Let's learn from the best how to build an original novel!

Maybe you're here because you have a dream: you want to bring your fantasy story to life, you want to shape an imaginary universe where the characters can move in a fantastic dimension, using their powers to perform heroic deeds.

You may be wondering: «How can I make my world believable and fascinating, without falling into the trap of stereotypes? How can I capture readers' attention from the first line?».

In this article we will answer these (and many others) requests, and we will do it with exceptional teachers! You will find eight author tips for writing a fantasy book that leaves its mark. Who better than the greats of literature can teach us this?

You will discover the importance of catapulting readers into a setting they have never seen, subvert clichés in unexpected ways, find your unique style, use narrative seeds to create plot twists, contaminate literary genres in an imaginative way. Hold on tight, because the journey begins.

How to write a fantasy book that engages your audience? Let's learn from the older ones

Here are eight useful teachings that the masters of fantasy literature can pass on to us.

1. Catapulting readers into an alienating setting (Susanna Clarke, Piranesi)

The first time I read Piranesi I thought: "Help, what happens? Where is the protagonist? What the hell am I reading?».

The beauty of fantasy is that it can transport readers into a dimension completely different from the ordinary… and Clarke does it admirably.

At first we don't know where poor Piranesi is, for him to be there all alone, what the nature of the world he inhabits is. It's a dreamlike setting, Ostia, which features classical and neoclassical architectural elements but which does not have the reassuring beauty of that type of art.

Dream or reality? The protagonist is a victim of magic, of his imagination or a cruel case of kidnapping? Will he be able to survive the dangers that the environment poses for him? Only by continuing to read will you discover the truth, in an intriguing game that amuses and fascinates the reader. Precisely for this reason, it is a book that captures attention from the first page and can be an excellent source of inspiration for engaging stories.

2. Subvert clichés, even in a cruel way (Neil Gaiman, Black Orchid)

To illustrate this point, I will examine a comic miniseries by the great Gaiman (for me graphic novels have the same literary dignity as novels, so I don't make any distinctions).

Black Orchid it is a poetic work, but also cruel (as only Neil Gaiman can be). It starts from a surprising assumption: you know that scene in all superhero stories, in which the protagonist is imprisoned by the evil criminal of the moment, yet he manages to make him confess his diabolical plans and free himself? Ecco. In this comic the exact opposite happens. The protagonist comes at the beginning killed by his antagonist. No rematch, no triumph of the good over the bad, only the bitterness of not having made it.

I won't tell you how it continues so as not to give spoilers, ma the plot is a continuous discovery, an imaginative and at times philosophical journey into the territories of the fantastic. As well as an example, sublime, of how literary clichés can be subverted in fantasy fiction to surprise and make readers think.

3. Finding your own stylistic signature (Terry Pratchett, Discworld Saga)

Comparing myself with aspiring writers, I became aware of a common belief: The idea that an epic fantasy novel must have a detailed and majestic style is very widespread, while an urban fantasy is allowed a more modern type of narration. The speech, But, it's much more complex than that (and thank goodness, if not you know how boring?).

First of all, there are many subcategories of epic fantasy and urban fantasy; each of them can have numerous variations in terms of style. An example? An urban fantasy with dark nuances, Usually, it is more serious and solemn than a teen-comedy urban fantasy, which focuses above all on the interpersonal relationships between the young protagonists.

Secondly, the style of a novel depends on the creative choices of the writer and the tone he wants to give to the story, rather than gender in sé. It is something that is upstream and derives from both conscious decisions and unconscious attitudes. There is something extremely engaging and personal in an author's way of narrating.

Let's take Sir Terry Pratchett: departing from the idea that epic fantasy must have a courtly stylistic signature, he wrote his books with a enthralling humorous verve! Sometimes, when I read them, I found myself laughing to myself (in metro, to the bar, in the office during the lunch break…). Therefore, leave your creativity free and find your personal way to communicate the messages and atmosphere of your story to readers.

4. Use narrative seeds (K.J. Rowling, saga in Harry Potter)

One of the most fascinating characteristics of fantasy is its ability to introduce narrative clues with incredible imaginative freedom, very difficult to find in other genres. These elements, which I like to call “narrative seeds” (a nice definition that I read in the book Writing manual: basics and sordid tricks of the trade by Raoul Melotto and Gianluca Morozzi), they can be of any kind: a magical object, a mythological animal believed to be extinct, a mysterious character, a prophecy… They can be introduced from the beginning or allowed to emerge slowly over the course of the story, creating a sense of mystery and anticipation in readers.

