If you’ve dreamed of being the next JRR Tolkien or CS Lewis, then a day dedicated to fantasy fiction at The Hive could give you the push you need.
Ruth Stacey
For Ruth Stacey, a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Worcester and published writer herself, the secret to good fantasy fiction is simple - a good story and compelling characters. She will be sharing her tips along with other writers at the upcoming Fantasy Writers’ Day. This is part of a series of fantasy-themed events going on at The Hive over the next two months.
“Someone can spend ages thinking about their fantasy world, but if it’s not a compelling story or it’s a generic retelling of another work it won’t hold the reader’s attention,” she said. “One approach to writing fantasy fiction is to have a sketched-out story and put characters in that help you to build the world as you go along. That way you have something to aim for in terms of plot and enjoy the character growth as you write. The biggest tip is to read a lot, read a lot of fantasy work. By reading you will learn story structure and become a better writer.”
Held on Saturday February 24, 9.30am-2.30pm, the Fantasy Writers’ Day is a chance for people to find out more about the writing process, gets tips on how to improve their fantasy fiction writing and share their work, and hear from a number of fantasy authors. There will be talks, panels and workshops throughout the day.
Ms Stacey, who is writing her own fantasy fiction novel, said fantasy fiction has become an increasingly popular genre, with part of the appeal, she believes, in that fantasy novels are often in a series. “Fantasy is popular in lots of ways, but there’s something satisfying about having a sequence and returning to a favourite author and that world,” she said.
“There is a wonderful sense of escapism, there’s always things happening, but at the heart of fantasy is relationships. They may be being explored with dragons in the background, but it’s about how people cope with difficulties, challenges, and relationships - that’s extremely relatable.”
The Writers’ Day costs £3 and booking is essential.
There are a number of other fantasy themed events and activities happening at The Hive throughout February.
Katy Wareham Morris, Course Leader for Media & Culture at the University, will be delving into the modern cult classic TV series Stranger Things and exploring what makes it so captivating to audiences in a special talk on Monday (February 5).
Staff and students from the University’s School of Humanities will be sharing insights about their research into the fantasy genre – forms, styles, characters, genres and mythologies – in a series of 15-minute presentations on February 19.
For children looking to get involved in half-term, ‘Magical Maps’ on February 10, 10am-2pm, provides a host of free activities where children can piece together maps jigsaw-style, have a go at the quiz, try quill writing and use their imagination to create their own fantasy map.
There are also a number of discussions being screened from the British Library: ‘Queer Fantasy’ on Tuesday, February 6, explores fantasy fiction which has featured queer and gender-fluid themes and characters; ‘Black to the Future presents Imaginary Cities’ on February 13 features a panel of well-known writers exploring the power of place in fantasy; and there will be a discussion about popular fantasy game, ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ on February 21.
To find out more about these activities and more going on at The Hive, go to The Hive’s Fantasy Worlds webpage