Creating a Sense of Place in Epic Fantasy

More than any genre, fantasy writing requires a richly drawn, evocative setting. Readers have to feel as if your world actually exists. If by the end of your story you’ve got them wishing they could take a holiday in your fantasy world, then you've done your job well. I've often wished I could spend a month in Hobbiton – as a guest at Bag End of course!

A good setting should activate the senses. Although epic fantasy is about grand themes, long journeys and cataclysmic events, the setting should take a protagonist's role. All the best epic fantasy stories have a setting that is as memorable as the main characters: George RR Martin's Westeros, Terry Brook's Four Lands in his Shannara series, C.S. Lewis's Narnia and, of course, Tolkien's Middle Earth.

One of the reasons that fantasy is such a popular genre is that it transports us to another, simpler world. These days, mystery, magic, superstition, epic adventure and an everyday struggle for survival are not (usually) part of most people's lives. We have jobs, routines, responsibilities and four (if we're lucky!) weeks of paid holiday a year. We read epic fantasy to leave the everyday behind, so keep this in mind when you're creating your setting.

So how does a writer of epic fantasy create a sense of place without resorting to lengthy (yawn) descriptions, overuse of adjectives and purple prose? Here are a few tips that work for me:

1. Take the 'iceberg' approach. This means that you need to know much more about your setting than you'll ever reveal to your readers – they'll only see the 'tip' of the iceberg, not the 'mass' of information underneath! You should know so much about the setting that you write with authority and confidence. Don't give your readers huge info dumps in the hope that it'll make them believe in your world. Information should be revealed subtly, and through your characters whenever possible. So, how do you gather that 'mass' of information about a world that doesn't even exist?
 

2. Draw a map. The world of your fantasy story might only exist in your imagination but for others to believe it could exist, you must make it believable. Even if you're not good at drawing, get out a pencil, a blank sheet of paper and experiment with drawing a map of your world. Many fantasy worlds tend to be massive continents with extreme variation from north to south – but you don't need to play it safe. What about an archipelago of islands or a long thin peninsula? Some rudimentary knowledge of geography will come in useful here – generally, you cannot travel from searing desert to a lofty alpine range in two days on horseback! Most fantasy settings have worlds that are cold in the north and hot in the south; but if you live in the southern hemisphere (like me), you'll be used to the opposite. I followed convention in The Children of Isador regarding a northern-hemisphere style climate but in my current novel I have modeled my world, and its climate, on the South Island of New Zealand – with a cold south and warm north. The important thing is to get the details right. Civilisation cannot exist without water, so keep this in mind for any large towns and cities. It's also a good idea to decide upon how people get around your world – are there ferries, highways or flying carpets?
 
3. Create a potted history and culture for your world. I'm not saying you should spend weeks writing a detailed history of your fantasy world (that's called time-wasting!) or that every detail has to be outlined before you start writing. However, a 1-2 page history is worth doing, and it might also give you more storyline ideas! You also need to think about the predominant culture. Be wary of copying and pasting various eras and peoples of Earth's history, as this can jar. I recently read a fantasy book that blended a Dickensian world with Renaissance Venice. It had some characters called Gregorio and others with names like Steptoe who were all supposed to come from the same culture – frankly, it didn't work. If you are inspired by a particular time and place in our world and history, that's fine. Just make sure that it's not a blatant rip off, and give it your own – unique – twist. Don't forget about details like food, religion, magic, clothing, architecture, manners, use of language, scenery and climate – they all matter!

4. Let your readers experience your world through the senses of your main characters. This is the classic advice of 'show not tell'. It can be hard to follow, but if you put yourself inside your characters as you write you can filter the readers' perception of the setting through their eyes. Instead of: It was a bright and sunny day as Elmo rode through beautiful countryside, something along the lines of the following gives you a far greater sense of place: Elmo squinted up at the hard blue sky and felt the sun bite his skin. The rolling hills, interspersed by thickets of dark pines, stood out in sharp relief in the bright sunlight... Close your eyes and imagine you are Elmo on his journey.

A bit of time spent outlining your epic fantasy world, and the people who live in it, will really help you create a sense of place. It's the details that matter, and you have to be careful not to contradict yourself! Make notes, add to them as you write, and refer back to them constantly. When it comes to creating a believable, memorable fantasy world that readers will want to return to, you have no other source than your own imagination, memories and knowledge – use them well!

