What is a good way to structure a fantasy story? (example: Harry Potter)?

Question

As a Harry Potter fan, my interest in the idea of writing has strengthened. I like to write for fun, but I hardly like to write fanfiction as the characters and stories are already owned and created. In the mist of reading the series, I started coming up with my own fantasy story. As I develop it, I find it containing the complex structure like that of the Potter series. I don't mean it's like the book, I mean it's a story with many characters, hidden pasts, and various places.
I believe one of the things that keeps me hooked on the series is the realistic structure in which hundreds of mysteries revolve. You don't know whos who, what their role will be later , or how important a character may be to others.
I was just curious how other fantasy writers organized these ideas. Surely research is involved.
Since my first love has been art (animation) I'm not sure how focused I would be on my story, but I like it so much, I think I'm willing to develop it further.

Answer 1

The responses here are some of the best I've seen in the book category.

My friend goes to CalArts and studies animation. He has to take and has already taken a few storytelling courses. One of the texts is one I've read called, "Story" by Robert McKee. I HIGHLY recommend you read it because it will expose the roots of storytelling for you and show you how it's created. You can buy it on Amazon.

One hint that you might want to follow is to abandon all fantasy cliches. Make a list of everything you find in the fantasy genre, including Harry Potter, and cut them or turn them around.

Additionally, you do need to get to the heart of your story. What you merely have is a setting: fantasy. What you need to tell is a story. Your story should be able to work no matter the time and place it's set, whether it's in space or in the past.

What your story is about is developed from your last act climax. For example, when we ask someone who just read or watched Harry Potter what it's about, they'll say it's about a boy who discovers he has magical powers in a fantasy land who has to fight evil. That's merely the setting. What the story is *really* about is "Happiness prevails when we are confident of our own gifts and individuality." This is what every Harry Potter story is really about and that theme could be set anywhere.

You can learn how to move your story from scene to scene and build your characters by reading a lot and learning subconsciously how to tell a story, or by reading tutorials and articles by others, such as in that book I mentioned, or on websites such as http://www.storyentertainment.com .

So, I think you need to understand your theme more clearly and learn the structure of story and you will find that everything will begin to fall into place.

Answer 2

I write Assassin stories and Fantasy peices as well. For both I sit down and get my plot, the general idea of what I want to happen in the story. Then I form my important characters, making sure I have enough to keep the story interesting, but not so many that the reader has problems keeping up with them all. Once I have my plot and characters, I just start writing, giving the characters life and personality. Sometimes, when working with a Fantasy story, you might want to sit down and make yourself a map of the world you want to use first. Another thing you might find yourself doing is researching things quite a bit in order to give yourself ideas for items or characters in the story.

A book I'd suggest reading if you want some good tips and hints on how to get better with your writing, especially with the fantasy genre, is from Terry Brooks and it's called, "Sometimes the Magic Works." It's his biography about his own writing career in which he also gives hints and tips to other writers.

But as far as the structure of one goes, a great fantasy story has a physical challenge for the characters, plus one or more personal challenges. Generally the personal challenges must be met before the forces of good can become victorious. A good example of this is again, from Terry Brooks, sorry, I read alot of his stuff. Anyways, in some of his books, he has heros who do not wish to be the hero, they just want to go home and return to their normal life. Before the world can be saved, or the quest completed, the character has to come to terms that they are the one that was chosen for the task and must complete it.

Even though this was long, I hope it helped quite a bit. If you have anymore questions about writing, go ahead and throw something into my email.

Answer 3

I love both series but if I had to choose a favorite, it's Harry Potter. I feel that Harry Potter is better developed as a series. It has many deep meanings and morals, besides the whole romance thing. It also has a lot parallel between the real and magical world like race superiority and corrupt government. I just find Harry Potter more interesting. I still like Twilight though. Both are very different stories.

Answer 4

A lot of the answers you've already gotten have pretty said a lot of the things I would've said, but I guess I could add a few more tips for you ;). From my experience, I would say a good story, particularly a fantasy, needs likeable main characters who your readers can empathize with. I think it's best when your main character is a relatively naive person who doesn't have all the answers and is sorta stumbling through life (Harry Potter is a prime example of this). When your main character is naive, vulnerable and/or ignorant at first of the world around him/her, your readers can sympathize with him because they don't know anything about your fantasy setting either, and they can learn about it step by step with him/her.

Another very important aspect of a fantasy story are the villains. Your villains have to be very compelling characters and well fleshed out. You've got to give them a very good reason for why they do the bad things they do. I, personally, really enjoy stories where the question of whether or not the villain will remain a bad guy is up in the air... Often times, some of the best fictional characters ever created started off as villains and ended up being good guys in the end. Also, some of the best villains are characters that started off good - usually as friends with the main protaganist - before turning bad later... making for a very dramatic "final battle" or whatever in the end.

Of course, you'll also want plenty of mystery in your story. Harry Potter's many plot mysteries is one of the biggest reasons for its popularity (another reason is the compelling characters - we love JKR's characters and want to see what happens to them in the end). Like you said in your question, it's good to have 'hidden pasts' for your characters and not to reveal everything all at once. Reveal it slowly, gradually, and, if you want, put in some subtle foreshadowing bits here and there (which JKR does quite masterfully ^_^).

That's just my two cents ;). I'm an aspiring fantasy writer myself, so I think about this sorta stuff a lot. However, I'm trying to get through college and stuff right now, so I'm basically sticking with fanfiction. But I DO have the basic outline of my own original story floating around in my head... to be written... one day...

Answer 5

You need to have a base in normalcy, so you can have people really relate to the fantasy aspect of it.

Think of all the great fantasy stories (The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Narnia).

They started out in the familiar (Hobbits are just short people and live much like an English country style). Once that is established, THEN we load in the fantasy aspect.

Even in a space opera, there is still the familiar, then the unusual (like Star Wars)

Answer 6

You should try to structure your story as different as possible!!! There's nothing new under the sun, but people will all ways be searching for something new!!! Also to get better at writing and making up structures- read classic books (they have lasted for generations). Never give up!!!

Answer 7

Are you serious about this? I use a program called Inspiration but don't let the title fool you. It is an amazing piece of software where you can create bubbles, show connections, develop intertwined timelines and more. As a person who has done this stuff for years, for me, it is htis kind of CHARTING that really holds the answer to your need.

But you can use ANY charting system. Mine is on Butcher Paper on the wall!

http://www.threetwoone.org/uggabugga/2004/pentagon-spy02.gif

Answer 8

JK Rowling was developping the story for years, doing all the scratch book notes...you really have to go deep, like they were real, alive...every little detail counts..;

write down everything...draw it! draw the world if you can, the people, make a map of the place they live (even if its on internet)...

HARRY POTTER FOREVER!!! :))

Answer 9

Whatever you do, don't do something like Tolkien's Two Towers. I've never been able to finish it, and I blame the structure. Those three stories would have been much more interesting if they were intercut.

Answer 10

the great thing about fantasy is you write your own rules for the world you create.
for example in the buffy world vampires turn to dust when slain.

but in other stories, they don't,
so what ever your story, plot, characters....stick to the rules you create