My dream is to get published someday (after all, what writer's dream is not to get published?) and I'm addicted to reading any type of fantasy. Putting two and two together, I have a bunch of notes of a fantasy trilogy I'd love to write for--yes, insert sigh here--adolescents.
Obviously there are the Epics: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Sword of Shannara, writers like Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, and David Eddings. All of their books and stories stand equally and uniquely apart, while maintaining the same essential elements of good fantasy plot and characters-- mythological creatures, good vs. evil ideology, well-developed villains readers love to hate, multiple characters and subplots, and turns at every corner.
And there are "Epics" for young adults as well: Harry Potter, Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle), The Mortal Instruments, His Dark Materials, The Hunger Games- I REFUSE to include Twilight for obvious reasons. Please.
But, how do I sit down and write a web of a tale, and do it in an original way? I started writing about two brothers, one good and one evil, and I paused. It's been done how many times? I started writing about dragon knights, but stopped before I got too far--I was afraid it sounded too much like Eragon; I tossed it in the trash. I thought of centering the story around a girl who becomes the first female dragon knight--but hasn't that been done also?
It's very frustrating to come up with original material when I read so much. Things all sound the same to me. So if anyone has any ideas on how to come up with something truly unique and original, I'd be glad to hear it. Or maybe I should just realize that all fantasy is alike; it's pulling different elements into your own story and tweaking them that makes it different.
Here's something I've been working on:
The two met in a dark corner of an abandoned library. Thunder rattled the windows, lightning illuminating the murky stillness of ageless books. Firelight crept along the bookshelves, shadows surrounding the candles mounted on the wall. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling to floor, dust hanging thickly in the air. Their cloaks were soaked from rain, but neither noticed. They were too focused on conniving a plan.
Neena hovered her hand over a candle flame, her huge violet eyes casting an annoying glance at the pouring rain raging outside. The other, a boy, merely shrugged, shuffling his feet from side to side, an anxious look on his face.
“You’re nervous,” she noted, tone laced with disapproval.
He ignored her. Instead he asked, “Are the Knights going to be a problem?” He kept looking down at his feet, unsure of the battle going on inside his heart.
Neena rolled her eyes, snuffing the flame out with her fist. Her Superior thought this boy would be capable of doing exactly as he was asked in the days ahead, but she had her doubts. He looked no older than seventeen, his dark hair falling into his face clumsily. She shook her head.
I'll just keep working, and reworking, and hopefully, by spending more time developing my ideas, it'll become my own.
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