Helen Lowe on "Keeping Your Fantasy Novel Fresh and Interesting"

Recently, the shortlist for this year’s David Gemmell Legend Award was announced, and Helen Lowe’s  “The Gathering of The Lost” is a finalist. So what better time to get Helen here to talk ‘Keeping Your Fantasy Novel Fresh and Interesting.’

Keeping storytelling fresh is always a challenge, simply because there are very few actual stories:  a woman meets a man, a farm boy/girl finds a destiny (Carnivale, anyone?), star-crossed love, an ordinary person is faced with an extraordinary challenge… These are the stories that speak to us in every generation and not just in Fantasy. The difference in Fantasy is that we add magic…(Then stir!)

This is why I argue that the secret to great storytelling is not about finding the ’new’, but about how we tell stories that are already, if not as old as time, at least as enduring as the human race. In short, it is about authenticity. And authenticity is about keeping it real.

A big part of keeping it real in all fiction is developing authentic characters. It’s even more vital with Fantasy because the characters operate in a fantastic setting, which may be completely “other” worlds, or our own world, but with magic added. To believe in the world, we first have to believe in the characters at an emotional level; their hopes, dreams, and fears have to be real for us as readers.

One way I achieve that, as a writer, is to understand that no matter how large or small their part in the story, the character is important to him or herself. Even the most minor of characters will have a history and a life that matters to them, and as the writer I have to convey a sense of that, even if the reader will only ever catch the most fleeting glimpse of the character on the page.

The second part of keeping Fantasy real (and fresh, and interesting) is developing those fantastic worlds—it’s what distinguishes the SFF genre from any other form. Those other forms are all bound to the world-as-we-know-it, whether in its contemporary or historical context.

Speculative fiction asks “what if?” What if a world could be like this, or this, or that? What if there really were magic? How would that work?

It’s the infinite variety of possible “what if’s” that keeps Fantasy exciting.

The Gathering Of The Lost, which is currently shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award, is set in a completely “other” world, that has been described by readers as a compelling ‘character’ in its own right.

It’s also a story of magic and adventure, roof top pursuits and tourneys, hidden identities and springtime love. The heart of the story though, is always the characters: Malian, the Heir of Night, and her friend and champion, Kalan, and their story of honor, ambition, and duty, as well as responsibility: to each other, to the world in which they live, and to their families, whether of blood or friendship.

These are matters that not just speak to, but compel us in every generation. You don’t get any more interesting than that.

You can read Helen’s finalist’s interview on the Gemmell Awards site, here. If you wish to vote for the final round of the Legend Award, the link is here.

 Bio: