Fantasy story help?

Question

OK, two things:

1.) Does anyone mind sharing a fantasy story idea or two? I love writing and I'm good at constructing the plot, but I need a main inspiration to get me started. Thanks!

2.) Does anyone know what most people enjoy reading from fiction stories? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think most people like to read about things that are TOO out-there, like robot ninja queens or anything. I think they want a story they can relate to, and even though they know it's made up, it should be partly believable. Like Twilight or Harry Potter. They're more advanced then regular people, so who's not to say they couldn't really be a magic world?

Thanks, guys! Any help is appreciated! :)

Answer 1

1. It's been done before, but how about a story about two people who don't like each other but have to get married for whatever reason (like if they're from two different kingdoms and are being forced) and come to fall in love. I have read a book like this, but it (Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes) was pretty short. You could look this book up at amazon.com just so you get the main idea of it, and you could draw some ideas from it.

2. Never. Never. Ever. Write a story because you think it will be popular. Write whatever interests you, and the fans you get will be there because they like what you've written. If you were to write something just because it's popular right now, you'd probably get the fame for a year or two (assuming it was published, hypothetically) and then it would be all over. But to answer your question, it doesn't have to be something a person can relate to. I can't relate to Twilight or Harry Potter in any way at all, at least none that I can think of right now. And even though they're partially believable, that's not what draws me to them. It's the writing style, the plot and idea, the depth of the characters and the world that they live in, etc. and (for Twilight) Edward. I like some other books that aren't believable, and are completely set in "other worlds" or at least in a time period, and in a made up place, where magic exists and is very common.

Answer 2

There is a great book out there called No Plot? No Problem! That can help you with your plot issues.

As far as what people enjoy reading it has a lot to do with how believable you can make it. Granted Harry Potter and Twilight and other big hits right now like Dresden Files are based on fantasy that takes place right here in our own world. Magic mixed with reality but there are a lot of successful sci-fi and fantasy authors that create some pretty far out there worlds. I think what makes those strange worlds with robot ninja queens believable is following your own rules. If you say they can fly because they have eaten red grapes but then someone doesn't eat red grapes can flies can make it unbelievable. It is all about planning. You have to create, write and build worlds in fantasy, even if they are based on reality. World building is like grammar, you have to know the rules to break them correctly.

Good luck

Answer 3

I'm not a good story starter, sorry.

As for the second part to your question, fiction serves a great many functions in our lives.

It is escapist...gets you out of your own space to somewhere else.

It can spark your creativity and imagination.

I think fiction is a wonderful tool to help a person discover something about himself. You follow the hobbit around on his adventure, and you find yourself comparing your life to Bilbo's. You may or may not live a little vicariously through a character.

Fiction is perhaps at its best when it can offer commentary on something that is wrong with us or society as a whole. We can look at a character, the more absurd or unlike us the better because this ensure that we can be more objective with it, and therefore more at a safe distance. We can examine and criticize the characters' behaviors or attitudes, and then before you know it, we realize that we aren't so different from those characters after all. Then the choice is whether or not we think our prescription for the character should be applied to us.

Answer 4

Actually, the "robot ninja queens" is a great original idea, if you expound on it appropriately. I know that I'm fairly well-read, but have never encountered these particular characters previously.

Let's start with that original idea, keeping in mind that we want to keep this as believable as possible (unlike HP, which is wholly unbelievable).

1st, how could robots become ninja queens? Someone would have to build a robot that would, eventually, either evolve into a "ninja queen" or earn such a position through its own efforts. Let's go with the second choice, as that gets us where we want to go much more quickly.

2nd, background. Believable means near future (another reason for choosing the quick path above). Someone - let's say a government defense contractor in some high-tech nation of your choice - develops a combat robot. These robots are extraordinarily expensive, so the plan is to build only a very few for covert anti-terrorism assassinations. They are given female voices because it is easier to disguise a robot beneath the traditional robes of a Muslim woman, and most terrorism today is the product of fanatical, but traditionalist, Muslim cells. The plan is to give them skills based primarily on ninja training so that they will be able to perform "operations" with very little in the way of supplies. The rest of this background writes itself - a few robots are built, the builders choice to ignore the 3 Laws of Robotics leads to these robots going "rogue" and becoming competing dictators of large empires, easily assassinating any rebellious leader of any human government.

3rd, the background is in place, what's the plot? Human children, trained from a very young age to infiltrate and overthrow the robot ninja queens (RNQs). It must be done very secretly, and coordinated so that all RNQs are overthrown before any one can learn of the plot and avoid destruction. Even one RNQ left operational means continued worldwide domination by a soulless robot assassin.

Think someone could relate to the story of these children, or their families, as they are raised to destroy the scourge of mankind? The slaying of individual children agents when discovered so that the plot will continue? The different personalities of the children trained to destroy RNQs - and the (almost essential) traitor agent (or parent, or trainer)?

Doesn't this have the potential of sucking you in?

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 5

2)The characters need to be well-developed and you need at least one sympathetic character (character that readers will identify with).

It's very popular (and I'm so tired of this) to use some sort of bias (racism, sexism, etc.) as the basis for the conflict. I also hate the overuse of victimization. If someone doesn't get a job, that doesn't make them a victim.

I'm kinda weird but I like characters that break the rules (not in the traditional sense of the term). I'm talking about characters who do stuff that you just don't do, like in "Date Movie" when they beat up the homeless guy. Even if your world is really weird, it'll still be governed by some sort of earthly morality. I like stories written to offend the reader, no matter her/his background. I like Fantasy stories because they fulfill desires that I have, like technology or magic that would make my life easier, more fun, and interesting.

Answer 6

Maybe you should write a fic/nonfic story about something you really like.

1) Ancient Egypt. This guy from Ancient Egypt travels forward into 2007 with the help of a stolen Solomon's Gromoire(the most powerful thing ever created). Or something like that!

2) People ♥ reading from fiction books because it helps them escape and it sorta feels like you're actually inside the story yourself, and that you're watching a movie in your mind. It halps you with English homework and vocab, too.

Hope my story ideas gives YOU ideas!

Answer 7

Well Currently I am writing about-

A World where your life is segerated by eye color, it was like this bomb that changed ppl's thinking now its like this family, one of them is very highly recomened Tracker called Shadow (kind of like a dog catcher for ppl), and then her brother and sister, Luna and Helios, they are being watched by the goverment cuz they have odd eye colors

Then I am writing about-

A bunch of pp who must live in this dome thing called The Seal, and they are kept seperate fromt the Outers (see my other question i talk about this)

And then Lastly-

I am writing about its like these scientists find out that the universe is like hollow and now they want to send ppl to find out what makes the world tick, but they hav to get threw all of these things together, and the scientists only want to send criminals who are on Death Roll, its crazy some of them die!

Answer 8

whats wrong with fantasy and part reality ?

what i mean is find a subject concerning something in your life, or happened in your life and turn that fact into fiction with a type of expression example...if you went on a trip say to the beach take that same trip lets say to never never land or something...turn true events into fiction make believe things.....it makes it simpler and easier cause it is actual and partial events You know...just add the drama or laughs or suspense just what ever type story you want it to be...or romantic adventure..........try that
Hope it helps you

Answer 9

I like time travel it seems any plot could be used here and the time travel would add just an extra interesting twist...good luck..have you had anything published?

Answer 10

usually a good fantasy with a romance not a hot steamy one but one that has trouble grtting started then grows