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mbarkerWriting Excuses 12.34: Fulfilling the Reader's Fantasy, with Brian McClellan
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/08/20/12-34-fulfilling-the-readers-fantasy-with-brian-mcclellan/
Key Points: Romance and flintlock fantasy -- what do they have in common? Fulfilling fantasies. Setting up the promises? The romance genre promises a Happily Ever After! Or at least a happily for now. To set that up, start with a sizzle of attraction, a possibility of a relationship, as early as possible. Then explore the journey that brings them together. Epic fantasy, also, implicitly promises magic and big things happening. At the first possible point, introduce magic in the world. Then drop in big things going on. To make it feel epic, more than one country, large plot lines, bigger stakes. Let the reader figure out that the character worrying about his family being touched by violence means bigger things are going on. Romance, fantasy -- escapism? Wish fulfillment? But... escapism isn't a bad word! In romance, you get to explore possibilities. Try some Tex-Mex, instead of your own cooking. Experimenting. Take over a country, sling fireballs, without real danger. Escape for an hour or two. Hope! Fantasy lets us go somewhere new, explore out there, and also think about what it means to make a choice between magic or family. Without putting 14-year-old boys to sleep.
( Romance and flintlock fantasy? Strange bedfellows? )
[Brandon] You were going to give us a writing prompt, Brian?
[Brian] Okay. My writing prompt. Oh, right. So, write your next story in a time period… Doesn't matter what genre, you can change it up if you want… In a time period that you haven't written before. You can make up the facts if you want. I know Mary would probably murder me if she was here.
[Chuckles]
[Brian] But just do something different, in a different time period.
[Brandon] That is a very good prompt. We want to say thank you for coming. You guys should really all go read Promise of Blood. It is a fantastic book. Brian gets better with every book, which makes us angry, because he is getting so good at this writing thing. You're going to love…
[Howard] We should have killed him before it was too late?
[Brandon] Yeah. His new book, Sins of Empire, we promo'ed earlier in the year. But it is a new starting point. And you can go pick that one up. Thank you very much, Brian, for being on the podcast.
[Brian] Thank you very much.
[Brandon] Thank you, listeners, for listening. But you are now out of excuses. So, go write.
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/08/20/12-34-fulfilling-the-readers-fantasy-with-brian-mcclellan/
Key Points: Romance and flintlock fantasy -- what do they have in common? Fulfilling fantasies. Setting up the promises? The romance genre promises a Happily Ever After! Or at least a happily for now. To set that up, start with a sizzle of attraction, a possibility of a relationship, as early as possible. Then explore the journey that brings them together. Epic fantasy, also, implicitly promises magic and big things happening. At the first possible point, introduce magic in the world. Then drop in big things going on. To make it feel epic, more than one country, large plot lines, bigger stakes. Let the reader figure out that the character worrying about his family being touched by violence means bigger things are going on. Romance, fantasy -- escapism? Wish fulfillment? But... escapism isn't a bad word! In romance, you get to explore possibilities. Try some Tex-Mex, instead of your own cooking. Experimenting. Take over a country, sling fireballs, without real danger. Escape for an hour or two. Hope! Fantasy lets us go somewhere new, explore out there, and also think about what it means to make a choice between magic or family. Without putting 14-year-old boys to sleep.
( Romance and flintlock fantasy? Strange bedfellows? )
[Brandon] You were going to give us a writing prompt, Brian?
[Brian] Okay. My writing prompt. Oh, right. So, write your next story in a time period… Doesn't matter what genre, you can change it up if you want… In a time period that you haven't written before. You can make up the facts if you want. I know Mary would probably murder me if she was here.
[Chuckles]
[Brian] But just do something different, in a different time period.
[Brandon] That is a very good prompt. We want to say thank you for coming. You guys should really all go read Promise of Blood. It is a fantastic book. Brian gets better with every book, which makes us angry, because he is getting so good at this writing thing. You're going to love…
[Howard] We should have killed him before it was too late?
[Brandon] Yeah. His new book, Sins of Empire, we promo'ed earlier in the year. But it is a new starting point. And you can go pick that one up. Thank you very much, Brian, for being on the podcast.
[Brian] Thank you very much.
[Brandon] Thank you, listeners, for listening. But you are now out of excuses. So, go write.
