By: Tamara Smith

In my reading experience, I have encountered many fantasy books that seem to follow a particular formula in storytelling. Although this may appear positive, I have begun to view it as a double-edged sword. Because I have read so many books, I have started to notice the ways that authors fall into tropes that have become somewhat overused. This does not mean to discredit writers who utilize these storytelling techniques; I simply want to share a short list of certain ones that do not work as effectively.

(While these tropes still work for some works of fiction, I think it’s time to mix things up to make stories less predictable.)

The Mentor Who Knows All

The premise: The protagonist is thrown into a world that no longer makes sense to them. They encounter someone who knows everything about their new fantastical setting. This wise individual freely shares knowledge with the main character, which consistently proves helpful later in the novel.I find this quite predictable. I have read stories that use different methods to convey information about a world, such as allowing readers to explore books found in a library.

Piece by piece, they learn about past wars, rulers, cultures, and more. If a character views a gallery filled with paintings and sculptures, they can utilize these resources to their advantage. I consider these storytelling techniques more engaging than having a mentor who tells the protagonist everything there is to know about the lands. The information should be revealed gradually; readers don’t need to learn everything about the world all at once! This approach builds suspense for what comes later.

Kidnapping The Protagonist

A group or individual forcibly takes the protagonist from their world and places them into a new one. I admit that many of the fantasy books I read tend to follow this route, though they are executed very well. However, I am somewhat tired of this being the primary way that characters are introduced to new surroundings. 

The Zero-Flawed Warrior

The characters themselves are too perfect. Every move is executed flawlessly in battle, and they have no difficulty adopting a new fighting method. However, this character becomes predictable after a while, which shows that they do not have any stakes. 

Names That Are Difficult To Pronounce

Yes, I said it. Often found in fantasy, I have set aside a few books simply because the names of places and characters were extremely difficult to pronounce. I found myself focusing more on how to correctly pronounce their names rather than on the unfolding plot. I love the uniqueness of names because it moves away from genericness and opens the door to more imagination. However, if I have to keep flipping back to the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book every other chapter, I will stop reading it entirely.