A great author who was able to make the most of this possibility is J.K. Rowling, with his Harry Potter saga. Since the first book, plants narrative seeds that later become key plot elements. If you want to know more about the topic, I recommend the article Creative writing techniques: let's plant the narrative seeds!

5. Contaminating genres (M.Z. Bradley, saga in Darkover)

Let me tell you: the idea that literary genres are parallel lines, destined never to meet, has been outdated for decades. Many authors have demonstrated how it is possible to roam with the imagination, creating original and engaging stories through the union of different strands. A clear example is Marion Zimmer Bradley, with his Darkover saga.

«The original core of the story» declared the author «revolved on a topic that had always fascinated me: What transforms a group of scientists and colonizers from a technologically advanced culture into a feudal-type society and vaguely magical?» (quote taken from the afterword of Foreste di Darkover, Tea Due edition 2000).

The saga begins with an interstellar journey, a science fiction classic. An Earth spaceship wrecks on the planet of Darkover, inhabited by ethereal aliens who are renamed “Elves” by humans who see them for the first time. By crossing paths with them and thanks to the magical gems of the planet, Earthlings acquire telepathic powers. Not being able to use technology anymore (every device was lost in the shipwreck), little by little they give life to a feudal society, which shifts the reference genre to fantasy territory. At some point, But, a new ship from Earth lands on Darkover, bringing sci-fi back to the planet!

The saga also features elements characteristic of romance, from the sociological science fiction and neopaganism. This contamination between genres made it unique and original, distinguishing it from other fantasy works.

6. Be realistic (all production of Tolkien)

Fantasy is associated with unbridled imagination, to the creation of fantastic worlds and magic, While the word “realism” can evoke bleak scenarios (“Existentialist Polish brick by 1325 pages that talk about how depressing life is"). However, we must move away from this vision! On the contrary: the combination of fantasy and realism can create an extraordinary and extremely immersive effect in the work.

J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrated this admirably. In his most famous saga, The Lord of the Rings, he created a complex society with a well-defined geography and a peculiar mythology. Middle-earth is a world that feels real and tangible, despite being populated by imaginary creatures such as elves, nani, hobbits and orcs. Tolkien paid obsessive attention to the description of different civilizations, introducing ourselves with linguistic expertise, customs, trees, legends, clothing and architecture, and creating a world that seems to live and pulsate beyond the page.

7. Use original characters (Francesco Dimitri, The girl of my dreams)

Belli, eh, the angels, the elves, vampires and werewolves. Belli. After decades of seeing them in books, But, they're starting to feel a little obvious.

Fantasy allows you to write with boundless narrative freedom, so why not take advantage of it? Why freeze on the usual clichés? We can invent a new civilization, or use characters from little-known pantheons, or even rediscover the very rich pagan origins of our peninsula.

As an example I cite The girl of my dreams, a compelling yet shady urban fantasy with horror nuances by Francesco Dimitri. The author uses the ancient figures of incubus and gods succubus, coming from Latin folklore. What would happen if they began to appear in modern-day Rome? Nothing reassuring… read to believe.

8. Capture readers with an effective incipit (N.K. I yawned, The fifth season)

This advice, actually, applies to all genres. Involving the audience from the first line has always been fundamental for writers of every era, but today it is more so than ever (given the limited attention span of contemporary readers!).

Even in this case, fantasy can give us an extra weapon. We have infinite possibilities to make readers dream, to unleash in him or her the sense of wonder of our history from the very beginning. We can create an atmosphere of danger by escaping from a monstrous being, we can start from a bizarre statement that signals the particularity of our fantastic dimension, we can "thrust" in the readers' faces the harsh reality of the world in which the protagonists live, we can describe a particularly dreamlike and surreal situation.

To give a case in point, I chose the brilliant and revolutionary trilogy The broken earth, award-winning saga by N.K. I yawned. I won't say anything else, I'll just let the incipit of the book that inaugurates the series speak:

Let's start with the end of the world, why not? Let's close the question and move on to more interesting topics.

Intriguing, vero?

If you want to find out some more tips on the best ways to start a relationship, I recommend the article The most beautiful incipit in the world. Happy reading!