALL THE THINGS.

Okay. I love research, but some might dread this part. If that's the case you have three options: change, cope, or find another genre.

Historical fiction is easier to write today than it ever has been. You can find a lot on the internet. But be wary of Wikipedia and other sources of common knowledge. Gain facts, but develop your own opinion. There's plenty of bias out there on history. Remember: Our view on a historical issue today does not change the past; it can only change the future.

Only Include Relevant History
Mentioning definitive events is a good way to add currency and inform the readers of the exact era in history.For instance, you could say that Hitler just invaded Poland, even if your story isn't about WWII. Or that gold has been found in California, even if your story has nothing to do with that. Those are major events that definitely got around. It's a great way to ground your story in reality.

Be careful. Not every world-shattering event has to be connected to your story somehow. Just as you probably didn't have a relative affected by the latest catastrophic event, your MC likely doesn't have a relative on the Titanic. Take a cue from some old fiction. What current events does the writer mention? Not a whole lot. The result is a focused narrative that doesn't distract the reader from the story with digression. I would love to see this mindset more in historical fiction.

Allow the Research to Shape Your Story

Don't resist change. Issues with your plot absolutely will surface as you research. (Hint: If you haven't researched thoroughly your perception is flawed in some area.)

Dressed to Kill (Your Story)

This part may be my absolute favorite thing to research. No matter the era, clothing never ceases to be interesting. Be careful not to go into overkill mode. Drop subtle hints about the costuming here and there. I had to restrain myself in this area, but I've found a fun way to do this is to share one character's thoughts on another character's outfit.

And remember to keep it fitting to the time in history. A period piece I watched recently featured the young lady MC turning heads by riding astride in breeches. The movie should have been set a good thirty years later than it was for that to be the case at all, and I spent half the movie wondering if the producers had ever heard of split skirts. That almost ruined it for me.

What's in a Name?

Just like in fantasy, names are important in historical fiction. They carry weight. Don't make your story cringe-worthy by accident. You may like that name. A lot. I understand. But using very modern names can push your reader's buttons and shed a bad light on you as the writer.

Vocabulary

This is a no-brainer for some, but everyone needs a reminder.

Here's a good/fun/cool way to look into era-oriented language.

Go to Google and type in 'define fumble' or 'define (Your Word Here)'. A box will appear that has entries like a dictionary or thesaurus. I use this prodigiously when I'm writing as it's ten times faster then either of those. At the bottom of the graphic, when you expand it, there's a graph that shows when the word is/was most common.

This feature only goes back to the beginning of the 1800's, but if your book is set anytime within the last two centuries, this can be helpful. It's a good way to acquaint yourself with your character's vocabulary and add period nuance to your prose. Click on the synonyms until you find your best match. (I'm not suggesting we all revert to Jane-Austen-style formal writing; don't always choose historical popularity over suitability. Just use it now and then or when you need a suggestion.)

And as Always . . .

Be on the lookout for minor details gone awry.

Things in history are likely to slip past. I set a foxhunt in August, not reckoning that England has hunting-seasons. Other people might not realize that's an issue either. But assumptions can steal from your credibility.

Have Fun!

Lydia Carns writes historical fiction. She loves books, sugar, dresses, and music, and when she isn't writing, she is either in the kitchen baking, illustrating her books, and/or procrastinating on her blogging. She can be found on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and of course, her blog, where you can read about her current projects, and life in general.

How To Write: Science Fiction

Hi guys! Sorry for not posting on Tuesday; my spring break has been surprisingly busy. But without further ado, here's a post by my friend Victoria!

   Science-Fiction is a very popular genre. Well-known science-fiction includes Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and Star Trek. The genre revolves primarily around superior technology. This can be futuristic technology, alien technology, modern-day-hidden-by-the-government technology. Basically, advanced science hence the genre’s name. 

   This genre has been around for over a hundred years since man started dreaming about what the mysterious future would be. People such as Jules Verne or these French artists from 1899  fantasized about spaceships, underwater cities, and simplified farming devices. This is all science fiction, dreams of superior technology.

   What’s even more fascinating is that a lot of science-fiction has become reality. Communicators in Star Trek highly resemble flip-phones. Also Star Trek used memory drives resembling floppy discs decades before they were ever invented.

   With that in mind, let’s talk about some details.

1. Subgenres – Science-fiction has spawned many smaller genres. These narrow down the focus of what kind of science-fiction the story is. It can be very heavy like in Star Wars where there is no involvement of earth at all or lighter like in Back to the Future where Doc Brown invents a time machine in the 1980s.

