Are you wondering how to write a medieval fantasy story? We’ll explain how to in this post through the following 10 top tips.
1. Know the common storylines
Why you need it
Most medieval fantasies follow one of these storylines: an evil character (usually a sorcerer or overlooked royal) has been wronged and seeks revenge; a quest to revisit the ancestral birthplace of the main character; magic is either in jeopardy or returning in ways never seen before; a quest for treasure or something precious (the classic ‘Hero’s Journey’ by Joseph Campbell)
How to include it
Every medieval fantasy includes a quest, but you don’t have to follow any of these storylines. You could subvert them entirely. For example, you could have the evil person be justified in their revenge as they weren’t actually the evil one in the first place. Or maybe the ‘magic’ was just science by another name (like how we thought of electricity and medicines before we knew how they were made).
Whether you want to follow the stock storylines or not, make sure to research the steps or stages of the stock storyline closest to your own. This is so you can decide whether to stick to the same structure or to change it in some way.
2. Research! Research! Research!
Why you need it
Apart from the common storylines, most medieval fantasy stories are based on historical settings or events from the Middle Ages. Think about G.R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series: much of that was based off the War of the Roses from British history. Even if you’re just setting the story in a general medieval time and place, you should know the historical details to make the fine details seem plausible.
How to include it
Once you’ve chosen a historical event or setting to base your story on, research the timelines and important details you might need to include to make your story seem realistic. Keep a family tree and events timeline handy. Even if you want to deviate from the historical events, having them nearby to compare to as you write will help. You’ll need to keep track of how each character is connected and decide how you want your story to proceed.
3. Keep technology to a minimum
Why you need it
Because this is a ‘medieval’ fantasy, there shouldn’t be any technology available that wasn’t present in the Middle Ages. There was no electricity, but there were candles. There were no guns, but explosive powder could be included if used for fireworks or (maybe) cannons. There were definitely no motor-powered vehicles. This is why research is so important: the moment a reader sees a gun or an automobile in a fantasy story, they are immediately reminded this isn’t real.
How to include it
Because guns and aircraft didn’t exist, your characters will need to rely on more archaic methods of movement and war: horse and carriage, sword and shield, bow and arrow. If you want to show something like mass transit, make sure it’s steam or water-powered, as that would be more accurate for medieval times.
4. Magic, Dragons, and Monsters! Oh, my!
Why you need it
Fantasy means just that: fantastical elements that don’t exist in our universe. So, while you may be basing your story on a historical event, you will need to include magical elements to make it a ‘fantasy.’ These usually include (but are not limited to) dwarves, elves, magic users, dragons, and giants. Readers are more likely to feel a sense of escapism reading a medieval fantasy story that has these elements in it.
How to include it
This really should happen during the planning stage of your story. Do you want different races of people, like in Lord of the Rings? Then consider having dwarves and elves.
Do you want all humans? Then consider having a character or group of characters practice magic (or who everybody thinks does, even if it’s just rumor).
Don’t want magic? Then consider having dragons, giants, or some sort of mythical creatures everyone is afraid of. They should be completely different from anything you’d find in our world now or in the past, and they should also not function by entirely the same rules as we do (see the tip below).
5. Keep as many real-world rules as possible
Why you need it
While a medieval fantasy will include magical and mythical elements, they shouldn’t be so magical that your readers don’t understand them. Dragons, for example, should still be bound by the same physics as the rest of the people and animals that populate your universe. They just also happen to fly and breathe fire. Giants should still fall down or be mortal. Magic should still be able to fail or have unforeseen circumstances.
How to include it
Write out what fantasy elements you want to include. Decide how they break the rules of physics as we know them. For example, if someone can use magic to create items out of thin air, what is it that they need to do to get that item to appear? Do they need a special incantation or potion? Do they need a wand or something physical? Be sure to include how the fantasy elements are possible in your writing so the reader will buy into them easily.
6. Be sure to describe your setting
Why you need it
Much of medieval fantasy revolves around large landscapes and world-building, especially if you are creating an entirely new world. Knowing where everything is and giving in-depth descriptions of the setting will allow your readers to connect with the story more. If events or weather seem like they don’t fit, it will shock your reader out of the story, which is exactly what you don’t want.
How to include it
Especially if you are creating your own world, draw a map. Not only would this be a good resource to include for readers to refer to, but it is good for you to refer to, as well. You don’t want to say that some town or event exists in the south but describe your characters as riding east.
7. Put the focus on one adventurer
Why you need it
Most medieval fantasy stories have a group of main characters, somewhere between three and eight, but in almost every case, one of those main characters is the ‘chosen one.’ The ‘chosen one’ is the one character whose quest launches the story. Think of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings series or Ned Stark riding off to Kings Landing in Game of Thrones. While there were plenty of other important characters, these were the singular characters who started the story’s main adventure.
How to include it
Choose one of your characters to be the ‘chosen one.’ Be sure that it is their quest which starts the story and encourages all the other characters to tag along. You can expand on the other characters and their storylines as your story progresses, but make sure the main storyline originally focuses on one character and their growth or struggles as they work to accomplish their task.
8. Create balanced characters, not stock archetypes
Why you need it
Readers like watching characters grow and change. It’s what makes for a good story: the suspense of not knowing how characters will react and being pleasantly (or not-so-pleasantly) surprised at their actions. Having characters who are all good or all bad is not realistic and will remind the reader that these are just characters, not real people.
How to include it
Spend some time giving your characters backstories that explain their actions in the story. Be sure to give them opportunities to make both benevolent and selfish decisions. Try to make some of their actions unpredictable. For example, if you have a character who betrays another character, start off by showing them as a good friend or outwardly with good intentions. This will make the betrayal more shocking to the reader when it happens.
9. Write realistic dialogue
Why you need it
We don’t speak the same way now as we did 10 years ago, much less 400 years ago. Using dialogue that matches the time and setting of your story helps the reader feel submersed in a medieval fantasy story rather than a present day one. This means that most dialogue would likely be more formal than we speak now. If it isn’t formalized, then the use of slang or abbreviations will be different and specific to the characters in the story.
How to include it
Don’t use slang or contractions that sound out of place in a medieval setting. Words like ‘ain’t’ or contemporary swear words will stand out to your readers. If you want to create your own language or slang, then be sure your characters use it naturally and consistently. Keep checking that you haven’t changed the style of dialogue halfway through. You can do this by either by writing the rules out separately to refer to while writing or rereading what you’ve already written to make sure it sounds the same.
10. Spend time describing clothes
Why you need it
Clothes are just as much a part of the setting of a story as the landscape and time. In fact, clothes are often a major indicator of time period, and as such, should be described appropriately in a story.
A medieval fantasy story would have knights wearing armor, royal women in elaborately designed gowns, and royal men in tailored and embroidered tunics and breeches. Lower classes would be in plain tunics and shoes, probably a bit dirty or scruffy and definitely handmade.
Nowhere would characters be wearing denim of any kind or camouflage (as we know it). These elements would shock a reader out of the fantasy world and back into reality.
How to include it
You don’t have to make a great effort in explicitly describing your characters’ clothes. Just be sure that, when you do, they are described accurately. This is why research is so important; it will help you pay attention to those fine details, like clothing styles of the medieval era, that will lend a certain authenticity to your story.