A Few of my Favorite Fantasy Cliches

This is my 100th post! In celebration, I'd like to do something very cliche: write a post about my favorite fantasy cliches. (Cue applause.)

Also, please note that in my blog post, I've used male pronouns to refer to characters, since the majority of fantasy stories are still written about males. Hopefully someday the case will be different!

So, without further ado, I present:


My Favorite Cliches
To the tune of, "My Favorite Things"

Dark stormy nights and scales on dragons
Bright shining daggers and red glowing fire
Stacks of old parchment all tied up with strings--
These are a few of my favorite cliches.

Black or white horses and elvish lembas bread
Watch bells and beacons and Gollum with worms
Creatures that fly with the Nazgul on their wings--
These are a few of my favorite cliches.

Shield maidens in white dresses with swords at their sashes,
Arrows that barely scratch my nose and eyelashes
Silver white beards of wise old men who soon die--
These are a few of my favorite cliches.

When the Dark Lord rises, when the prophecy rhymes, when the hero's an orphan,
I simply remember my favorite cliches, and then I don't feel so bad (about my own writing)!

And now for a proper list of my favorite fantasy cliches.

1. Stock characters

Almost every single fantasy story contains an old man/wizard/wise person who imparts crucial information to the young hero, usually an orphan. Said young hero discovers he has magic powers or is the "chosen one," a fact that no one has told him all his life, and that the villains have only just discovered. Add in a handful of warrior maidens and a dragon or two, and you've got a regular soup of cliches. If you really need any examples of this, just look to Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.


2. Prophecies or curses

Speaking of the "chosen one," any prophecy or curse of any size or shape definitely counts as cliche. Particularly if the hero is the only person that the prophecy could refer to. And if the stakes are "the end of the world as we know it." So if you're dying to make your story as cliche as possible, please, please, insert one of these. I promise it'll increase the cliche-factor by ten. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes! (Reference to Beauty and the Beast, which by the way contains a prophetic curse.)

3. Medieval setting

Despite the constant use of Medieval costumes and weapons in fantasy stories, the hygiene and medicine of fantasy stories seem to be pretty modern. Because, really, where's the plague? Furthermore, there's always a journey that takes days or weeks to get to the destination, usually by walking or riding the same horse for days on end. Honestly, how do characters in these stories manage to get anything done when they must be dead tired from traveling all the time? Walking kills your feet, kills the horses, and can't be done constantly. I'm looking at you, Lord of the Rings.


4. Good versus Evil

So your hero is battling a "Dark Lord" or the "forces of evil" or must go through the "Dark Forest" and battle an army of ugly evil orcs? Wow, how original. But let me ask a question: why should darkness be the enemy just because it's dark? Couldn't that be construed as a bit racist? And why should the whole race of elves (or dwarves, or men) be good and beautiful while orcs (or other villainous force) are always evil and ugly? The real world has good ugly humans and bad beautiful humans. Why should fantasy be any different?


5. Unrealistic fighting

Hero learns swordplay in about a week and is suddenly a master at weapons of any kind, able to confront expert enemies who've had years of training to perfect their technique. Also, arrows never, ever run out, armor is feather-light, and shields are hardly ever necessary. Oh, and while we're on the subject, all wounds seem to be either a minor scratch or life-threatening. Don't heroes ever get paralyzed, or suffer brain damage, or have to amputate their arms?

That said, of course, these particular cliches are only cliches because they've been used very effectively in some of the greatest fantasy stories of all time, from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter and Beauty and the Beast. So should you really always avoid using cliches?

Well, on the one hand, if you purposefully try to avoid all cliches ever, you're just going to give yourself a horrible headache while you try to think of original plot devices and methods of transportation. On the other hand, you do want to think very carefully before inserting a cliche into your story.

If you do use a cliche, make it humorous and obvious, as Patricia C. Wrede does in her hilarious Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Or try turning it on its head, as Gail Carson Levine did in her amazing novel Ella Enchanted. Recognize the cliches in your writing--and run with them! Use them for your own benefit. It's the best way to write!


Have you read any books or seen any movies with cliches? Any cliche-breaking stories you'd love to share? What about in your own writing--love them? Hate them? Avoid them like the plague?

Top Blog Posts of 2012

The year 2012 is almost at an end--and what a year it has been! As we think over what this year has brought us, let's also look back at some of the highlights of the blog this past year. So, without further ado, here are the top 15 blog posts of 2012! (Posts are listed in chronological order.)

