Mistakes to Avoid in Your Fantasy Novel
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
By its nature, the fantasy genre is an open playground to create just about any story you can imagine. However, with that all that great promise also comes innumerable opportunities to make mistakes. How can you make a mistake in a story that can be anything you want? Well, let’s go over some of the biggest pitfalls fantasy authors fall into, so hopefully you never have to.
Never Betray Your Magic System
Every fantasy novel has a $ magic system$ which falls onto a spectrum of "soft" or "hard" magic. A soft magic system has loosely defined magical elements, leaving the world’s functions largely unexplained, whereas a hard magic system runs on known, predetermined rules (physics, histories, etc.).
Both systems are equally vulnerable to contradicting their own magical world-building. Fans of a fantasy story with a hard magic system will be more apt to pick up on an inconsistency because they’ve been well-versed in the capacity of that universe’s magic. On the other hand, those writing in a soft magic system are far more likely to "overwrite"—since they have no strict guidelines to reference, introducing new magical capabilities as the story progresses could cause a redundancy in what’s been shown thus far.
To prevent contradictions, regardless of what sort of magic system you are writing, keep a reference sheet of everything that magic has been seen doing (or is said to be able to do) in your universe and never exceed that without reason. For example, if your protagonist learns a new power, that power should not supersede the capacity of magic shown previously available, without a believable reason it has never been shown before.
Likewise, you must remain cognizant of what magic in your universe is capable of, so a simple problem doesn’t become a plot hole: You don’t want readers asking, "If it’s been shown that they can poof the problem away, then why don’t they just do that—why am I even reading this?"
Don’t Use a Deus Ex Machina
Deus Ex Machina is the sudden and unexpected resolution to an otherwise unsolvable-seeming plot predicament. The Deus Ex Machina is generally frowned upon in any genre, but fantasy authors are more susceptible to its appeal because they are already working with magic; the unexplainable.
Of course, you can have surprises and plot twists, but they should always stay within the realm of acceptable plausibility—from your readers’ perspectives. When it comes to fantasy, don’t use a new never-before-seen solution to a problem. Even if it’s written into your world-building, make sure your audience is aware of (or at least hinted toward) any new elements you may wish to introduce, especially if they’ll be revealed at a pivotal moment!
As with the above section, reference back to your previously established magic system to check whether anything will come off as jarring to your audience.
Stay Away from Static Tropes
There are certain things fantasy readers expect to see when picking up a fantasy novel. Namely, magic, but there are also many tropes of the genre that have stood the test of time and are actively desired, despite their repeated use. For example, fantasy races like elves and vampires may come and go out of trend, but the appeal of reading about immortal beings will always persist.
That said, there are fantasy tropes and archetypes that become "tired." If you aren’t going to add anything new or interesting to an existing fantasy element, readers will feel as though your characters or world lack substance.
Stay away from static, overused archetypes. If you’re using one, use it with intention and give it its own spin to draw readers in. After all, why would they read a story about your merry band of heroes when there are hundreds of others out there with the same cast? Maybe your crew doesn’t consist of a mage, swordsman, thief, and archer, but a merchant, cook, bodybuilder, and herbalist!
Be Aware of Accidental Racism
Speaking of fantasy races, regardless of how they’ve been used in the past, it’s important to wield them with thoughtfulness and purpose. Despite living in a fantasy world, depending on how your societies are structured, different fantasy races could be interpreted synonymously to real human races—and that can lead to a variety of implications.
Dwarves and elves shouldn’t hate each other just because "they always have." Unless you mean to comment on generational internalized discrimination, make sure that when your fantasy world’s cultures clash, there’s nuance and meaning behind the state of things. As with the use of tired tropes, make sure you don’t blindly adopt fantasy elements without having thought through some justification for them to exist in your world in the first place.
Equipped with knowledge on what to tentatively avoid in your fantasy story, perhaps it’d be worthwhile to take a look at $ the most prominent elements of the fantasy genre, $ and how to do them right!
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