6 Ways to Create Unique Fantasy Stories and Avoid Cliches

By Chelsea Hindle

Picture this: You’re a debut fantasy novelist, your book has just been released to the masses and you’re nervously biting your nails while you open your search bar. You visit a book review site, eager to see if your readers love your book as much as you do.

But as you begin to read, your heart falls in dismay. This person hates your book! They say it's full of cliches and tired old tropes. Ok, so maybe they don’t hate it. They love your characters and your worldbuilding was interesting. But they mentioned that word that all writers dread.

Cliché.

Cliches are hated by writers and for good reason. Oxford Languages defines a cliché as “a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.” No writer wants to be accused of lacking in original thoughts, so to have one’s work called “cliché” is a terrible insult. Or at least, so it’s perceived by writers, particularly novice writers.

Fantasy writers can be particularly culpable when it comes to cliches. We all know the persistent fantasy tropes, the ones that are older and more tired than the average mentor, the ones that make us groan and roll our eyes whenever we spot them on the horizon. The farm boy. The Chosen One. The old grey wizard. The greedy dwarves and the graceful elves. Etcetera, etcetera. And that’s understandable. 

We humans are creatures of habits and we find comfort in things that have worked previously. And the success of books such as The Lord of the Rings and Eragon prove that there is a market for elves, dragons and sorcerers.

But the fact of the matter is that fantasy is one of the only genres that is rooted almost entirely in imagination. That means the sky’s the limit when it comes to writing fantasy. So why do fantasy writers rely so heavily on cliches when there are so many other options available?

With that said, how do we avoid cliches? What steps can we take to make sure our novels don’t “betray a lack of original thought”? 

The bad news is that we never completely can. Humans tend to think alike in many ways, and cliches will never be entirely escapable. But, the good news is that there are many ways to put a new spin on old cliches, or even to break entirely free.

Method #1: Twist Cliches

This is a foolproof method to add a bit of extra charm to your fantasy novel and has been done with great success in the past. Twisting cliches is pretty self-explanatory, but essentially it involves taking several well-known aspects of a cliché and then twisting them into something new.

For example, in The Lego Movie, Emmet is repeatedly told that he is “The Special”, or the Chosen One. However, at the climax of the movie, Vitruvius, the mentor, reveals that he simply made up the Special Prophecy because “it rhymed.” Emmet still saves the day, of course, but only after realising that he’s a completely ordinary guy and that’s where his strength lies.

Take some time to consider the cliches you have in your novel, or are considering using in it, and brainstorm some ways you could switch it up. Could you do a gender or age swap (a farm girl and an old wise witch for a mentor, or a middle-aged hero and a young mentor)? What aspects of popular fantasy races could you tweak (carefree and joyful elves, with academic and ethical dwarves)?

Method #2: Use Your Imagination

Like I mentioned above, your imagination is your only barrier when you’re writing fantasy. Your world and story aren’t inhibited by physics, history, or geography, or our world in any way. Your imagination is free to roam, and unfortunately, many fantasy writers curb their imagination to fit in with the “in” fantasy trends.

However, all the great works of fantasy literature were created by their authors using extraordinary amounts of imagination to create something new. J.K. Rowling imagined a crossing of the traditional British boarding school mystery with children’s fairy tales and created Harry Potter. J.R.R. Tolkien imagined a modern version of the Norse legends and myths that he grew up with and created The Hobbit. Terry Pratchett imagined a flat earth carried by four elephants and a turtle and created the enormously popular Discworld novels.

Exercise your imagination, experiment with different styles and different ideas until you find something that sticks. Don’t limit yourself to the trends, or you’ll never write a truly creative story.

Method #3: Write What You Are Passionate About

This is probably my favourite tip on this list. When you write what you are passionate about, it’s almost impossible to fall into tired old tropes.

I find there’s a certain formula that’s used to create fantasy worlds these days. It usually involves creating half a language, a religion or two, and then slapping a monarchy and British-esque landscape on top to finish it off. However, this is not the formula that the greats used in their time. 

