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| Photo: Fictional monster |
Fictional writing is unique and has the tendency of catapulting readers to a realm of massive collections of fantastic reality. It transcends from a primitive and local community ruled by some creatures to a world of great adventure and show of strength to a world of power tussle and struggles for supremacy among the galaxies.
One peculiar thing with all fiction is that
it possesses intensive world-building (the creation of an abstract or imaginary
world). Every fictional writer is at liberty to create any kind of reality they
choose to create without any form of the embargo of scientific and societal laws. This
requires a great deal of care.
10 Guides For Writing Imaginary Fiction
1. Be a good and consistent reader. You cannot write better than the way you
read. Study the classics of the fantasy genre, observe and note what interests you
most about each fantasy author’s approach—for example, world-creation, development
of characters, or plot twists and how the storyteller manoeuvres and scales
through the areas you find difficulties in and find most intimidating. You can
read your favourite fantasy books over and over again applying the same technique.
2. Know your market. It is especially important for first-time fictional
writers to consider their audience. Are you writing for kids, young adults, or more mature readers? Which
of the many fantasy subgenres would your story fall into high
fantasy, steampunk, dystopian, paranormal? Identifying your market can enhance sales
strategy as well as inform creative decisions.
3. Begin small. Creating a world of fiction is a huge task. You
get to familiarise and understand your fantasy world by writing short stories which
involve your main character or others, without any plans to publish. J.R.R.
Tolkien before writing The Hobbit wrote
numerous unpublished stories set in Middle-Earth. Doing so helps develop and allows
you to shape and strengthen your fantasy fiction writing ability without
pressure.
4. Go big. Writing imaginary stories always
involves creating a new world. Spend quality time doing that. You have to
imagine not just the geography of the place, but also the customs, culture, and
history. Most times, the best imaginary stories intertwine mundane details into
the plot.
5. Choose a point of view. A fantasy novel or fantasy series can play
out in third-person via an omniscient
narrator, or first-person through the eyes of one character or
many. While the first approach lets you dole out details however you please,
allowing your characters to lead means your readers will discover the world as
they do, building in suspense and surprise.
6. Meet your characters. In order to avoid tired fantasy tropes,
design characters who are as complex, unique, and imperfect as people in the
real world. If possible, you can literally sketch your characters. If not, put
everything you can about them into writing. “Interview” your characters by asking each a standard set of
questions about their intentions, feelings, behaviours, and their past.
7. Outline your story. Writing
a novel is always complicated business, but telling an imaginary or fictional
story is challenging. Even the advanced and pros make use of outlines to keep
track of their timelines, plots, and characters. Writing outlines is a good
practice and ensures no thread gets lost and provides a way forward in case you
get stuck while writing.
8. Make, and keep rules. Even the most epic fantasy has to be
grounded in its own reality so that it feels believable. If this is your first
book set in a fictional world, consider researching some societal basics like
politics or economics. Ask obvious questions like, “Where do rivers come from?”
Even magic systems can, and should, have their own plausible rationale.
9. Write authentic dialogue. The mood and motivations, as well as
cultural origin within the civilisation you have created, can be influenced or
depicted by your character's style of speech. Rather than writing bulky or
cumbersome and irrelevant conversation, use actions to advance the plot while
treating dialogue as an opportunity to convey a better sense of who your
characters are.
10. Take your time. When your unique world is created and rich
characters put in place, it can be tempting to explain your whole concept and
introduce your entire characters in the first few pages, but doing so could
bore your readers. Instead, reveal your carefully crafted fiction bit by bit,
using all five senses to bring the world to life as the narrative draws your
audience deeper into the tale.
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