Friday, March 15, 2013

What Makes A Good Fantasy...


I want to post today, but I don't have much time.  The Penguins of Madagascar are about to come on and I have to go!

So, I want to pose a question to all of you...kind of like a discussion board, if you're willing to participate.  Perhaps you can give me some advice and suggestions that will improve my writing.

The question is this:  What makes a good fantasy?  (No dirty stuff please! Well, not too dirty:)

I've been wrestling with this issue for a while.  You see, there's so many great fantasies that I absolutely love (Tolkien for example), and so many that I just can't get into.  I literally read the first page and can't force myself to go on.

So I'm wondering...why?  What makes the great stories great?  And what makes the bad ones stink like a month old dead fish?

Yes, yes... we can talk about one has a good story and engaging characters and so forth while the others don't.

But my question is ... what SPECIFIC stuff makes the story and characters and so forth good???  And what makes them bad??

For example, I tend to get bogged down by the strange names people give their characters and places...names that are so complicated that I can't pronounce or remember (Sir Rogotheraen from Xyegenorax.  I mean, come on!  Why not Tim? Or Becky?)

Also, I get bothered when characters are all manly men, with muscles and tattoos and long, flowing hair.  

And then there's magic.  I hate it when fantasy authors have systems of magic with no counter point.  Everybody can cast ridiculously powerful spells with no downsides or repercussions.  Every point of confrontation or conflict can be settled with a magic spell that the main characters JUST HAPPEN to have!  (They’re trapped in a room.  Water is pouring in, threatening to drown Sir Rogotheraen. Then, all of a sudden, he remembers his “water be gone” spell!!!  Ugh! Kill me!)

I like it when magic takes a backseat to the story and that the best attributes a character has is their brain and heart. 

But this is just me.

What do all of you think?  What makes a good fantasy story?  What makes a bad one?

Ooops!  The Penguins are on!  Gotta run!

Thanks for stopping by (and the help)!




18 comments:

  1. For me, the basic building block of any good fantasy is a fantastic world to disappear into. You still need good story and characters, but that's what I look for first. A different time and place.

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    1. Thanks, Daniel.

      Does the world have to be completely different than our world? Two moons, trees that glow, and so forth? Or can it be like our world, but during a different time period, such as the Middle Ages?

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  2. I thin authors should do more experimenting with their characters. I often get bored when I read a clone of Lord of The Rings. I think it's important to be unique if you want to be entertaining, but that's just me. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would disagree, but I personally think a good fantasy novel is any novel that transports the reader outside of their daily grind and gets them to use their imagination a bit.

    But again, that's just me. Others might very well disagree.

    My two cents - for what they're worth. :)

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    1. Hey, thanks James! And yes, it does seem that there are cookie cutters for characters in fantasy. You don't see too many people who fall outside the norms.

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  3. I think the best way to do a fantasy novel is to have balance. Personally, I hate it when a book starts and does an huge info dump. I think integrating back story and information you need to know into the story is what makes a good book. Tolkien does this perfectly. You learn about this vast place as the story progresses. He doesn't just start and explain the land then go into the story. Balancing back story with the real story makes a book great.

    PS I hate crazy names too. It ruins the story and is super hard to follow!

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    1. Thanks Taylor. The info dump is difficult for me to get around. Since it's a fantasy and in a different type of world, authors have to explain what that world is like early on. Only truly great writers can pull off without it seeming like an info dump. I'm still working on that skill:)

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  4. I read once that the First Cardinal Rule of fantasy writing is no unpronounceable names for characters or places. I feel that good fantasy, like all good writing, begins with engaging characters. They can piss you off, make you laugh, cry, or just fascinate you, but the initial draw for me is the characters. After that for fantasy (in my opinion, which is worth marginally less than you're paying for it,) you need an original, exciting plot. Complexity is nice, though not strictly necessary (see Song of the Lioness vs. Game of Thrones). But you need a solid foundation and world through which your characters can move and grow. Originality is such a huge thing with fantasy; there is just SO MUCH of it out there already!

    I agree with Taylor about the data-dump crap. You've got a whole book to explain stuff!

