Writing fantasy fiction? Maybe I should have read an article like this before I began my first epic fantasy romance! I got this outline from a Reedsy Blog and gave it my own spin, using most of the headings. Please comment below if anything particularly resonates or if you disagree and have a different take or perhaps additional points.
Today’s post is a brief outline of researching the fantasy fiction market.
Research the fantasy fiction market
Certainly, before you start your first fantasy novel, you need to be familiar with the genre you’re writing in. Was I? Sort of. I had an epic fantasy reading background which were romantic fantasy NOT fantasy romance. I’m not even sure I would’ve used a romance plot to outline Princess Avenger. I had only just joined Romance Writers Australia and gone to my first conference. But I soon learned the beauty and simplicity of the romance plot.
I strongly feel you must write what you know and love. Having said that, I’m still getting my head around my genre which is epic fantasy romance for adults. It’s sexy too. And set in a medieval fantasy world which is a world I inhabited for decades in my teens and twenties. I’m still listening to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series today. My characters are in their 20s and 30s. If I had researched first, perhaps I would’ve made the characters younger and left the explicit sex out, giving my stories a broader appeal.
So yeah, research is good, even if only for promotional purposes. How much research do you do before you write?
Please return next week for part 2 of writing fantasy fiction, when I’ll discuss learning from the greatest fantasy novelists and defining our setting.
