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Five Tips For Planning A Fantasy Novel

If you want to write a fantasy novel then follow these planning tips!

Writing a fantasy novel is great fun – you can, literally, let your imagination run wild. It’ a little different to writing a novel set in the real world as, unlike books set in reality where you can use real life as examples, you’ll have to invent everything in your new fantasy world. So how do you get started? Well, read the five tips below and you’ll be on your way to having a great fantasy novel:

Tip 1. Read as many classics as you can find! This’ll give you a good idea about what works and what does not. But, take care not to simply copy the ideas you’ve read. If you find yourself dealing with elves, half-lings and orcs whilst being a reluctant hero on a quest to destroy a powerful item, it’s probably best to scrap it and start again. It is true that all stories are a combination of those the reader has encountered over the years. But, you should always try to find an original angle and it certainly should not be obvious what the source material was. Reading the classics will also allow you to discover how well-crafted characters interact with each other as the story progresses.

Tip 2. Use established myths and legends as the basis for your fantasy world. Think about what your fantasy world might be like. Is it most like a celtic, roman or medieval world, or something else entirely? Once you’ve chosen, go and read about the myths and legends relate to it. The mythological creatures and characters and their stories will give you a great basis for your new world.

Tip 3. Get to know your imaginary world – you need to be able to describe it in detail if you are going to convince your readers, for the duration of the book at least, that it exists. Some things to think about:

  • Physical – what does your fantasy world look like? Think about and make a note of:

    • the colour of the sky
    • what other planets can be seen from the surface
    • whether the air is breathable
    • what the plants look like
    • what creatures live there
    • whether there are seas
    • what the landscape looks like

  • Residents – decide who lives in your newly formed fantasy world. You should spend time thinking about how they look, what they eat, how they move, whether they need sleep, how they speak to one another, and so on.

  • Society – what kind of society exists? Do they need money to buy things? Is there a complex system of politics they follow? Do they have a police force, a king or president? Is there a religion?

  • Special powers/magic – Do the residents have any special powers or use magic? If so, what are they and why do they exist? Does everyone have use of them or only certain people?

 

 

 

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Lizbeth Crawford"My debut novel, Hate To Love You, by Elise Alden (my pen name for contemporary and historical romance), received three offers of publication. I went with Harlequin Carina Press.

"So, thank you Writers Bureau, to which I am extremely grateful. The Novel and Short Story course gave me the tools I needed to write my first novel."

Lizbeth Crawford

 

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The WRITERS BUREAU

Privacy Policy

10th August 2018

BACKGROUND:

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"We/Us/Our"

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4 - Your Rights

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5 - What Data Do We Collect?

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6 - How Do We Use Your Data?

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7 - How and Where Do We Store Your Data?

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      AND
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    We use Communigator as our emailing system and your name and email address are stored therein and are used to send you information about our courses and services.
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    If you enrolled by phone or post and have been given access to the online course materials your name and email address are stored on our website.

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    Your entry details are securely stored on our server.
  • 7.7 Where Your Data is Stored When You Join The Association of Freelance Writers:

    We use Communigator as our emailing system and your name and email address are stored therein and are used to update you with AFW news.

    If you paid by card: Your details, except card details, are stored within our cart. We use SagePay or PayPal to process your card payments so your details are stored therein.

    Your membership details are securely stored on our server.

8 - Do We Share Your Data?

  • 8.1 Subject to section 8.2, We will not share any of your data with any third parties other than those cited in sections 7.5 - 7.8.
  • 8.2 In certain circumstances, We may be legally required to share certain data held by Us, which may include your personal data, for example, where We are involved in legal proceedings, where We are complying with legal obligations, a court order, or a governmental authority.
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  • 8.4 We may sometimes use third party data processors that are located outside of the European Economic Area ("the EEA") (The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). Where We transfer any personal data outside the EEA, We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the GDPR.

9 - What Happens If Our Business Changes Hands?

  • 9.1 We may, from time to time, expand or reduce Our business and this may involve the sale and/or the transfer of control of all or part of Our business. Any personal data that you have provided will, where it is relevant to any part of Our business that is being transferred, be transferred along with that part and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Privacy Policy, be permitted to use that data only for the same purposes for which it was originally collected by Us.
  • 9.2 In the event that any of your data is to be transferred in such a manner, you will not be contacted in advance and informed of the changes.

10 - How Can You Control Your Data?

  • 10.1 When you submit personal data via Our Site, you may be given options to restrict Our use of your data. In particular, We aim to give you strong controls on Our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to stop receiving emails from Us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in Our emails).
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11 - Your Right to Withhold Information

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12 - How Can You Access Your Data?

  • You have the right to ask for a copy of any of your personal data held by Us (where such data is held). Under the GDPR, no fee is payable and We will provide any and all information in response to your request free of charge. Please contact Us for more details at studentservices@writersbureau.com, or using the contact details below in section 14.

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Name of Cookie

Purpose

Strictly Necessary

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Analytics Cookie

Yes

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Yes

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Yes

__utmc

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Yes

__utma

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Yes

__utmz

Analytics Cookie

Yes

__PHPSESSID

Analytics Cookie

Yes
     
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  • 13.8 The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) Cookies to gather the required information.
  • 13.9 The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) the following Cookies:

Name of Cookie

First / Third Party

Provider

Purpose

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Third Party

Google Analytics

Analytics Cookie

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Third Party

Google Analytics

Analytics Cookie
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  • 13.12 It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.
  • Our Site may place and access certain first party Cookies on your computer or device. First party Cookies are those placed directly by Us and are used only by Us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve Our products and services. By using Our Site you may also receive certain third party Cookies on your computer or device. Third party Cookies are those placed by websites, services, and/or parties other than Us. Third party Cookies are used on Our Site for advertising services. In addition, Our Site uses analytics services provided by Google Analytics, which also use Cookies. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse usage statistics, enabling Us to better understand how people use Our Site. For more details, please refer to Our Cookie section in this document

14 - Contacting Us

  • If you have any questions about Our Site or this Privacy Policy, please contact Us by email at studentservices@writersbureau.com, by telephone on 0161 819 9922, or by post at 8-10 Dutton Street, Manchester, M3 1LE. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data We hold about you (as under section 12, above).

15 - Changes to Our Privacy Policy

  • We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.