Novel Question: Travel to a fantasy world from the real world, or between two fantasy countries?

Question

This is my main decision about the setting for a fantasy novel I'm plotting, at about 80k words (fairly short). The MC (female, self-sufficient) travels at the end of ch.1 to the land where the main action takes place, and the transport into the other land is a main focus of the start of the novel.

So which is more interesting?

1) The main character making an alternate-world trip, from modern-day US (most likely upstate NY/New England) to the other world (concerns being that this plot has already been written dozens of times from Alice in Wonderland to Neverwhere; points in its favor being that it's much easier to write in a modern tone of voice).

... OR...

2) The character still thrust into a weird situation, but in the fantasy world to start with (more room for originality, but less room for the reader being able to 'adjust' to the world, and I'll need to have a more formal tone, as well as a reason for a Renaissance-influenced society to be less sexist than the RL era was).

Answer 1

Real world to fantasy, maybe multiple fantasy.
If you don't have basis in real world, just becomes fantasy.
If you have real world included, could become a "what if" story, way more interesting.

Give us a title to look for when it's published.

Will I get a percentage for this imput? Or at least a mention in the credits?

Answer 2

Both are tired and cliche.

Why does your self-sufficient female have to be thrust into conflict? Isn't that how every single fantasy epic starts?

Perhaps she's already involved in the conflict? I mean, you read any run of the mill fantasy book off the shelf, nine times out of ten you're going to get "humble boy/girl has strange events befall him/her, now he/she is dropped off in an epic quest in a strange, new world." The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Eragon, Harry Potter, any of this ring a bell?

If you are a talented enough writer you will be able to help the reader to "adjust" as you put it, to the world. It's possible to take baby-steps without actually having some kind of situation of normality transpire.

Reason for a Renaissance-influenced society? It's your world, and it's fantasy. The beauty of fantasy if that nobody asks questions about it, that's where the people in your world are at historically because you say so, it's very possible that the same reasons we were in our Renaissance period would apply to your world.

Bad idea to give yourself a word limit too, I know this from experience, write until you end the story, not when you reach a limit of pages or words.

Answer 3

Starting in the RL would give most readers (from the States at least) a point of recognition or familiarity with the MC. It does help you by not having to go too in depth with the descriptions and history of the new world... at least at first. I would expect that you'd still have to provide some exposition anyway.

Originality isn't really an issue since both of your choices have been done several times. The originality will depend on the world you create and how you handle your MC's move from one to the next and whether or not you're going to delve into the how and why she made the move (magic, technology, aliens, ????).

The reader's ability to adjust to a new world (which would occur with either scenario) shouldn't be too much of a concern either as there should already be a suspension of disbelief.

Stephen R. Donaldson's Mordant's Need books, A Mirror to Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through, were excellent books dealing with a woman's move from one world to another. I highly suggest reading these books as Donaldson is able to create a convincing "other" world complete with history, factions, and an explanation for the ability to move between two different worlds.

Answer 4

Both options are mor fantasy world to fantasy world, unless first hand knowledge (which would make it read more like doco) is used. How about just this place with stuff happening to that place with stuff happening

Answer 5

i imagine we save age in options right here because of language, and different mature difficulty count number that could look specifically books. i'd not recommend George R.R. Martin's A music of Ice & hearth series to a 12 year old, in spite of the undeniable fact that a 16 year old+ may nicely be mature adequate to address different grownup situations in the books. As for different techniques, enable's basically run by a few truly tremendous books which will charm to each age... The Chronicles of Narnia by ability of C.S. Lewis some thing by ability of Tolkein some thing Terry Pratchett some thing Neil Gaiman, inspite of the actuality that i'm a particular fan of Neverwhere Sword of actuality series by ability of Terry Goodkind Inkheart series by ability of Cornelia Funke Harry Potter series by ability of JKR in case you've not already study them The Inheritance series (Eragon) by ability of Christopher Paolini regulations of Blood series by ability of Susan Sizemore Forgotten nation-states and the Drizzit saga by ability of R.A. Salvatore sturdy success and chuffed reading!

Answer 6

Usually going from the real world to the fantasy world is more intriguing.