The setting of your story can be as broad or narrow as you like. For example, your story could be set in a town, city, planet, or universe. If your story is set in an actual place, explain this to your readers. For example, the Harry Potter series starts in modern England and transitions to a hidden world. Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings is a good example of a foreign universe being explained. Incorporate all the senses into your description. What does it smell like, feel like, and look like?
Draw a series of trees to represent the looming, mysterious forest in your world. Draw a star to represent the capital of each city. Draw ripples of water to indicate rivers, streams, and oceans. Even if you don’t include the map in the final copy of your story, it can help you to imagine the setting.
If you are creating your story in an actual place, describe any aspects of the place or culture that deviate from real life.
Research the technologies to make them realistic. For example, If you want to incorporate a cure for aging, read some articles on the process of aging. Understand how and why aging occurs so you can depict how it could be paused or stopped altogether in a fashion that feels realistic. If you want your story to take place in an ancient world, research how past cultures lived.
Many fantasy writers base social conventions on aspects from the real world. For example, most societies have rituals like birthdays, weddings, funerals, and holidays. Try to think of similar rituals for your own world. How do your characters celebrate growing older, for example? How do they mark death? Researching other cultures can be a great way to come up with ideas. Many fantasy writers borrow their ideas from older cultures or different cultures. Research rituals from ancient cultures or isolated cultures to help you gain ideas.
If a character’s powers are secret, make note of this. For example, if your character can talk to ghosts, is this known by other characters.
If your characters fight using a particular style of weaponry, do some research. For example, if your main character is an archer, learn about the basic skills and equipment used in archery. The mechanics of the resurrection stone in Harry Potter is a good example of describing how a magical object works. In order for the resurrection stone to raise the dead. you have to turn it in your hand 3 times while thinking of the deceased relative.
Write down any rules you establish as you write your story. This will prevent you from inadvertently breaking them later.
If you use traditional mythical creatures, such as vampires or mermaids, establish what these creatures are like in your story, as variations of mythical creatures vary. In Twilight, for examples, vampires can choose not to eat people and sparkle in the daylight. In Buffy, however, the majority of vampires cannot control their tendency towards evil and will die if exposed to sunlight. This step isn’t essential to all fantasy stories. Use your best judgement to decide which characters will work best in your story.
For example, perhaps there has been a tsunami in your fantasy land and your main character is desperately trying to save their family. Ask yourself what each character wants. For example, maybe a character named Ramona was abandoned by her mother. All she wants is a family of her own. She tends to be overly jealous and clingy with her friends, a flaw, but one that’s understandable given her abandonment issues. [10] X Research source
Usually, the hero does not realize he or she is special right away. Luke Skywalker does not realize he can use the force until meeting Obi Wan Kenobi. Harry Potter does not know he’s a wizard until Hagrid informs him. Try to choose an otherwise ordinary character as your hero. Readers will more easily relate to a character who seems like a mostly normal person. Try to find ways to foreshadow that the hero is important. The easiest way to do this is to tell the story from the hero’s perspective.
Traditionally, the mentor is someone slightly older than your hero. The mentor generally knows the rules and conventions of the society your hero is navigating and has often known the whole time the hero is special or unique. Introducing a mentor is a great way to explain the conventions of your world in a manner that does not feel clunky or overly expositional. Think of how awkward Star Wars would be if Luke simply explained the force to the audience. Having Obi-Wan explain it allows the force to be explained smoothly.
Audiences will be more moved by your villain’s plight if they feel they understand him or her. For example, give your villain a tragic backstory. This can help explain why he or she has turned to evil in the present.
You can use headings and subheadings to help break up your outline. Headings are traditionally marked by Roman numerals and subheadings are marked by lower case letters or numbers. For example, “I. Introduce Ramona, a. Ramona is in the fields working, b. She is interrupted by the spirit of her Aunt Jean. "
In many fantasy stories, the character leaving home is the turning point. Maybe your character needs to go on a journey. For example, your character could receive news that their mother, who lives in another country, is ill. She has to travel across a desert, smuggling the medicine that’s banned in their mother’s home across the border.
Pay attention to how this occurs in your favourite fantasy stories. What trials and tribulations does Harry Potter face that help him accept his destiny as the boy who lived? How does Katniss come to accept she has to lead the revolution? Script multiple mini-conflicts in the lead up to the climax to test your character’s strength and helping her use her skills and powers. For example, your character may have to deal with rival smugglers when she attempts to steal medicine.
A fantasy story can have a happy or sad ending. You can end with the hero winning or losing. You can also end with a partial victory where some evil has been defeated, but there are still unresolved conflicts. This can be particularly useful if you want to write a sequel, as there will still be challenges left for your hero to face.
