Here's why it could be called a fantasy:
- It involves fantastic beings like sprites, goblins, people who live ten times longer than we do, and elves (I don't actually call them elves, but they're like the elves in Norse mythology: bright beings that live in a blessed realm).
- My protagonist is young, and it's a coming of age story for her.
- It involves “magical” objects:
- Crowns that not only symbolize power, but have actual authority, either proper and overbearing.
- Lights contained in a glass that everyone possesses from birth that can give them guidance and show things as they really are.
- Keys that unlock doors that open into a land of peace and refuge -- and eventually more than that.
- Warfare between good and evil.
This is why it may not be a really typical fantasy:
- My protagonist is not “the chosen one”, neither is she on a clear-cut quest to save the world or a nation. Not everyone's life and freedom depends upon her. Each individual must decide which side he/she is on, whether to be free or to become a prisoner of evil.
- The arch villain is not a big evil dude that everybody recognizes. The evil dude targets mostly the mind, although he does exercise some influence over larger entities. In these cases, he mostly uses other people who have come under his influence to carry out his purposes.
- In all honesty, I have three main characters. The one I've been referring to (Winkle) is the main character of all main characters I suppose. I get into the heads of all three of them, but the story begins in Winkle's head. I follow the others' thoughts more directly as they separate and go in different directions. Their stories become just as important as Winkle's. Winkle is still the main protagonist because she is the youngest, and hers is the coming of age story. The other two have already grown up, but must unlearn some things, remember things, or build on what they've already learned.
- Magic isn't very heavily involved. Politics, characters' personalities and choices, and interactions between characters are pretty important to the story.
I still need to get to what the story is about -- but of course, I can't tell everything and give it away. So, it all takes place in an empire called Arlithed. It has a republican form of government, so it is ruled by an established Law that both the people and the government must be responsible too. At the point where the story begins, corrupt leaders are trying to maneuver around the law, the economy is going downhill, “secret combinations” are gaining power, etc. (Let me be clear that this isn't a pure allegory of the current American situation. I've looked into some histories of republican Rome and similar entities as well.) Not everyone knows about what is happening because news takes weeks or months to get to the outer reaches of the sprawling empire. (They didn't have the internet or TV.) Winkle, Lady Dorthea, and Lieutenant Wendil do know what's happening because they all work in the Forum at the capitol. As much as they try to correct the direction of the administration and save the empire, things fall apart. They struggle to find purpose in life as the world crumbles, and everything they cherished, built, and fought for is threatened by alternating anarchy and tyranny. They learn that they cannot successfully combat the forces of destruction without first finding and gaining strength from another power. This power works inside each individual, and then when those individuals are united in one purpose, they can defeat evil.
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Now, if that is all too vague, let me give you some ideas of what my story is not about, and maybe that will give you (and myself) a clearer idea of what it is about.
What it's not about.
What it is about.
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1. Villains:
In a lot of fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero stories, the villain is easily recognizable, even if he's called “the nameless one”. That's not always the way it works in real life. Sure, we have our Hitlers and Stalins. Even in those cases, people can't always tell who's the bad guy. A lot of people thought Hitler was great because he was a strong, charismatic leader and because he helped the economy. Very few people knew what was going on in the concentration camps until after the war. He was kind of like Saruman: a great speaker with a lot of blood and dirty deeds on his hands.
I'm convinced that the greatest battles we fight are within ourselves. No matter what forces or influences put pressure on us from the outside or the inside, the way our lives turn out, and the person we become is ultimately up to us. Remember the part in The Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo was on the seat of seeing with his ring on, and one power was pressuring him to leave it on, and another was pressuring him to take it off? Neither of those powers could decide for him. It was up to him. That's what I'm talking about. You can never honestly say, “The Devil made me do it” or “I am what I am” without acknowledging that you chose to give up some of your freedom.
So in my story, I want to show that everyone's fate doesn't depend on a single person, and that the evil dude has no power over anyone unless they let him have power over them. Circumstances are difficult for everyone, but they can still respond to what he or fate throws at them and choose sides.
As I've been writing, I've been thinking. The whole quest-that-depends-on-one-person story does have some merit. Even though we are free to choose, there is only one way for us to make it to where we want to go, and that way is only possible because of one person: Jesus Christ. Without His sacrifice, we would have no hope of ever making it home. We all make mistakes, but because of Him, we can all be forgiven, cleansed, strengthened, and transformed into something greater than we could ever imagine. Because of Him, we are free to choose. Now, it's up to us to use that freedom to turn away from evil influence and turn to Him.
So that's really the point. The power of Good is there to save us. We just have to choose to use that power. We know that the good guys are going to win, but we just have to be one of the good guys.
I have thought of bringing in a kind of allegorical story that is told in my story about a Christlike figure who went on a quest to save humanity. What he did didn't cause evil powers to cease to exist immediately. It made a way to escape evil so if one so chose, evil could have no power over him or her.
2. What are we fighting for?
Not just “all that is good and green”. Sure, it's sad when orcs go stomping through forests and chopping down trees for no reason, but I don't think that's really what it's all about. ...And I'm sick and tired of stories about how the evil or thoughtless humans are killing off dragons so they're now on the endangered species list, etc. Think about it. When you're in some kind of trouble or you just accomplished something great, who's going to be there for you? Your family and friends? I hope so. Your friendly forest beasts or trees? What do they care? A grizzly would just as soon eat you as sit down and listen to your problems or triumphs.
Now, suppose your friend or one of your siblings needs you. Are you going to be there for them, or just expect them to find support from a friendly rock or an ant scurrying by? It wasn't the pretty trees of Lothlorien that helped Frodo accomplish his task. It was his loyal friend, Sam, whom he could trust.
You're not going to be much more help to a person than a rock, ant, or grizzly if you haven't built some kind of trusting relationship with them. In this crazy life of ups and downs, we need strong families and friendships. Those relationships can last forever if we work at them. We can learn from each other, love and support each other, and build things together. If we neglect our relationships and let them deteriorate, what do we have left? Maybe money, a house, some trees, some rocks... but nothing that will last.
3. How do we know which is the good side and which is the bad side?
I've already gone on about how good and evil isn't so obvious in real life as it is in the storybooks. That doesn't mean that there isn't a difference. It's just harder to detect, and it's no time to go bumbling about following whims. What on earth does “Follow your heart” mean, anyway? It's just fluff! What if your heart tells you to do something stupid that will get yourself and others into trouble?
We have to find out what is right and what is wrong, and that means finding truth – and changing our hearts where necessary.
4. What to be?
Most of the plays and movies I've seen lately all have the same theme: Be different! (Why don't they take their own advice?) Does that mean that if everyone else is not jumping off a cliff, you should jump off a cliff? This idea doesn't seem to fit all circumstances. Sure, it would be boring if we were all exactly the same and never could learn anything from each other, but we've all had the idea that being different is OK jammed into our heads. It's time for some fresh – ahem, different – ideas to think about.
How about this one: Be the best you can be.
But – but -- that means saying something is better than something else! We can't have that. It's all relative! Alright then, have a boring life of just being the same person who doesn't have to change because nothing is better than anything else.
We are free, and we can have the power and support we need to become the greatest being ever. We just have to find truth, choose the right path, accept help and help each other along the way, and work at being what we have the potential to be.
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Yes, that was a very long explanation. I've said a lot of things directly here, but I hope that as I write, I'll be able to craft a good story, and also say this kind of thing in a way that readers have to dig a little. My favorite books are the ones that I can read over and over again and find some new meaning every time.
