Fantasy Writers, Stretch Your Imagination

The beautiful thing about fantasy wiring is nothing is impossible. I said something along those lines in Fantasy Worlds and Modern Technology. But, old habits die hard.

In my current work-in-progress, one of my characters wields a scythe. Before researching, I imagined it looked like this:

Nothing wrong with that. Right? I thought so until I did a Google image search for “Anime Scythes.”

Image Source: http://blog.livedoor.jp/gigadon/archives/52241799.html

Then I’m like, why am I limiting myself to the first design? It’s the same with a sword. Why does it have to look like this:

Why not this:

The way my characters create and use their weapons makes the alternatives totally doable. For them, the weapon it not simply a way to cut down their enemies, it’s a tool to channel their power through.

Similarly, when I first designed the landscape, I relied on plants I’d seen but why can’t I go full on Avatar and create a completely new species of plants.

When it comes to writing fantasy, question everything. Why does the sky have to blue, the grass green? What if everything in your world grew from the sky down instead of the ground up? It is called fantasy for a reason 😉 Have fun with it.

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)