If you endeavor to write a fantasy story of your own, heed these words.
10. Thou Shalt Not Have the Same Elves as The Other Guy
Yes, you can have elves, dwarves, and other classic fantasy races, creatures or other things in your story, but make them your own, even if just in a small way.
9. Thou Shalt Not Have the Magic Win for the Character
Sometimes a character discovers their power through a sudden, uncontrollable eruption when they are in danger. No problem. But if a sudden uncontrollable eruption of new power is what defeats the bad guy in the finale, you are wandering into deus ex territory. The character has to do the defeating, even if they use powers to do it.
8. Thou Shalt Not Treat Thine Character With Kid Gloves
Readers connect with your characters through their problems. If you never give your character any problems, or take the problems away soon after they’re introduced, your reader will lose their sense of connection with the character quickly. You may like your character, but its your job to be mean to them so they have something to overcome.
7. Thou Shalt Not Have Swords Out of Nowhere
If there is metal, there must be mining. World building involves more than your magic system. Think through details such as the basics of the economy, the realities of the climate, where technology is and how its changing, and you’ll be one step closer to a universe that totally immerses the reader.
6.Thou Shalt Not Have A Limp Fist Villain
Your readers’ investment in the characters depends in large part on the level of danger the character is in. The villain must be a real threat to the hero. Otherwise, why do we care about beating him? If your villain’s primary power is the ability to create pretty flowers from nothing, your hero better have a deathly allergy to lilacs.
5. Thou Shalt Not Violate Thine Own Rules
Your magic system has rules. Stick to them, or your story won’t be believable.
4. Thou Shalt Not Have Only a Jar of Peanuts at Stake
Unless of course they are peanuts that can cure the horrible zombie plague infecting the character’s town, and only one jar exists. The stakes are what make the threat of the villain matter. If nothing important is at stake, why should we care?
3. Thou Shalt Not Describe Everything at Once
Yes, the reader wants to explore your beautiful fantasy city atop a mountain. No, they do not want to explore every single inch of it in one giant paragraph right when the character first sees it. Spread the description out a bit to make it more effective
2. Thou Shalt Not Fail to Deliver
Chekhov’s Gun is in full effect in fantasy.
1. Thou Shalt Not Bore the Reader
You can violate almost any of the other commandments at least some of the time as long you don’t violate this one.
