Fantasy Writer Resources
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If you're a fantasy author, you're in the right place! Let's explore what fantasy is (and isn't) and some of the tools you can use to hone your craft.
Fantasy is one of the most profitable genres to write in these days as it's risen in popularity over the years. There are many subgenres of fantasy such as:
Fantasy settings are generally split into two categories as well: High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. High fantasy typically takes place in a world separate from our own, filled with fantastical creatures, like Tolkien's The Hobbit. Low fantasy tends to occur in tandem with our own world, like Harry Potter. |
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As a fantasy author, you might be interested in different approaches to writing these stories, and need to focus on specific types of edits. For example, Developmental Editing is often one of the most important stages of editing for fantasy novels since this is where potential plot holes are caught, characters gain deeper motivations and complexities, and the heavy work of world building is woven throughout your book.
Fantasy Writer Toolbox
Check out these resources that cover writing craft like narrative styles and fantasy world building and writing as a profession in depth.
(Disclaimer: Some of these are affiliate links which means I'd get a small percentage if you choose to buy when you click.)
(Disclaimer: Some of these are affiliate links which means I'd get a small percentage if you choose to buy when you click.)
- On Writing by Stephen King
- How Fiction Works by James Wood
- Jane Friedman's YouTube channel
All professional writers and publishing professionals can benefit from the free information Jane Friedman offers on her YouTube channel. An author, teacher, speaker, blogger, and authority on publishing, her goal is to help writers pursue their career dreams in a pragmatic and sustainable way.
Reading Recommendations
Reading in your genre is so important that I'm adding a whole section of recommendations for writers to choose from to elevate their skills. One of the best teachers of writing craft in your genre that you will ever encounter is a well written book.
Bonus: More good books to read!
Be sure to pay attention to the way these stories are told on a craft level to get the most out of your read.
Bonus: More good books to read!
Be sure to pay attention to the way these stories are told on a craft level to get the most out of your read.
- How is it structured?
- Whose perspective is the story told from?
- Is it in first person? Third?
- How does the POV change narrative distance and bring the reader closer to the story (sometimes by putting distance between them and the MC)?
- How does the story defy genre expectations? Or not?
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
The narrative progression in this book is tempered by two lead povs, each offering a completely different view of the real and imagined elements of their world. Because these characters are so different, the world comes together elegantly to create a full picture that only the reader can truly appreciate. - Issola by Steven Brust
Steven Brust uses strong world building skills to balance what the reader learns and what remains unknown. Paired with strong authorial voice, this book makes for a good reference if you want to learn where and how you can trust your reader to fill in the blanks without losing tension. - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
This book is not only charming and fun, but a great study in how genre expectations can be subverted with a range of characters who both evolve and become more deeply understood throughout the story. Since several of the characters are children, they don't go on a journey of maturity so much as the reader is led through presuppositions and beyond them to examine who they were all along. A great look at how narrative distance can be used to bring the reader closer to important characters and themes.