The Hows and Whys of Naming God in Your Fantasy Story

The Weapons in Fantasy Series -- Swords, Bows, Armor

The Fashion in Fantasy Series -- Females, Males, Shoes

The Villain Series -- 5 Ways to Kill Your Villain, Recipe for a Dark Lord

Easter and Fantasy

The Names Series -- Names in the Bible, How to Name Your Characters

Costs and Benefits of Self-Publishing

The Colors in Fantasy Series -- Tools, Opposites

So go ahead and click those links to read any posts you missed! And if you liked other posts from the blog, be sure to comment and let me know. I look forward to an even better 2013!

Swords: Make it, Break it, or Fake it

What’s a good fantasy without a few sword-wielding heroes and heroines? That’s why, in today’s blog post, we’ll be looking at what exactly you need to know about swords (and, more importantly, what you don’t).

In fantasies, as in the great legends and epics of old, the primary weapon of choice is the sword. Soldiers stride around with giant broadswords dangling by their side, heroes defeat the villain with a clean swipe of their shining blade, and even Eowyn the shieldmaiden of Rohan (Lord of the Rings reference alert) had a sword to wield against the dreaded Nazgul witch-king.

Now, if you’re anything like me, swords don’t just confuse you. They frighten, intimidate, befuddle, and positively stupefy both you and your writing. Do you need to mention swordsmanship at all? If yes, how do you describe a sword, anyway? What do you do with a sword (besides swing it)?

Let’s start with an overview of the major types of swords.

1. Rapier

-- Basically, a fancy fencing sword that doesn’t do much damage. It’s quite long, so it keeps your opponent at a distance. However, it’s not durable and incapable of withstanding strong blows.

--This sword works best in situations like The Princess Bride, where fencing is a humorous way in which the hero and villain combat each other. Not for serious wounds, this one.

2. Shortsword/Dagger

--This is a small knifelike sword that is sharp on both sides and comes to a deep point. The dagger is usually used for slashing at opponents in self-defense. In a variant on the dagger, the stiletto has an extremely sharply tapered the point and blunt sides, which make it ideal for stabbing (as opposed to slashing and hacking).

--Is your main character female in a dangerous, male-dominated society? Chances are, a full-on sword would be too obvious for her to have, but a dagger is just the trick to protect her from most attackers. The dagger doesn’t do enough damage for a soldier to use except as a backup weapon (or, if he’s the type that likes to show off, he may try to eat with it).  However, the stiletto in particular is easily hidden and perfect for assassination attempts.

3. Sabre/Saber

--The sabre is especially distinctive for its curved, single-edged blade, which allows both slashing and stabbing. These swords are carried primarily by cavalry and are used when fighting on horseback. A cutlass is a variation on the saber that is used at sea by naval forces and pirates.

            --Got cavalry, navy, or pirates? Then here’s your ticket!

4. Longsword

--As a historical sword used primarily in the Middle Ages, the longsword is often the weapon of choice in fantasy stories. The blade is slim yet strong and long, making it suitable for both slashing and stabbing. This is the weapon most used by infantry, as well as the knights-in-shining-armor of Camelot fame.

--If I’m allowed to be biased here, the longsword gets my vote for the ideal fantasy sword. Heavy enough to cause serious damage yet light enough for youths and less skilled soldiers to master, the longsword is excellent for battles and single combat alike.

--Note: the construction of the longsword changed with the introduction of plate armor in medieval times. If you’ll be featuring the longsword, it may be worth your while to consider the types of protection that your characters have available.

5. Broadsword/Great Sword

-- This sword is named for its particularly broad blade. It is slightly shorter than a longsword, mostly because of its great weight. The broadsword, while difficult to master and fight with, came into use after plate armor became widely used. It is particularly effective when using heavy blows to hack and slice. (Note that another sword named the broadsword is a heavy fencing blade, quite different from the broadsword I’m discussing here.)

-- Good for highly-trained muscled soldiers. Not so good for damsels in distress or your average worthy woodcutter’s son.

So there you have it. Of course, swords are a true art, and if you’re interested in them, you’ll find many more categories to study. I’ve included some pictures that have been very helpful to me for further observation. The first illustrates other types of swords, and the second details the different components of a generic longsword-like blade. The second picture is particularly helpful when trying to describe which portions of the sword the hero is grasping, swinging, sheathing, or cleaning.

Good luck and God bless in puzzling out the confusing world of swords in fantasy!