   Here are some specified science-fiction genres:

   Apocalyptic: The apocalypse in an event that ends the world as we know it. For a genre, this is a story taking place during a world-ending event. In The 5^th Wave, the Others aka aliens from another planet are ending the world. They’re creating a mass genocide of the human population with their superior tech. The main character, Cassie, watches this all happen and is one of the few survivors during the process.

   Post-Apocalyptic: A post-apocalyptic genre story is set after a world-ending event has occurred, so the world has already changed instead of watching it happen like in an apocalyptic novel. In The Maze Runner series, the Flare, a deadly disease caused by solar flares, has devastated the planet, rendering most of it a barren wasteland. This has in turn caused most of the big events in the series.

   Dystopian: Dystopians are often set in the future. A dystopian is an oppressed society usually by a totalitarian government. In The Hunger Games, Panem is ruled by the greedy Capitol who controls the districts, forcing them to labor for their pleasures and participate in the annual yearly pageant where children are forced to fight in a gladiatorial celebration.

   Space Opera: A space opera is a genre that happens primarily in outer space and distant planets. These usually involve aliens, though not always like in Firefly. In Star Wars, the films take place nowhere near earth at all, while Star Trek takes place on both earth and in space.

   Time Travel: This is pretty self-explanatory, but this is a genre that involves traveling through time, creating paradoxes, changing the past or future, having to fix an event, etc. Time travel can be a superpower like in The Time Traveler’s Wife or done in a time machine like in the TARDIS in Doctor Who.

2. The Setting – Science fiction is so diverse. Your setting can be earth, space, a distant planet, wherever you want. It can be in the future, the present, or the past. 

   When you write a sci-fi taking place in the future, think about how the world can change in however many years you’re setting your story. Think of politics, environment, culture, and primarily technology. Will they have spaceships? Did a big event happen that changed everything? Were there wars or disease or environment disasters? (Example: Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Divergent by Veronica Roth)

   When you write a sci-fi taking place in the present, think of what makes it sci-fi. Is it aliens? Is it secret technology? A conspiracy? Illegal experimentation? (Example: Transformers and Race to Witch Mountain)

   When you write a sci-fi taking place in the past, think of how the culture is going to react to such superior technology. How different is it from what they’re used to? Is an advanced culture trying to dominate a primitive one? Will the primitives stand a chance? Is someone on earth hurting an extraterrestrial or did someone invent something the government is after? (Example: Super 8 and Cowboys versus Aliens)

3. The Characters – Your characters are very dependent on the setting. They can be used to their science-fiction world or they can be brought into a world of science-fiction. How does the world affect who they are? Do they own advanced technology like Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon? Do they have new slang like “shiny” or “gorram” in Firefly? Have the politics affected them like the oppression of cyborgs in Cinder?
   Do you have aliens or different races like Wookees and Droids? How does their culture differ from ours like how Vulcans suppress their emotions? What do they look like? Are they green like Yoda? Do they speak a different language like Klingons?

4. The Technology – This where it gets fun. I personally love coming up with crazy inventions like robots and weapons. Transportation, medical devices, and communication devices are other things to consider. Is travel faster? Have cures been found for diseases? Do they use holograms? Are there microchips? Do your research and see what technology is already out there. Maybe you can expand on it and make it more efficient or make something high-tech now common use in the future.

Resources: 

5 Ways to Build a Detailed World Without Boring Your Readers 

Creating Creatures for Your Novel 

Creating Your Own Language 

How do I start researching for my novel? 

The Perils of Near-Future Science Fiction—and How to Write It Anyway by Shallee McArthur 

Storyworld Building: Creating the World 

Writing Advice: 4 Tips for Effectively Naming Character 

   Science-fiction is a fun and diverse genre and host to many amazing stories. Try adding yours to the shelf! Thanks for reading!

   Have you ever written a science-fiction novel? Have you ever read/watched any science-fiction? Do you have a favorite science-fiction novel, show, or movie? Who is your favorite science-fiction character?

   Victoria Grace Howell is an award-winning, aspiring writer of speculative fiction. In 2014 she won the Teen Writer of the Year Award at the Florida Christian Writers conference and in 2015 she won the Beyond the Steeple Award. In April 2016, she will be published in Splickety: Havok Magazine for her short story. She also edits for the Christian site Geeks Under Grace. When not writing she enjoys drawing her characters, blogging, learning Kung Fu, cosplaying, and a really good hot cup of tea. 

   Be sure to check out her Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and blog.

How To Write: Steampunk

Today, we've got my awesome friend Aimee, here to teach you about the wonders of steampunk.

Behold. It’s me, Aimee, guest-posting on Krissy’s blog because she’s awesome like that and I love to shove my thoughts onto the internet whenever possible. (So thanks for that, Krissy, you wonderful human being you.)

Krissy’s asked me to talk about steampunk and how to write it. This is a mistake because 1) I have no clue what I’m doing myself most of the time and 2) I am still personally trying to figure out how to write steampunk and how to not write steampunk.

This is partly because there’s no actual way to write steampunk.

Yes, I can see the horrified gasps now. Allow me to explain to you a thing. (many things, actually. Sorry. I basically never shut up.)

There’s no way to write steampunk. There’s really no way to not write steampunk.

That’s the beauty of the genre. (By the way, do you not know what steampunk is? Go Google it. Look up some pictures. Be amazed. It’s the coolest.) It’s a genre for rulebreakers, genre-mashers, people who like to use cool words, people who like to have machines and Victorian Era dresses in the same context, people who are too lazy to do a ton of research, and basically doing whatever the heck you want. It’s weird, as weird as you want it to be. There are no limits to the creativity, the imagination, the smashing-together of things that shouldn’t make sense but do when you put them together like that.

So you want to write steampunk? Just dive into the middle of it.

Read steampunk. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and Airborn by Kenneth Oppel are wonderful places to start if you want a feel for how this genre works. Every single steampunk world is different, creative, its own little thing, but you’ll start to feel the wonder of it all, the focus on inventing and new ideas and lush worlds teeming with life of all kinds. That’s probably helpful. (But really, reading is a helpful way to write any genre better. Read all the books, peeps.)

Try it out. Honestly? Just jump right in. There’s no wrong way to write steampunk. Make up some kooky machines. Slap a corset and goggles on a Victorian lady’s dress and make her an airship pirate, or a doctor, or a high-society evil queen, or whatever. Go crazy with it. Experiment. Write about people experimenting. Do whatever you want! This is the no-rules genre.

Don’t forget worldbuilding. This is the most important part of steampunk books, I think. A lot of the time the setting can function as a character of its own, something that drives the plot forward. In Leviathan, we explore an alternate version of WWI, filled with genetically-fabricated animals and hulking metal war machines. That changes the way the war goes, it changes the way characters interact with each other, it creates conflict between creepy-genetic-animal people and hulking-war-machine people. Airborn takes place almost entirely on a hydrogen-powered airship filled with mechanikal gear-and-clockwork gadgets. Lush, detailed worlds are what make steampunk...well, steampunk.

Look stuff up. You’re a grown-up writer-person, I’m sure. You can Google things like “how to write steampunk.” Steampunk is all about visuals, so scroll through some Pinterest boards for a while! Read examples. Look up the weirdness that is steampunk bands if you need inspiration. (Abney Park is a good place to start.)

Experiment. I’m repeating myself at this point, but...pretty much the only mistake you can make with steampunk is being afraid to do stuff. (And, possibly, not including at least one mad scientist/inventor character.) Do whatever you want! Get a feel for the way steampunk goes and invent your own feel off that. Go crazy.

Basically: Smash stuff together. Break rules. Don’t be scared. Add plenty of clockwork and cool outfits. Give people British accents. Be rebellious. Be creative.

Be steampunky, y’all.

Once again, thank you to the ever-wonderful Krissy for letting me guest post! I’m sure I screwed it up. *waves at you all*

   Aimee Meester is a reader, writer, watcher, and lover of all things weird and/or sci-fi. When she's not busy reading, writing, watching, or otherwise procrastinating she's a homeschooled extrovert who happened to find the internet and build up a bizarre little blog of her own. Her love for Les Mis knows no bounds.

How To Write: High Fantasy

   Hi guys!! So, remember that Big Exciting Thing I told you about? Well, it's finally here!

 

*cue fanfare*

   I don't talk much about actual writing on this here "writing" blog, and I decided it was time to change that. Over the next weeks, some friends and I are going to give you tips for writing different genres. We've got sci-fi, steampunk, mystery and more coming up, but this week I'm kicking it off with none other than my favorite genre ever, fantasy.

   So, what are some ways you can improve your fantasy writing?

Setting

   Okay, so this is a fantasy, right? Which means it's make-believe, right? Fake. Not real.
   So why is most fantasy based on medieval England? Seriously, people. The awesome thing about fantasy is that you can literally do whatever you want(within reason, of course). Combine real-life cultures. Tweak an existing fantasy world. Make one up from scratch! You, my dear fellow author, are the creator of this world. You've got infinite possibilities, so make good use of the opportunity.
   (Let me just say one thing, though. A generic European-based fantasy world can totally work; we've just seen a lot of it. With a creative plot, unique culture, or interesting characters, you can pull it off.)