Creating memorable characters

Let's face it - people are strange. Just when you think you understand someone they can always surprise you. A complex web of emotions, insecurities, beliefs and desires lie beneath the surface in all of us. In most cases we aren't even aware of what drives us. I'm sure you will have met plenty of people who say one thing and then do the complete opposite. Even if someone points out this contradiction out to them, they still won't see it! I think we're all a bit like this. There's a layer of 'stuff'' that we'd rather not face about ourselves and in many cases we can live out our entire lives without knowing.

I've written stories all my life. Although I write for the love of it, I started writing to help myself understand life better. Writing fiction allowed me to explore my own thoughts, worries, fears and hopes, without actually having to write about myself! Years on, I still like exploring the human condition and the conflict within us all through my characters.

Here are three top tips I'd like to share with you about creating memorable characters:

1. research your characters: they may not exist before you created them, but your readers will need to believe in them. Create character profiles for your protagonists and interview them. I know this might sound like a lot of work when you could be writing the novel itself, but believe me it will help you bring your characters to life. Designing a 'back story' for your main characters will help you create consistent, believable characters. Here's a link to a useful writing character profile writing resource to get you started: http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-character-profiles.html
2. make your characters 'larger than life'. This doesn't mean that you should create an outlandish, off-the-wall main character that none of your readers can connect with, but that should exaggerate their existing traits. It's a bit like how actors and TV presenters have to wear heavier make up when they're on camera - or their features won't stand out. A gentle, bookish main character with a love of animals and quiet nights in is fine - but you need to bring these traits to life! Show your character in activities that bring his/her defining characteristics to the fore (this will be a lot easier if you have completed a character profile and have a clear idea of who your character is).
3. create conflict. By this, I don't meant that you hurl obstacles into the path of your main character - although this might be part of the plot of an adventure story - but that you create conflict within your characters themselves. To take the example of the character I described in point 2. He may be gentle and bookish but what if he reads action novels about macho guys who take on the world and win. He might love animals but what if he doesn't have a pet because he doesn't want the responsibility of caring for one. He loves quiet nights in but what if he secretly worries life is passing him by while he sits on his sofa watching DVDs. Immediately, you have conflict on many different levels. Although he's a gentle, animal-loving homebody, he's also frustrated, lonely and afraid of taking risks of any kind. He can't even get himself a dog because he's terrified of the responsibility! Inner conflict makes your character active. He won't be a passive recipient of what life hands him because he's got his own issues. Inner turmoil will also drive him, adding depth to your plot. When you hear about writer saying a character 'took over' during the story-writing - this is what they mean.

I shall leave you with some advice on characterisation from Robert McKee, the author of "Story" (an essential book for writers, by the way). He insists that great stories have archetypal characters rather than stereotypical ones. An archetypal character is so unique that the reader's attention is instantly captured, but at the same time so true that the reader can identify, commiserate and understand with him or her on a deep level. When we find an archetypal character in a book we are hooked - for through them we discover our own humanity.

Web Writing - Finding your Style

Style is unique and subjective. Think about people’s favourite writers – some prefer the crisp simplicity of Ernest Hemingway, while others the descriptive lushness of D H Lawrence. Some like books that get straight to the point, while others like a long preamble that scene sets. My point here is that you can’t please everyone, and nor should you try.

However, when deciding upon a writing style for your website try to keep the three following points in mind:

1. Your writing style should reflect your personality – don’t try to appear intellectual and analytical if you are a dreamy story-teller. Your writing will only seem forced and empty if you try to be something you’re not
2. Your writing style should evolve naturally from a desire to connect with your audience – write with your audience in mind and your style should fit those you want to attract
3. Some writing styles can be distracting. Wordy, passive, awkward sentences won’t help your writing – it’ll just irritate people so much they’ll stop reading.

Still not sure about how to define your writing style? Let me put it to you another way. When you write using your true ‘voice’ about a subject you’re passionate about you will naturally create a connection. Be bold. Let your personality and the love for what you do show in your writing.

Words are power, so choose ones that describe exactly what you want to say. Avoid over-using words like ‘very’ to describe something. The soup wasn’t very hot – it was steaming! Choose strong verbs over weak ones. He didn’t run for the bus – he sprinted. Select specific adjectives over general ones. The product isn’t just new – it’s innovative!

What if you don’t realise that you are writing wordy, passive awkward sentences? We are often too close to our own work to be able to critique it objectively. Errors that jump out at a proofreader can slide right by us when reading our own work.

The Readability Statistics function in Microsoft Word is a handy tool, especially when you are new to writing. This tool proofreads your document for you and analyses it for grammar and style.

