How to Write a Best Selling Fantasy Novel

[THE Ka]

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

Now, see, I always get so distracted devising believable economies I never get around to writing the story.

Good point, Malthus never had a chance to write a good set of fairytales, such as, The Three Little Pigs: A Malthusian Tragedy in Three Parts.


Speaking of which, Malthus can help (I presume), to explain why the 'dark overlord/lady/it' always fails in the end. It isn't because they're simply over confident, they just do not watch out for a Malthusian Catastrophe...

... has access to vast armies which require no food, payment or other provisioning and can travel thousands of mile and lay siege to cities without any need for a catering corps. For all this, the Enemy is completely dependant on some insignificant object such as a ring or a piece of rock for his power.

Obviously, while the Loser/Hero was not even a thought, or off growing into whatever they are, the 'evil being' has been carefully planning a successful and prosperious society.

Unfortunately, due to the Loser/Hero's kafkaesque ability to call on a challenge to the 'evil being', they have caused the perfect tip for the imbalance of population consumption vs. worker output, and the 'evil being' in a mad dash is forced to let their economic imbalance proceed. In an ill fate invest their slowly crumbling product quantity, they have to resource to insignificant objects and uncomplicative methods of bartering and smoke screens.

It is not that the 'evil being' has expendible workers entirely, it is just that enough of them are in the unemployment line and they have to take care of them somehow, unfortunately in rather undesirable uptakings, all thanks to the Loser/Hero's inscurity and easy ability to be goaded by other's to break a not too shabby economy.

Okay, enough of my rant. It is boring me, and most likely everyone else.

~ Ka

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Very amusing, Oddwen. I especially like:

Does your story involve a number of different races, each of which has exactly one country, one ruler and one religion?

[Volo]

To one question in Oddwen's link I for sure answer "no"! That is question 75...

[Alcarin]

Nice Thread...i'm writing a fantasy-novel... maybe ill post some chapters if you guys are interested...

[Volo]

Definitely!

[Farael]

Ah, excelent fun and entretainment, both the original "rules" and the "quiz". I think it could be a fun idea to try a RPG that will follow the rules and answer "no" to all (or most) things on the quiz... although it would probably prove to be much harder than what it seems, given that you can't make it so bad that it won't even be funny. Hmmmm must thinks about this, my precioussss.

Hey! They forgot one kind of character:

"Evil creature that aids the protagonist out of fear/a personal evil plan/pretty much any feeling other than good will, who in the end starts to become "redeemed" and "good" and yet falls to temptation, abandons the path of redemption and dies tragically, killed by either the protagonist or a cruel twist of fate"

[Oddwen]

I liked numbers 58 & 71.


A couple other things I found wanting in the lists:

The young boy character has no living mother. He may, however, have a grandmother or spinster aunt who is skilled in arcane arts.

Matters of the Birds & Bees will be treated delicately or passed off altogether in the first book, but by the third, anything goes.

A plague must wipe out much of the royal/badguy family either at the time of the story, or in the near past.

The main character must discover a skill in magic early on. The Wise but Useless Guide must always be impressed by the skill level shown from the first, and compare him to famous magicians at the peak of their own skill.

Each person's magic must have their own color. (I hate this!) They may or may have not have eyes or a weapon to match.


And there are a few things in the Evil Overlord List that might be applicable here as well.