Research

   "But Krissy!" you say. "This is a fantasy! I don't need to research. That's for historical fiction writers!"

   Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

   Research is actually really important. From sword-fighting and battle strategies, to politics, court life, and hunting and farming techniques, there's a lot of basic info that will make your writing better and more realistic. You don't need to be an expert, but your characters shouldn't do ridiculous or impossible things, just because you didn't feel like doing a Google search.

   Also, if you're including mental illnesses or different sexualities in your story, please please please do your research. This applies to all genres, not just fantasy. Romanticizing or inaccurately portraying these things is both insensitive and harmful. Do your research, guys.

The "Brick" Epidemic

   (no I didn't just make that term up for this blog post what are you talking about)

   If you ask someone to list some famous fantasy writers, chances are J. R. R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, and J. K. Rowling will show up on there. And what are something all three(and many other fantasy writers) have in common?

   The biggest, thickest bricks books known to mankind.

   I don't know about anyone else, but I definitely feel some pressure to write books like that. Not only are they very long books with very long chapters, but they also have a very distinct writing style. You know what I'm talking about, right? It's almost thick, very flowery and descriptive.
   Your writing does not have to sound like that.
   When I was first writing Children of the Nameless, I felt so much pressure to write chapters of equal length, full of generic fantasy prose. And as a result, my writing sucked. It was so uncomfortable and awkward. My writing flowed much better when I wrote how I wanted, not how I felt I should.
   If writing like that comes easily to you, write like that. If not, write however is easiest for you. Don't force yourself to write like Tolkien if you aren't Tolkien.

Worldbuilding

   This part is so, so important. Worldbuilding is one of my favorite things about fantasy. A world rich in detail does wonders for a story. My advice?

   Almost overdo it.

   Note the "almost". That's very important. We writers can get caught in the surprisingly-sticky web of worldbuilding, creating a detailed backstory for the king who lives two countries over because "it's writing!" My friend Lily wrote an excellent blog post about the dangers of this.

   When creating a fictional world, figure out all the necessary information, and then a little more. I love when authors slip in extra details; it makes their story come alive. Something as little as mentioning that your character "looked up at the moons" reminds the reader that something is different, in a very good way.

I felt the need to include this.

   Some important details you might want to include are climate(weather, mountains, seasons, foliage), religion(most/least common, god(s), worship technics), culture(common phrases, "swear" words, acceptable/unacceptable behavior), and politics(local and central government, law enforcement, war strategies).

Pronounceable Names

   There's actually a really easy cure to this one. Write the names of different characters/countries on a piece of paper, hand it to a random stranger, and ask them to read it.

   Just kidding.

   A better bet might be asking a friend, family member, or fellow author. You know how the name is supposed to sound in your head, so the spelling makes sense. Others, however, might be really confused. Also, a friend's pronunciation might sound better than yours and prompt you to officially change the pronunciation of a character's name. True story.

   But remember, starting out right is easier than fixing a mistake. So, when you're creating character names, make sure that they're readable and don't sound too much like the name of a different character/place.

Cliches

   "To cliche or not to cliche" is the question every writer asks. Cliches are time-tested, but that's exactly the problem. We've seen too much of them, and it can get really annoying. The best way I've found to combat this is to twist the cliche. 

   The main character is the Chosen One? Maybe he finds out he really isn't, halfway through the story. Or maybe the Chosen One is the sibling/best friend/love interest/niece of the main character.

   The old bearded mentor character dies? Maybe that's not such a bad thing after all, because he was secretly working for the enemy.

   The princess character kicks some major bad guy butt? Give her a secret(or not so secret) love for shoes, frilly dresses, or boys with curly hair.

   While this isn't the only way to keep a story from being dreadfully cliche, it is a fun one.

   So there you have it. While is is by no means a comprehensive list, it'll definitely liven up that awesome fantasy novel you're writing.

   And, since I'm fond of lists and have lots of great friends, here are some resources to help you even more.

• A very factual post about how to write a successful fantasy
• A discussion on strong female characters
• Tips to improve your novel's Big Bad Guy
• (and how to write a good prequel about him)
• A post about mapmaking
• How to create your world's history
• A post about storyworld, with links to a bunch more posts about how to create a storyworld
• How to have a strong cast of characters
• Tips for writing archery
• Writing about forests
• Types of government

I hoped this has helped some of you! Be sure to check in next Tuesday; I've got an awesome guest poster for you.