Grammatical errors might include:

• misused words
• punctuation errors
• subject-verb agreement incorrect
• possessive/plurals confused
• capitalisation used incorrectly
• questions structured incorrectly.

Stylistic errors might include:

• clichés, colloquialisms and jargon (these can make your writing appear shallow or insincere – the trick is to take a cliché and twist it into something original!)
• contractions (although I’ve used contractions to create a personal style – which is more common in web content – avoid using them if you wish to create a formal, technical, academic or business-like tone)
• sentence length (for web content, try to keep your sentences under 20-25 words)
• unclear phrasing
• overuse of the passive voice (keep sentences as active as possible, and let the subject do the action. For example: dinner was cooked by Sue is passive and much weaker than: Sue cooked dinner)
• wordiness
• sentences beginning with ‘And/But/Hopefully’.

No system is infallible, but the Readability Statistics tool is a great guide to grammar and style. It uses the Flesch Reading Ease score that rates text on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier the document is to read. A 0.0 score means your writing is incomprehensible! Ideally, you should be aiming for a score of 60-70. Write, or copy and paste, your web content into a Word document and follow the instructions below to proof it:

Using Readability Statistics with Microsoft Word 2007.
Using Readability Statistics with Microsoft Word 2010.

To sum up, although grammar is a fixed point (to a degree), style is much more flexible. Once you know a rule, you can bend, stretch, or even break it to suit you – but you have to understand it first! Write using your own, unique voice and with a sincere desire to connect with your audience, and your web copy should develop a natural style that draws the reader in.

When it comes to creating a web content writing style that works for you, I shall leave you with the following quote:

Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”

John Jakes

Take My Word - Web Content Writing & Small Business Marketing

Adventure, Italy and Epic Fantasy

I have always believed that life should be an adventure. A true Sagittarian, from as early as I remember I dreamed of escaping the everyday. I remember at the age of fourteen, poring of the world atlas at school and planning my itinerary through Africa. All the way through university I dreamed of the day I would be able to jump on a plane and fly away from the quiet (and some would say, boring) town in New Zealand where I grew up. Two days after graduating from university and a day after my twenty-second birthday, I did just that. A year and a half later, I was working in Rome, Italy, and finally living my dreams. 

Rome was a real adventure. There was so much to learn as I threw myself into my new job as an English Language teacher and struggled with a new language and culture. Rome was noisy, hot and loud, and every day was an exploration. Just stepping out my door was an adventure and I never knew where Rome would take me. My Italian adventure lasted many years, but it sadly did end. 

Due to my love of adventure, it’s not surprising that when choosing to write a fiction genre, I chose epic fantasy. Epic fantasy involves the kind of adventure even I could only dream of. Never mind moving to Rome, I can't save the world or rid it of evil (although I would like to try). I certainly don’t want to lose everything, trek across great continents with only a loaf of stale bread for sustenance and put myself in physical peril in great battles. I wouldn’t mind learning how to wield a sword like a corsair fight like a ninja, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be put to the test in mortal combat! However, I love writing and reading about it. 

Maybe that’s why epic fantasy is such an enduring genre. Epic fantasy stories take place in a world that is no longer accessible to us; a land ruled by magic, superstition and mysticism rather than technology. Life has a slower pace but every day survival is a big issue. 

My love of history, and of bygone eras, not only drew me to epic fantasy but to Italy. Despite being very much part of the industrialised world, Italy still manages to retain something of its past in its daily life and rhythms; something that many Western countries lost decades ago. There were moments during my decade in Rome that I felt as if I had stepped back in time. I'll never forget visiting the priory of the Knights of Malta on the Aventine Hill in Rome. The Knights Templar themselves belong in an epic fantasy. These famous warrior monks played a significant part in medieval history, until Pope Clement V had them massacred in 1312. I visited the priory on a sultry summer’s night, stood before the priory’s heavy wooden door and peeked through the keyhole. There, framed by an avenue of trees and illuminated silver by the moon, was the dome of the Vatican. Magical – someone actually designed the keyhole, and trimmed the trees, just to create that view! For a few seconds that magical sight transported me out of the twenty-first century and into another world. Then, a scooter backfired on the street behind me and the moment shattered.

 

Writing helps keep my adventures alive. I wrote Rome for Beginners to give those dreaming of moving to Rome that nudge they need – and I wrote The Children of Isador  to give myself, and my readers, a nail-biting adventure in a land of darkness, hope and courage. Long may the adventures continue!