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    1. Gwen!! Hey, I don't mean this inappropriately or anything, but I LOVE your avatar picture. Very nice!

      And I agree with the names. I think too many people want to be like Tolkien and try to create their own languages. But they don't have Tolkien's skill.

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  5. I read a book once that said the First Cardinal Rule of Fantasy Writing is thou shalt not use unpronounceable names. So that's a big deal; it detracts from the story for no good reason. What draws me in, initially, is the characters. Whether they piss me off, make me laugh, cry, smile, nod because I understand what they're going through, I follow the story through the characters, so that's crucial for me.

    Second, there is such a wide selection of fantasy out there, I think originality in plot and in world design are extremely important. People pick up a new book because they've already read Tolkien, LeGuin, etc. Complexity isn't necessarily critical (See Song of the Lioness vs. Game of Thrones), but something that is new, exciting and engaging is another crucial aspect of truly good fantasy.

    That being said, my opinion is worth about what you just paid for it, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt. =)

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    1. I think this is very true, Gwen.

      For a long time, I figured that it was just me. I was never taught phonics as a kid. So I just thought that I was too stupid to know how to pronounce "Graethrog"!

      The same is true when names are too similar. I always have to stop and think, "Wait! Which character is this?"

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  6. I like a lot of different fantasy novels/series, and for a lot of different reasons, but mostly because I love to see good defeating evil, even when the odds are against them. Sure, I don't necessarily mind when there are "normal" character names, but sometimes I really do enjoy the worlds where there are at least unique spellings of names, though not too unique.

    Info-dumping early on is really annoying. I like when things are worked in when relevant to the story. And Robert, I totally agree that it is incredibly frustrating when there is no consequence or way to balance out the powerful magic users. There has to be some drawback in order to make the story more realistic (even in a fantasy setting).

    I also enjoy complex characters who feel real and have flaws. Mary Sues/Gary Stus make me lose interest in the book almost immediately.

    Though I may enjoy romance in a fantasy novel, I like it to also have a healthy dose of action and adventure, perhaps even a mystery thrown in.

    I just really want a world that can take me away from reality for a few hours, where I can forget about the student loan bills piling up needing to be paid while I struggle to find a job, any job despite having a Master's degree. The feeling of escapism is the most important thing I desire when looking into any book, fantasy or not.

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    1. Hey Danielle!! Let me ask you this...does it have to be "good" v. "evil." Could it be two sides that have different perspectives? Like two kingdoms fighting over land that neither one owns? Hmmmmm.....

      And I agree about the escapism. That's really the mark of an exceptional story.

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  7. I totally feel your pain, Robert. I hate the magic fix that authors seem to use to make everything work. I think the best insertion of magic was Terry Brooks in his Shannara series. Magic was known but not necessarily common and it definitely had its toll on the user. And the Sword of Shannara wasn't some magic flaming sword +1 or something like that. It was embedded with the magic of truth and honesty. And the heroes were ordinary people called to a greater destiny.

    Oh and complicated names do suck.

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    1. Hey Bookworm!!!

      You know, I read Sword of Shannara long ago, but I can't recall exactly what the story was. Maybe I should pick it up again.

      Thanks for the review of the book!! :)

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    2. Oh, it was a pleasure to read the book! I can't wait for the next book or short story or novella! I want to know more about all the characters. But I already told ya that XD

      Consider me "Team Crazy Bastard"!

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    3. I'm working on the third book of the series and I had Crazy Bastard show up. But I think it feels a bit artificial. So I'm going to cut him out. Maybe he'll appear if there's a FOURTH book:)

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  8. I want the author to pull me in close, like a good friend telling me a fantastic secret that only we two can share. Tolkien was the excellent at this craftiness and may have even invented it!

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    1. Pulling you in ... and KEEPING you coming back for more.

      I've been reading a couple of books and they started out GREAT! But then, my mind wanders and I put the book down. I haven't picked them back up. I'm not vested enough in them. I don't sit and think, "OOOOH! I can't wait to find out what happens next!"

      I need to learn how to create that feeling in my books.

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