Writing and Fantasy

I've been having some epiphanies on this subject lately.

In the past two years that I've been seriously trying to write well, I've been developing a definite style. I've tried writing different genres, but it always circles back around to one thing: Fantasy. I think that it's a rather safe shot to say "You write what you read." Well, I read fantasy. Sure, I read other stuff from time to time, but I just really really really love fantasy.

There's just such a great depth of creativity in fantasy. There is so much you can do with it. The sky is literally the limit with fantasy. Dragons, swords, kings, wars, magic, powers, bows, evil, and a much more powerful good are some of the things that we always think of when it comes to fantasy.

Let's look at that last one: Evil and a good that is much more powerful. Have you ever read a fantasy series were it seemed like there was no way possible that good could win? Probably not. Evil is usually portrated as much, much more powerful, but in the end, good always wins out.

Why is this? Well, maybe it's just becuase man was created inherently good and sin is basically a disease. Using this thinking, you could look at this as good is a strong medicine that always takes care of evil. Well, maybed good always wins becuase it's morally right. Or maybe it's becuase it has pure motives.

I think that good always wins becuase as humans, we always long for things to be resolved. If somebody read a book were in the end, evil killed all the good guys, nobody would read it.

Writing involoves physcology. You don't want to write a book that depresses people, becuase then they'll never pick it up again. I personally hate books were the main character is either a) an orphan and just loafs around and pouts, or b) has divorced parents. I don't want to read a book so that I can feel sorry for the character who's having a pity-party. I want to read a book to be sucked into it. I want to be captured in the story. I only want to feel sorry for a character becuase the writer as made the character so real that I feel his pain when I read about something tragic happens in his life.

Do prefer a story that is driven by the plot or the characters? A story that is about the conflict, or the people involved in the conflict? Both are good in there own place, but I prefer the character driven plot.

Character are what makes a story come to life. It's easy to write a monologue. Writing a real character is really really really difficult. I know, becuase I've tried. You have to literally enter into your character's shoes and look through their eyes. What is going on in their mind? How do they solve problems? What are their strength and weaknesses? You can easily desribe a character physically, but can you descrive one emotionally?

These are all questions I consider when writing a character.

So, this brings me to the subject of what do I do when I write fantasy? What is my fantasy? What does it mean for me to write fantasy? Well, for me, it means that I'm immersing myself in a different world. In this world, I can live through my characters, and enjoy the work of my creativity first hand. When I'm writing a fantasy story, I'm not just putting a few meaningless words on the page. I'm creating a legacy of creativity and magic. I'm putting myself in the story, living in it, then writing about it so that others may enjoy it.

This is why I love to read and to write fantasy. It's a world were I have a six-pack, and can weild a sword better then Gandalf. It's a world were evil is a physical being, and it's my job to send him back to the abyss. It's a world, were you know what you purpose is- but will you follow through with it? It's a world I can lose myself in.

I can lose myself in fantasy. I can create something that I can immerse myself in, and immerse others in. Fantasy is, well, fantastic. Go immerse yourself in some.