Imagine this: you’re reading a fantasy book, something involving magic, unicorns, fairies, etc… Things keep happening that would be considered out of the ordinary in this world, but are everyday occurrences over there. Then something else happens. Something that’s not all that crazy at first glance, but just something different. Yet everyone reacts like it’s insane. And you wonder, what's considered weird in a world that's already so bizarre?
I think the weirdest book I've ever read is Abarat. The whole series just kept getting weirder. There's so much weird, I could no longer tell what was supposed to be weird. Oh, the apocalypse is coming? How do you even know that with how strange things are everyday?
You want an enchanting fantasy world, and you want an exciting plot. So how do you keep your everyday world captivating, yet separate what's a crazy big deal?
I think the weirdest book I've ever read is Abarat. The whole series just kept getting weirder. There's so much weird, I could no longer tell what was supposed to be weird. Oh, the apocalypse is coming? How do you even know that with how strange things are everyday?
You want an enchanting fantasy world, and you want an exciting plot. So how do you keep your everyday world captivating, yet separate what's a crazy big deal?
- Establish what’s normal. How does magic usually work? Are there witches and wizards? Does everyone have magic? Do people use wands, or other magical objects? What sorts of magic objects are common? For example, ordinary magic in Crossworlds goes like this: There are twelve gifts. Everyone has magic, and almost everyone has a gift. Some gifts are more common than others, and some people can have more than one or none at all.
- Establish what’s rare. This might be much easier than saying what’s normal in a fantasy world. What creatures or objects haven’t been seen for centuries? What sort of powers are highly advanced/unusual? For example: Model making is so rare a gift it's almost mythical. Also, twins are incredibly rare.
- See through the eyes of the reader. It’s easier to keep an eye on this sort of thing if there’s a character in your story who’s unfamiliar with your magical world. Someone from our world who just got there. With Ellie and Savannah entering the magical world with no knowledge of it, it was easier to introduce the world to the reader. However, we can't always do that. Sometimes you want to start your story inside the magical world. Just try to keep your reader in mind as you do so. You could even try a writing exercise where someone new does enter the world, and your other characters are teaching them about it. You'll learn new things about your world, and your characters.
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