Fantasy is the obvious choice for my first Worldbuilding Across Genre category in my 2019 Worldbuilding Blog Series. However, because the genre is also my first love in terms of literature, I thought it apropos to begin here.
A timely article arrived in my inbox this week from Pro Writing Aid’s recent email entitled: January Writing Hacks: Optimize Your Writing in 2019.
Greatest Fictional Worlds Ever Created by Kathy Edens
To quote this article as well as many others I’ve seen, the top fictional worlds are the ones we all know:
- Tolkien’s Middle-earth
- C.S. Lewis’s Narnia
- Le Guin’s Earthsea
- Carroll’s Wonderland
- Rowling’s Wizarding World…although, Ms. Edens listed Rowling’s world as “Hogwarts,” I’ve listed it more generically to include Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, Knockturn Alley, Godric’s Hollow, The Ministry of Magic, and many more that you could find on the Pottermore site.
I must agree that these really do top the list, but there are so many others out there that are lesser known. In my upcoming post, I’ll provide a list of 20 Fabulous Fantasy Worldbuilders that will extend this list and include some Indie Authors and some local to Minnesota. If you loved some of the ones listed above, you should definitely explore some from my list.
How does worldbuilding in Fantasy differ from other genres?
There are probably many ways, but the three major differences I’ll discuss include:
- Unique cultures and/or races
- A prevalence of magic and mystery in some form or fashion–typically natural to the world built
- An adventure of some sort–most frequently, The Hero’s Journey
Popular Fantasy Races
In so many of the top-rated fantasy worlds, it’s interesting that you find Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans, etc. as the main races. Truthfully, if you asked a dozen people what they think of when you mention Fantasy Literature, I suspect they would mention Elves and Dwarves. These are the natural, maybe default, races in literature according to today’s pop culture.
Thank you, J.R.R. Tolkien!
As authors, we’re told to write what we know, so is it very surprising that fantasy authors gain their inspiration from either Tolkien or their individual experiences in Role-Playing Games? I think not. Elves and Dwarves, even Gnomes, Orcs, Dragons, Trolls as well as many other races are already so well developed, it gives us a launching board. I find nothing wrong with this avenue. People who love the races will surely love your work.
And let’s face it…building an entire culture is daunting! I have ventured (am venturing) there in The Caeteran Tales, and seeing that full work come to fruition will likely take several years. It is estimated currently to be a series of 6-7 books. It’s a labor of love though, and I adore every unique character and race I have created.
Prevalence of Magic & Mystery
Magic systems, I’d argue, are inherent to Fantasy, something that is almost a must if you’re endeavoring to attract the Fantasy reader. Let’s think about this one a little and maybe come up with some examples. I’ll try to use the worlds most commonly identified above.
Rowling developed her magic system based on spells and incantations rooted in keywords in combination with proverbial magic wand. There is a plethora of arguments about the consistency/inconsistency of her magical rules and how she breaks them, but overall, the experience she created infuses the world with magic and mystery, and the reader consistently wonders what new magic awaits. Additionally, there are magical items with innate abilities–artifacts, if you will. What I found interesting, and this is my speculation, is that she based her spells in language, likely Latin. This theory will be explored further in another article within my worldbuilding blog series: Language and Worldbuilding.
Tolkien’s magic system is centered on the rings as magical items and the pure mystery of a Wizard’s magic. Maybe part of it lies in the staves that belong to the wizards or the level of the wizard himself: Radagast the Brown, Sarumon the White, Gandalf the Gray, Gandalf the White. Tolkien’s magic is subtle and highly mysterious, part of what I enjoyed most about the magic in Middle-earth. It’s not available to everyone, but it has an impact on the simplest of people–the Hobbits, the Humans, etc. Furthermore, the Elves have a magic of old that gives them a tenuously balanced version of immortality. In this, Tolkein also imbues the stories with the mystery of the Elves. Study on the Tolkien world helps with the understanding of the race, but when simply reading, it’s clear that the culture is fully developed with a deep history.
The Hero’s Journey
In school, and when I taught my son, I gravitated toward study around this type of story. If you find yourself interested in this type of story, there are a plethora of resources available on the web, and this topic is also worthy of a topic in and of itself. Below is a 5 minute video that’s a nice small lecture on the topic.
This topic generally comes up in education when studying mythology. The Hero’s Journey as the structure of the story can be seen in everything from Homer’s The Iliad and Odyssey to Star Wars. If this is a topic that interests you, I recommend the summary PDF from www.mythologyteacher.com:
The Hero’s Journey
This 5-page PDF covers the twelve aspects of the cycle image you see above. It uses some differing terminology such as Refusal of the Quest and Reward and Journey Home, but the themes are the same. Additionally, the PDF references Joseph Campbell in talking about The Monomyth. I particularly love this quote:
While Joseph Campbell’s monomyth works best with the traditional form of the quest—folk and fairy tales, myths, legends, and other fantasies—it can be applied to many different genres or types of stories. A quest does not have to include swords and monsters. It can just as easily occur in the real world. The monomyth, ageless and universal, exists anywhere and everywhere.
The Hero’s Journey
As always, thanks for reading! I hope some of you stick with me and follow this series throughout 2019. I have some fabulous writers and artists lined up to discuss and guest post, and it should make for a fun body of work.
If you’re interested in my worldbuilding, check out The Caeteran Tales.
Check back on Thursday for my list of 20 Fabulous Fantasy Worldbuilders to find some new additions for your TBR List. In case you missed the guest post last week, check out the RPG & Worldbuilding article by Don McEnery. Up next week will be my Fantasy Author Spotlight with Cassandra Morgan and Prophecy.
Until then…Cheers!