The authors who have gone down in history as giants of fantasy wrote what they were passionate about. Look, for example, at the King of Fantasy himself, Tolkien. Tolkien was passionate about language, indeed that was his primary motivation for creating Middle-Earth. His passion fuelled his story and it made it one of the most unique and beloved fantasy novels ever written.

Creating your own language is not necessary to create a fantasy world, and it’s not even necessarily recommended. However, instilling things you are passionate about into your story is. For example, I am passionate about mythology, so I spend a long time developing the mythologies of my worlds and worry very little about language. I’m also passionate about dance and the way it is used in communication and storytelling, so that also turns up a lot in my stories. Finally, I have a deep interest in the ways animals and their domestication reflect humanity’s history, so you will see a lot of that in my worldbuilding as well.

If your passions are cooking, or philosophy, or architecture, find ways to weave those into your worldbuilding to make your story stand out.

Method #4: Read Widely

This tip speaks for itself. Some writers get stuck in the idea that if they want to write high fantasy, all they have to do is read high fantasy and they’re good to go. Unfortunately, this is one surefire way to make sure you fall into as many cliches as possible.

Writers get much of their inspiration from the books they consume and if you are only consuming works that are like the ones you’re writing, you’re doing a serious disservice to your book. If you enjoy reading high fantasy, it’s a natural progression to go from reading to writing it. However, this can keep you stuck in a rut, because you’re only aware of high fantasy tropes and cliches and they are often repeated in your work. This is particularly a problem I see with novice writers. Don’t give up though! It’s one that’s easily remedied by expanding your reading.

You love high fantasy, but what if you dipped your toes in contemporary fantasy and tested out its tropes and cliches? Or if you tried another genre altogether? Often, mixing and matching major genres leads to unique subgenres and unique books. 

For a great example of drawing inspiration from multiple sources, we can look to C.S. Lewis and his world-famous The Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia draws inspiration from Greek mythology (centaurs, fauns and Greek gods), English mythology (knights, dragons), European folklore (Father Christmas) and traditional fairy tales (talking animals and magic items). If Lewis had kept his reading narrow and focused on, say, children’s fairy tales, his books wouldn’t have been nearly as rich and deep as they are. And they certainly wouldn’t have become firm childhood favourites.

Method #5: Don’t Mimic Fantasy Giants Just For the Sake of It

They say that imitation is the purest form of flattery, and while that may be true, too much imitation can cripple your novel.

Too many young writers try to mimic the giants of fantasy, especially authors like Lewis, Rowling and Tolkien, without understanding what made them great—their passion and originality.

Now, I’m not trying to put down younger writers here. It’s natural to start by mimicking those you look up to. I got my start in writing by scribbling out fanfiction after fanfiction, and all of my early novels are odes to my idols. However, if you’re serious about writing, there must come a time when you start forging your own writing style and you must become more conscious of what writer’s you choose to emulate.

Don’t just copy what Brandon Sanderson or Robert Jordan did, just because they did it. Think about your passions, what you love and what you want to write about. Merely copying a famous author, instead of developing your own storyline and worldbuilding, is a sure way to fall into stereotypes and cliches.

Method #6: Don’t Be Afraid of Cliches

What? I hear you say. Don’t be afraid of cliches? But we’ve just spent one and a half thousand words describing all the ways to avoid cliches!

Well, yes, that’s true, but we also need to acknowledge that, at the end of the day, we’re all humans. Our books are never going to be perfect, and if we insist on avoiding every single cliché we’re only going to worry ourselves to death. As the Bible itself says, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

Our novels are never going to be entirely free of cliched plots, characters, worldbuilding, or phrases, so why not embrace some of them? If you love Chosen Ones, allow yourself to write a Chosen One! If a cliched phrase slips into your prose, it’s not the end of the world.

Don’t allow yourself to become so terrified of letting cliches into your storyline that you forget the joy of imagination and the joy of writing.

Hopefully you’ve got some new ideas for beating cliches and adding a spark of originality to your novel. Now, my young writers, it's time to spread your wings, discover your passions and the unique things that will breathe a life of its own into your stories. And don’t be afraid of cliches!

Which of these tips will you try first? And what’s a cliché that drives you crazy?