It’s Fantasy Friday, which means the weekend is peering around the corner and I get to talk about one of my favorite thing ever: FANTASY!
This past Monday, I explored the 10 commandments of science fiction. Today, it’s time to shift gears and look at the 10 commandments of fantasy. What are the unspoken rules that drive the genre?
Thanks to this fancy little document found in the Archive, we can see the secrets behind the success. Once again, because I’m playing rebel, there are quite a few more than 10 commandments. Mwahahahaha 😉
10 Commandments of Fantasy
- Thou shalt include amazing worlds filled with wonder, awe, and creativity.
- Thou shalt implement the use of magic as much or as little as the story demands.
- Thou shalt exercise a high amount of creativity, letting the imagination fly to its limits.
- Thou shalt be wary never “to leave a live dragon out of your calculations.”
- Thou shalt create and populate the fantasy world with as many races, species, and creatures as can be used without overwhelming the reader.
- Thou shalt at all times and in all places consider the use of small, youthful, inexperienced, or otherwise unqualified characters for the role of the hero.
- Thou shalt always incorporate at least one battle of epic proportions.
- Thou shalt make maps of the world.
- Thou shalt use traditional weapons such as swords and axes, but also create a few original weapons to add diversity.
- Thou shalt avoid, at all costs, the usage of overdone clichés and stereotypes. Unless they include aged wizards wielding staffs, reluctant farmboys, damsels in distress, quests to save the world, and witty sidekicks.
- Thou shalt write books of immeasurable length.
- Thou shalt invent many fascinating histories and timelines and family trees, and if feeling particularly daring, an encyclopedia of flora and fauna.
- Thou shalt never consider anything too ridiculous or crazy to be off limits for a fantasy tale.
- Thou shalt always consider using—but not always implement—the time-honored tradition of the quest.
What else would you add to the 10 commandments of fantasy? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
