Fantasy

I've been thinking a lot about the fantasy genre lately. My Thrawll saga series falls into this genre, and I was thinking about why I write in this area. Then, a few days ago, I was browsing a nice little independent bookstore. It was Mitzi's Books in Rapid City, South Dakota. If you're ever in the area, drop in and support a local bookstore!

I made a beeline for the fantasy section, as I usually do. And yet, I found nothing jumping out at me. I ended up going with Christopher Paolini's To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, which I am quite excited to read. But this raised a question in my mind. Why was I not excited about much in the fantasy section? This isn't the first time I have had this predicament lately.

I think one contributing factor is time, or rather the lack of it. I picked up a few books that admittedly looked intriguing, before wondering how long it would take me to get through their 1000+ pages. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with a long book. But the fact is, with a full-time job plus my writing obligations, my reading time is limited. As such, I've found myself preferring shorter reads of late. There simply aren't as many of these to be found in the fantasy genre.

It's a trend I am trying to buck with my Thrawll saga. I want to prove that good, action-packed, enjoyable fantasy does not necessarily need to clock in at 250,000+ words. The paperback of my debut novel will end up in the 315-325 page range, which I find perfect as a reader. Again, I love fantasy, but as a reader, I tend to get irritated with the amount of unnecessary fluff that works its way into many stories. Sometimes, I wish I could whisper in the author's ear, "Let's just get on with story already!"

That being said, what made me love the fantasy genre in the first place? It was The Fellowship of the Ring, which is funny, considering the gripes I wrote about above. I was probably twelve or thirteen at the time, and what sealed the deal was the chapter titled Three Is Company. I was on a summer break from school, and during these breaks, it was common for me to stay up until 3 or 4am reading. 

So there I was, having just slogged through forty or so pages of Gandalf giving me a history lesson. Then, the Black Riders appeared, and I was hooked. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin were racing through the woods of the Shire, trying to escape these mysterious riders in black cloaks. It was such a cool visual, only enhanced by the fact that I was reading this in the middle of the night. From that point on, I was hooked. The scenes in Bree had a similar effect, again after forcing myself through about 60 pages of Tom Bombadil. 

Is there a particular book or scene that made you fall in love with a particular genre? When did you first realize you wanted to write in a certain genre?

We'll talk again next week. NaNoWriMo will be here before you know it!

~Pete

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