The Quest For Uniqueness

I hear so many beginning fantasy novelists striving to be like the great masters. It's a wonderful aspiration, and if it can be accomplished, my hat is off to you. However, I challenge you to look at a simpler scope.

One of the things I find most inspiring about fantasy writing is the hero-quest itself. I admire flawed characters who are charged with some daunting task and the sheer work it takes to overcome their faults and succeed. However, that quest is always present. It's a key part of what makes the fantasy genre what it is. The truth is, folks, we can't all be Tolkien. We can't all be Salvatore. We are, who we are, and we must carve our own places by being unique.

But how, when the basic premise is the same? Why, when everyone loves certain types of characters The Greats crafted? Where, when our worlds aren't sci-fi and resemble Earth? How, when almost everything has been done in one way or the other?

Let me tell you something -- as an author in the most popular genre of fiction, it can be done. My other genre is a classic example of varying the tried and true. Where uniqueness comes into play is in the small things.

A unique naming scheme. A slightly different rule to the way the world works. A small twist in the characters' internal conflicts. A kink in an expected outcome.

It doesn't have to be sweepingly different, and every aspect doesn't have to be different. What your story must contain is something that is compellingly different. Something small. Something you can weave into the story so intricately that without it, the story won't exist. Maybe this is a character who only receives negative visions, and always negative visions, as opposed to seeing the world in any other light. Maybe your character is missing a leg. Maybe your character's magic can only be performed when the sun is aligned with a particular star.

It can be anything, but it does not need to be huge to make a difference and be unique. It still must carry an impact. But you aren't looking to reinvent the wheel. You're looking to craft a story someone will remember, and unique elements makes a tale memorable. Even if it's just a quest within the village, as opposed to one that spans the world.

G.P.