Why you should write Fantasy!!

I’ve been an indie author for around five years, enjoying the freedom to hop genres at will and

whimsy, writing where the heart takes me. Although fantasy, especially for Young Adults is a hugely popular market, for a newbie to the genre like me, to make an impact would be a challenge.

So, why write it at all?

My reasons for bringing any book babies into the world is easy enough to answer and choosing this genre was no different. It marked a place and time in my heart that I wanted to record. My eldest daughter didn’t find many books out there she enjoyed reading and I thought perhaps I could have a bash and bring something into the world she might enjoy.

And why choose fantasy?

Like reading in general, books are the ultimate escape. The real world can fade away when imagination takes over and a really good story grips the soul in a way that leaves you changed. Fantasy takes that up to a whole other level. You can quite literally write the rules of the society’s you create and as there are no restrictions on science or physical laws, provided you make it believable, whole new worlds become a real possibility. In fantasy, the setting you create can itself becomes its own character.

So world building and anything goes is one good reason. Here’s another. If you enjoy character-driven stories, fantasy is a wonderful way to go. I wanted to make sure my main character, a teenager was someone relatable. She’s a quiet and intelligent person. Yes, there’s a little attitude but that comes from a strong personality, not a dour trait or willful disobedience. She’s also the victim of circumstances and suffers the feeling of betrayal. For me writing a strong female character was important, I could use totally abstract situations to help figure out real-life issues, and fantasy was the genre which gave me the opportunity to do that.

Thirdly, fantasy entails quite often complex plots and dynamics. This is a blessing and a curse, for obvious reasons. Dealing with more complicated conflicts and story arcs, you need a bigger stage, one with no limits. That’s what makes fantasy so brilliant and so hard to do well. When you write your epic fantasy series my advice would be to plan it out much better than I did and in advance!

Lastly, but no means, is magic. We all need a little more of that in our lives. Here’s the dictionary definition of fantasy, ‘the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable:’

Mythical creatures and magic are the perfect way to imagine and create impossible things and for this genre are pretty essential. If necessity is the mother of invention, then fantasy is the creator of magic. Who wouldn’t want to write in a genre that can do all that?

Sarah Northwood, a wife and mother, is an award-winning, multi-genre weaver of fiction from the UK. She enjoys writing poetry for children and adults and also plays the piano in her spare time. Sarah is Regional Director for the UK and Europe Zone in Motivational Strips, Dean of General Literature in MSLAW, and a member of the World Nations Writer Union and literary council.

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