A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider: Point #2: Plot

Plot—it’s what’s happenin’—literally. But plot is more than a string of actions or events that take you from the beginning of the story to the end. Plot is all the components of a novel fit together to create a working machine. It can only run smoothly when thought through to entirety, and it needs all its parts to do so.

If we take it from the beginning, we find a semblance of an opening—a hook that lures you into the story. This might take the form of a narrative introduction, or it might be a burst of unexpected action. Whatever the opening is, it must draw the reader’s attention as quickly as possible, or the fate of the book belongs to the dusty coffee table. You should meet your main character, establish your point of view, determine where and when this story is taking place. Somewhere in this exposition, you need to identify what it is that vexes your protagonist so. Without a conflict, you have no story.

Smoothly (or so we hope), we transition into the meat of the novel. It may seem pretty basic—perhaps a little static even—but you need some filler material. Relationships with the main character are established and explored. The conflict is further defined and becomes increasingly more prominent. This is where you pick up momentum to reach the rising action: the most important event that precedes the climax!

Believe it or not, the climax is not the exact middle of the book. It actually signifies the beginning of the end. It’s the point of no return, the peak of excitement. The conflict reaches a crisis point, and after this, we descend into the falling action. In the falling action, the pieces that had been shattered in the climax are slowly fitted back together. The conflict is heading toward a resolution, and while it does not have to be a happy ending, it is an ending to the cohesive idea that was the novel. It helps for a reader to feel that the book has ended, to feel some sense of a satisfying conclusion as opposed to a, “That’s how I’m left?!” Because the ending, after all, is the last thing a reader will remember, and it is most likely how he will judge the book when all is said and done.

Beginning, middle, end. Those are the parts, but machine needs a little grease. Let’s call it “pacing.” Pacing can be incredibly difficult to judge when you’re the writer. Are the scenes too drawn out? Do they lack action, droning on with unnecessary dialog? Or do they rush through important moments so as to leave you scratching your head, wondering what just happened? You want to build tension in just the right places and bring the reader to ease without boring him. It’s easy to get lost in a scene that seems necessary, but you should always be able to ask yourself, “What was the point of that?” If you can answer the question confidently, then integral pieces of the story can be maintained while the fat is cut away.

From personal experience, Matt and I use a calendar to plot important events and keep track of multiple storylines that progress simultaneously. Plotting key events on paper can visually show you how much material you have in the beginning, middle, and conclusion of the novel. All three parts should be balanced, lest your oiled machine get thrown out of whack. It’s nice to know, though, that you’re the mechanic, and you can fix anything once you identify the problem. After all, you built the machine, and building a plot can be just as fun as it is challenging.

-Stefanie

A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider: Point #1: Milieu

A story without milieu—or setting—is like a picture without a background. You have a detailed and well-rendered subject floating in empty space, the blank white of the paper. Was the artist too lazy to create a background for the subject? Did it seem unimportant or too boring a task? No matter how amazing the drawing is, it remains unfinished, empty. So, too, is a story without context.


The setting of a fantasy novel may be a strong focal point, accentuating phenomena that cannot exist in our world. Purple snow, mountains of crystal, trees that grow upside down. This can be wonderfully fantastical and alluring or downright distracting and annoying if your fantasy setting is not your story’s focus. Even if your unusual phenomena do not warrant an explanation, they do need a point or purpose. Will this fantastical setting play an important role in the plot, or is it merely there to convince the reader he’s reading a fantasy novel?


Creating a world does not have to be boring and tedious. It can be addictive and fun, like fitting together pieces of a puzzle. The landscape will dictate climate, the plants that grow there, the animals who eat the plants, and ultimately the people who will settle in that environment. If you’re the writer, you get to paint this picture.


It seems like every good fantasy novel has a map, and often the hero’s journey will traverse this variable landscape and showcase just how unique and diverse the world is. Draw or examine a map. Will mountains divide kingdoms, or is there a great and mystical forest that people dare not enter? Who or what will dwell there, and when you give the location a name, does it hint at its inhabitants? The Dragontooth Mountains, for instance, sound like impassible, jagged peaks. Do dragons kite along the summits? What does this mean for nearby villages?

How big is this world? Can you judge its scale? When Matt and I created our map, we included a scale to determine just how far one could travel in a day by horse, by foot, or even by boat. Realistically, you can chart those incredible journeys the characters will be taking. It may take a couple days to travel from one town to another or weeks from one kingdom to the next.


Topography aside, time is also an important indicator of setting. Yes, it’s fantasy, but you don’t want people driving cars while they live in primitive Medieval-type homes. You may need to do a little research to be consistent. Personally, I prefer novels that are set in a more archaic time—without modern conveniences. Many classic fantasy tales are set in a Medieval-type world with castles and peasants. Is there a hint of the Renaissance in there? Whether the time period is reminiscent of an older culture or modern times, it should be consistent.


Consistency does not come at the price of creativity. Remember, in a world where magic exists, anything is possible! Creating a rich history—both culturally and geographically can only improve the believability of your novel. Your character lives somewhere, came from somewhere, was born at some point. All of this will influence the tale, and it’s worth the time to build a whole new world!

-Stefanie

A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider

“Fantasy.” In terms of a novel, this genre usually provokes one of two responses: a roll of the eyes or a snap to attention (as in excitement). The “eye-rollers” may be all too aware of fantasy novel clichés (namely the typical plotline of the “chosen” hero who stands against insurmountable odds to save a world from domination by an evil foe). Meanwhile, the excitable readers devour every sword-slinging battle and magic-wielding wizard that appears on the page. Not everyone loves a tale of high-fantasy, but to misjudge the genre is a mistake.

Just what is “fantasy”? It’s fiction—the workings of the imagination to create an alternative world that is fantastically different from the one in which we live. There is mystery in this vague power known as “magic,” and magic is the glue that holds this world together. Unlike science-fiction, magic is the basis of creation—not technology or applied science. You can call it escapism if you want, for certainly that is much of the appeal of fantasy, but a good fantasy is also believable. Believable fantasy. Not an oxymoron of a term, but a phrase that connotes quality fantasy-fiction.

The point of any novel is to reach the reader, to somehow allow the reader and the literature to develop a relationship. If the reader doesn’t care, the book is irrelevant. Believability crosses the boundaries of reality and the fantasy world, bridging the gap that brings the reader closer to the fictional characters. The more believable the story, the more the reader becomes a part of the tale (not apart from the tale).

All fiction has some basis in reality. An author can only write what he/she knows, after all. The key to good fantasy-fiction is to merge reality with the fantastical. Do you write your own fantasy tales, or do you simply enjoy reading them? Or are you a skeptic who is willing to be convinced by a good argument that the fantasy genre is worth a time investment?

Good, believable fantasy is not a concoction scrawled on paper directly from one’s imagination. There’s actually a bit of planning involved—more than you might first consider. If you’re willing to indulge in one fantasy author’s opinion, you might find the “Ten Points of a Believable Fantasy Novel” to be insightful—whether you’re a writer, a reader, or a skeptic. Stay tuned for Point #1…

-Stefanie