The King lies dying. There is no one to take the throne as the prince disappeared years ago. The story starts with a young man, raised in a humble setting. As the story progresses, the need for the prince becomes greater until (Surprise!) this young man finds out that he is the missing prince and takes the throne. Sound familiar? Here's a bonus tip for writing Christian fantasy for you. If it sounds familiar, change it. Attention: Lost Heir on Aisle Four! (And no, this isn't a Rogaine commercial. I'm not telling you how to find your lost hair...) Just as the parents really shouldn't … [Read more...]

Does your main character not know who he/she is? Have the parents been killed, leaving relatives to raise him/her? The third tip for writing Christian fantasy challenges you to change that plot line. Why should you avoid the missing parents plot line? Simple. It’s overused. From The Sword of Shannara series, The Wheel of Time series, The Inheritance Cycle, Star Wars (although not pure fantasy, it includes many fantasy elements), and many more draw from this story line. Even Frodo in the The Lord of the Rings lived with his relative, Bilbo. Can it still work in Christian Fantasy? Yes, of … [Read more...]

Instead of a lengthy introduction, I shall heed my own advice and jump straight into my second tip of writing Christian fantasy. (In case you have just joined us, this is the second installment of a series called "50 Tips for Writing Christian Fantasy." You can view the first post here or follow on Pinterest here.) Writing Christian Fantasy Tip #2: Be Brief I love asking people what their opinions are about the books and the movies of The Lord of the Rings. Sometimes I find a kindred spirit who loves the books, but mostly people like the movies better. When I ask why, they list these … [Read more...]

One of the main reasons I love to write Christian fantasy is because I get to create whatever kind of world I want. (Then I try to tell myself that I'm not a control freak.) And of course it's necessary to share all the cool aspects of your world in the first few pages of your novel because everyone will love it. Right? Wrong. This excitement can lead you into making a dreadful mistake. If you want to keep readers turning pages, do not begin with all the unique stuff. Instead, start with the familiar. Do not expound greatly about the strange places, difficult names, new customs, or all … [Read more...]