Questions tagged [fantasy]
Is the literary genre that deals with magic, magic creatures and imaginary worlds. This tag should be used for any questions relating to fantasy, including formatting, techniques and publishing.
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How to write symbolism into a story?
I'm writing a dark academia/Gothic romance. It's about this guy named Humphry who accidentally summons a ghost girl named Cal after a failed experiment. He at first is freaked out and wants nothing to ...
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Adult Fantasy with a protagonist like Arya Stark
I'm pitching an adult fantasy book with a young protagonist much like Arya Stark in temperament and capabilities, and I'm having difficulty setting that expectation with my comps. There are plenty of ...
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Should Greek or Norse mythology be used?
When writing, what of these two mythologies should be used, in terms of quality and preservation of the original sources? (I am not listing other mythologies like Aztec, Mesopotamian, Caribbean, ...
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Should I use 1st-person or 3rd-person perspective for an alien character alone in a post-apocalyptic world?
This has been a difficulty for me for a bit. I'm writing a story about an alien character alone in a post-apocalyptic world. Them being alone makes me think it'd be easier and better to chose 1st ...
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Is the forbidden love story of an elf and prince overused?
I'm writing a short novel mostly for my own enjoyment, but I want to know if the elf and prince forbidden love has been beaten to death and if it would actually get any attention if it were to be ...
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Can I just change the whole subplot for a new character?
I have a side character that I'm writing the POV of and their story just opened up so many possibilities for the story. I don't know what happens after this story, but so far it has all been rated E ...
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Looking to include hijabi character in children's book about magic, would that go against muslim customs?
A friend and I have written and illustrated a children's story about a group of kid witches that includes a girl with a hijab. I have read that magic and witchcraft are taboo in Muslim faith, should ...
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How to include multiple rare events in a story without it feeling contrived?
I'm working on a detailed plot outline for a fantasy story that revolves around three main characters, Liana, Celia, and Ander. Here's a brief overview:
Celia suffers from a condition called "...
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It is legal to recreate Camp Half-Blood in my own writing? [duplicate]
"Camp Half-Blood" is the name of a location in a book series of the same name from the author Rick Riordan. It is legal to recreate this location in my own writing, even if the original ...
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What are the rules for using mythological names in characters?
Are there any of such rules applicable to this case? For instance, if a story has various character groups, should all characters from one group be named after gods from a single mythology?
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How can I describe characters based on real world races like "Asian" or "Indian" in a fantasy world?
In a fantasy world where things like Asia don’t exist how would you get the point across that a person may be a pale Asian person with straight black hair and blue eyes and a heart shaped face rather ...
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What's the difference between a fantasy mystery novel and an adventure novel?
I'm setting out to write a mystery that is firmly rooted in the fantasy genre. The MC time travels to another historical era, where the MC has to solve a multi-faceted mystery (having both ...
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What is the editing process for fantasy romance?
I currently trying to edit my first book, draft 1. It all feels overwhelming after I've written the notecards, replanned it a little to meet the change of plot line, and it all seems to not work like ...
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Selectively mute character where language is a barrier
I have a mc that speaks only mandarin and is taken in by pirates that are mostly English speakers. He didn't speak much before being taken by them. So how would I write a character that is basically ...
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Do I need to ask real locations' permission to use them in my story?
I have written a children's book about dragons and the things they do in Texas. Do I need to ask i.e. the Lubbock Arboretum if it's okay that I mention them in my story? So my question is: When do I ...
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Question for "standalone with series potential" query
It's a 195k word epic fantasy. These next few passes will bring that down quite a bit, and I know there's wiggle room. Reddit constantly focuses on that despite that the debut epic fantasy 120k word ...
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How to go about describing an anthro protagonist?
I'm working on a rewrite of a story of mine. One of the improvements I'm trying to make is avoiding the block of physical description text, and trying to use more show-don't-tell. So far, all I've ...
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How can I make repetitive behaviour not be annoying?
I am working on a Y.A. fantasy novel. One of the things I like is using little things from real life as inspiration for characters and to group them together. As such, I had a group of villains that ...
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How to keep an original fiction from becoming fan fiction with world-hopping?
I've got an original fiction I'm writing with the concept of a multiverse where every story written or drawn in one version of modern earth generates attached universes. Everything from anime to ...
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Just made an exposition chapter and I'm worried
I'm currently working on a fantasy novel.
Storyline wise I'm just about to charge into the second arc of the story, much more intense and action focused than the previous world building arc.
I'm ...
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Is it realistic to hide in a tree in the mountain? [closed]
I'm writing a short story set in a medieval-like fantasy kingdom. At some point a group of people are passing through a forested low mountain area when they are attacked by hooded people, there is a ...
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Is omniscient observer POV really dead?
I am in the midst of reworking my latest manuscript into a shape that someone might be inclined to publish. To help me along I hired a professional editor and writer, whose comments and suggestions, ...
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How can I put a short-term LGBTQ romance in a restricted environment?
In my epic fantasy tale, there is a small romantic sideplot. When the main group reaches a kingdom for work, the deutertagonist, while starting off as bitter, begins to develop feelings for the ...
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How do you prevent yourself from neglecting scientific accuracy in a sci-fi-fantasy story without telling?
In a sci-fi setting, I was told it was important to follow scientific principles to some extent. Neglecting these principles can create confusion and disbelief among readers or viewers.
For example, ...
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How to write character names in mystery novel where they are supposed to have their mind erased?
