How does one avoid bland, generic fantasy while they write?
I have been mulling over the plot and characters for an elaborate fantasy work for a number of years now. The longer I mull things over, the more possessed I am that this story is worth telling. The problem arises when I actually sit down to write it: as a lifelong fan of fantasy, when I write my story on paper, it seems generic. Contrived, almost. The plot and characters I am totally in love with, but when I write it, I think, "Oh, this is worse than Paolini." It just feels... fake. What can I do to avoid generic writing? I would appreciate concrete methods that work, not just opinions or abstract advice.
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Further to Steven Drennons answer, make sure you get people to read it who know and understand the same sorts of influences that you have. This means that a) they are more likely to be your target audience and so will give you a critique based on those you are writing for and b) if you are writing badly, or generically, they will probably pick this up and tell you.
To an extent, fantasy works best when it draws on the many other fantasy influences - it fits into the world better. At the same time, you have to draw something new from this as well, but wearly on, you should be setting the scene, defining what part of the fantasy genre you are using, so it will be moderately generic - that is a good thing at that stage.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/5305. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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On the first draft: you won't. First drafts are almost invariably clunkers.
But your first draft is not meant to shine. Your first draft is meant to get the story onto paper and out of your head where it's been languishing for years.
Once it's on paper, then you can edit, revise, polish, and get an editor/editors to scrub out the bland and generic.
But you can't do that until it's written. So give yourself permission to be bland. Give yourself permission to be generic. I promise it's okay. You will be able to fix it later.
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If everything you write is sounding like overused tropes and clichés, it may be that you're simply showing your influences. And when you see your writing, all you're seeing are those influences. Hence, it feels less substantial to you.
What, exactly is "bland, generic fantasy" to you? I suggest you define what it is you're trying to avoid. Make a list if you're so inclined, or just get it straight in your mind what you want to sound different from. You could then go ahead and write, specifically avoiding these areas. While this could push you into writing about new and interesting things, it could also be difficult restriction to deal with. What if there's very little left after this process?
All writers have influences. With some, it's more obvious than with others. However, the only cure to this is, unfortunately, to keep writing. Don't stop just because something seems familiar or fake, just note it for future revision. With a little talent and time, your influences will blend into a style that is yours. It won't happen quickly, or without some hard work, but have some faith that it will happen.
You ask for specific methods: Since becoming aware of your influences and stylistic leanings will only help matters, getting some critiques of your work with that in mind may help. However, volume is your friend: Get those pages written. Don't stop if they suck, just keep going. You won't learn from the experience if you don't. Some specific working regimens, if you don't have them, may also be of help here.
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