What is fantasy?

This is a question I've been asked many times when it comes to writing. What is fantasy? What comes to mind when you hear the word 'fantasy'? Perhaps its wizards and witches, elves, magical far-off lands, mystical potions, or creatures that don't exist in our own world. While all of those things are common elements found in fantasy stories, the genre itself goes much further than that.

According to childliterature.net, fantasy is "events occur outside the ordinary laws that operate within the universe. Magic is central to the fantasy genre. Fantasy stories often involve journeys and quests."

Essentially, fantasy includes an alternate version of reality, or an entirely new world altogether. It can be as simple as changing certain parts of the real world, or building one from scratch. For example - your story could take place in New York City, where everything is exactly the same except the people there have psychic powers.

The setting isn't what makes a story 'fantasy', but it often plays a role in some way. As opposed to a unique take on reality itself, many fantasy writers create their own worlds - sometimes even brand-new species, languages, customs, and creatures.

In short, fantasy is hard to define. While elves, dragons, and magic spells are common themes found in fantasy stories, they don't always have to be! The reason fantasy is so popular is because of the freedom you have to pour your imagination into it. Don't be afraid to think outside the box!

(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Photo by dailymail.co.uk

Introduction

Greetings, fellow fantasy fans! Welcome to the Adventurer's Guide, a blog dedicated to tips and advice about fantasy writing. As a long time writer, I've picked up some guidelines over the years that I've found to be very helpful, and I'm excited to get the chance to share them with you here.

My name is Annalee, and I've been writing for nearly ten years now. I've written mermaids, mages, elves, angels, and even cities you can only access on the back of a giant bird! Whether you've been writing for twenty years or twenty minutes, writing can be one of the most difficult things in the entire world of art - especially when it comes to fantasy. In a world of your very own, you get to decide how everything works. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to do it, which is both a blessing and a curse.

It's important to mention that this is not a "how-to" blog - this is simply a collection of methods and ideas that have been useful to me, and many others as well. Writers inspiring other writers is one of the most important elements of the whole story-making process.

I'll be covering a number of topics that are commonly struggled with in fantasy writing, as well as some personal experiences of mine that have helped me improve as a writer.

Oh, and before we even begin, it's helpful for writers to have a good, quiet writing space to retreat to! Here's a picture of what mine looks like when I'm at home:

Thanks for reading - now, let's get writing!