I'm writing a story about 5 characters without any recollection of their past and their journey to get their memories back.
I want to reveal their identity at the end of the story and I am struggling ...
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Making the story's change in tone feel natural
I am writing an epic fantasy story for a videogame I will make in the future. In the first half, it has a lot of edgy and dark humor, but the tone feels arcadey when it comes to killing random npcs.
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Having Real-World Gods in a High Fantasy Setting
In my fantasy world, there are various religions and beliefs. To not get too obsessed with the worldbuilding (it is already pretty thick and heavy,) I was thinking of, in terms of their religions, ...
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How can I describe an old cloak used to cover identity?
I’m currently composing a descriptive writing – It’s about a girl spy, infiltrating an empire. She’s wearing a cloak but I have no idea how to describe the item – It’s supposed to almost look archaic ...
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Can I make an irredeemable character likeable?
In my fantasy epic, the protagonist is a destined chosen one who will defeat the dark lord (at least that is what the sorcerer propaganda says.) About 3/4 into the story, he eventually meets the ...
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How do I balance a strong narrative and the option of multiple choices?
I am currently writing a story for an RPG I will make. For this RPG, it is supposed to be a sandbox and open-world game. It also gives the player multiple choices and pathways as they play, giving it ...
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How should I write a nonlinear book where chapters are dedicated to characters as they are introduced to the main character?
I'm writing a book called People are Strange, and the new direction I've taken with it is non-linear. I'm going to focus on a character (Sonya) who comes to a town in the middle of a string of ...
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How can I further develop this warrior fantasy story of mine?
My fantasy story is about an 18-year old knight who was trained from 5-years old to 18-years old as a knight. He is an expert when it comes to using a two-handed double-edged longsword as a weapon. He ...
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What if I have a story with some characters from another story by a different author and don't want to be copyrighted?
I am writing a story with some of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson characters in it like, Percy, Annabeth, Grover,Leo, Hazel, Piper, Jason, and much more other characters in his story. I wanted to make a &...
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Use of racial slurs in a fantasy setting
I was thinking of making the characters use racial slurs, because there's no way that in a fantasy setting people are progressive and respect people of every group, but I wasn't sure what would be ...
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I need more obstacles for my characters to reach the goal. Any ideas? [closed]
I have a group of characters hunting for a precious item.
I want my characters to have problems reaching the item, problems that come in the way before they can get to it. I can give an example. ...
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Writing a short-term love interest
In the epic I am writing, the protagonist and deuteragonist are sent on a mission by a king to save his daughter kidnapped by mercenaries of the evil empire. They save her, but the deuteragonist ...
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Using Labels on Character Sexuality (to add subtle worldbuilding)
For my fantasy story, I was thinking of having the characters say their sexuality, but in a different way. In most stories that do representation right, they show it, but do not directly say it. For ...
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Limitations of a Clairvoyant Ability
I've heard that in fictional magic systems, what's most important is not a character's power(s), but its limitations. That's an issue I'm running into with one of my novel's main characters, who has ...
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How late can a deuteragonist be added into the story?
In the fantasy epic I am writing, there is a deuteragonist that eventually becomes best friends with the protagonist. Unfortunately, due to the length of the epic as a whole, she is introduced way ...
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Making an antagonist both scary and funny
In the story for a game I am making, there is a sideplot involving a messed up cult as a minor antagonist. Originally, the cult was supposed to be a comedic villain, mainly as a parody of religion in ...
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Need help with proper terms for a fantasy character's clothing/armor
Can someone please tell me what the white garment underneath his armor would be called in this picture? I'm trying to refer to a piece like it in my story, but I don't know the proper term for it. I'm ...
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Handling language barriers
I am trying to write the story for an RPG I will make in the future. The world itself is huge with multiple continents and landmasses, but the current story takes place on the main four continents. ...
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Making a character not too hateable
In my story, the protagonist is made as a destined chosen one to defeat the dark lord. He is not this "good" angel, but rather a murderous anti-hero. While he undergoes character development ...
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Handling extremely long narratives
For a video game I will make in the future, I am for now trying to write out the entire story for it. However, it ended up being an extremely long fantasy epic. For all the events, story arcs, and ...
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What are some modern (2000 and beyond) books where the protagonist is not the POV character?
I did find some lists by means of Google, but most titles I found were somewhat dated and I was wondering if more recent authors have a take on this technique.
Also, bonus points if it is in the ...
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How to trick the reader of a character's sexuality
For my story, I am trying to write a mystery on the protagonist's sexuality. Throughout the story, there are subtle hints that he is either bisexual or gay, whether either past relationships or ...
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How to make sure a character is not too similar to an existing character
In my story, I am writing a side character for my fantasy epic. Originally, she was going to play a very minor role, but now she has more character and interaction. Unfortunately, I fear she may be ...
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Is it okay to use mythology names of creatures in a fantasy world?
In creating my world, I am trying to write down and create mythical wildlife and monsters. I had been thinking of using sirens as one of them. Not a creature based off of them, but the actual Greek ...
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How to properly make a character hateable?
My story is an epic fantasy that, while it satires and mocks tropes, also still has consistent characters and worldbuilding. In the story, there is a group of minor-antagonists who compete with the ...
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How to write unique arcs for the same character over a series?
I apologize that this question is inherently vague; I am still in the very early stages of planning a series and don't have many details to offer as of yet.
One of the things that irks me most about ...
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