A while back some director or producer or something came up with the principles of “Dogme '95.” The idea behind Dogme '95 was that filmmakers should try to create films without using any of a standard list of filmmaking cliches, such as superficial action sequences, special effects, even sets and camera booms.
This idea produced similar ideas on other fields; for instance, Dogma 2001 challenged video game designers to make games that did not involve shooting aliens or demons, no D&D crap, no gore, etc.
I’ve tried reading Mrs. RickJay’s fantasy books with only limited success, and recent Cafe Society complaints about Robert Jordan’s ridiculous “Wheel of Time” series have convinced me that I’m going to write a fantasy novel according to the principles of what I like to call
FRODMA 2003
However, I’d like to know if anyone would like to add any points to the ones listed below. What stupid cliche or industry habits do you NOT want to see in my fantasy novel(s)? Here’s what I promise you won’t see:
A FRODMA 2003 fantasy story will not be any longer than three normal-length novels. The total number of words in “The Lord of the Rings,” NOT including appendices, is the absolute maximum limit, and even that should be avoided if possible. If a FRODMA 2003 story is longer than one novel, each novel must have at least some conclusion to a subpart of the story.
1a. No FRODMA 2003 fantasy author shall beging work on a second three-part series without writing at least one stand-alone novel.
No FRODMA 2003 fantasy novel shall include footnotes, appendices, or prologues. The novel will begin at Chapter 1 and end at “The End.”
No character in a FRODMA 2003 fantasy novel will have an apostrophe in her or his name. Ridiculous names like “Ce’Nedra” are absolute no-nos.
FRODMA 2003 fantasy novels shall not, under any circumstances, include a map in the front or back of the book.
The dramatis personae of a FRODMA 2003 novel shall never include any of the following characters:
A young, plucky girl who can talk to wolves, dolphins, dragons, eagles, or any other animal frequently found on airbrushed sweatshirts
Any character who is so obviously a ripoff of Gandalf it makes you want to barf, like, say, “Polgara the Sorceress”
An intelligent horse
An intelligent sword
A rakish but good-hearted thief/bandit
The title of a FRODMA 2003 novel may not include any of the following words or forms thereof: Dragon, Sword, Horse, Wolf, Dungeon, Kingdom, Quest, Magic, Wizard, (or any synonym of “magician”) Castle, Keep, Fortress, King/Queen/Any other noble title, Prophecy, Tale.
FRODMA 2003 novels shall avoid the use of Macguffins. Any object that is the object of pursuit shall have a real impact on the story or characters besides its existence and importance.
No FRODMA 2003 character will ever be surprised to find that s/he is related to a rival or a powerful individual they didn’t know they were related to (the “Luke, I Am Your Father” Rule.)
Does anyone have any more they’d like to add? I want to make sure my fantasy novel is as cliche-free as possible. What fantays cliches irritate you?
I’d be tempted to modify your first clause by saying that it’s gotta be just one book, except that I really like the 4-book “Otherworld” series by Tad Williams.
Hell, let’s do it anyway. No trilogies. No two-parters. No 4- or 5- or 15- volume series. Go ahead and write multiple novels in the same universe, but each one has to be a stand alone.
Hmmn. My last novel already easily qualifies, depending on how you define rules 7 and 8.
I definitely have a McGuffin, but the hero doesn’t have to search for it; it’s in his possession throughout the novel and has some major effects on him. And, frankly, there’s nothing wrong with a McGuffin; it worked for Hitchcock.
Also my main character is very distantly related to a powerful individual, but that’s not mentioned in the book at all. The individual is centuries dead before the main action of the novel, and the connection is of very minor import.
The problem is selling the damn thing, since it doesn’t fit neatly into the usual fantasy categories.
5a. In addition the characters named above, no FRODMA2003 novel shall contain any of the following characters:
-The cowardly young apprentice wizard whose spells backfire to hilarious effect
-The cynical older warrior who reveals that he has a heart of gold in the last act
-The plucky young country lass/lad whose naive innocence stands in sharp contrast to the corruption of the big city.
-The lacivious cleric who enjoys wine, women, and song more than his vocation.
All FRODMA 2003 stories shall have a beginning, middle, and end. The end shall resolve all major plot threads, leaving only minor loose ends to be addressed in sequels or spin-offs.
Under no circumstances shall the main character be revealed to be the Chosen One, the Hero Foretold by Legend, the One True Prophet, the Last of his Race, the First of a New Breed, or the Child of a God (legitimate or otherwise). If the author wishes to take this route, he must stick to something more down to earth, and make his hero merely the Lost Heir to the Kingdom.
Under no circumstances shall the climax of a FRODMA 2003 novel involve the discovery that a character or item possesses some previously unsuspected power. As a corollary, any supernatural abilities used as key plot points in the second half of the book must be foreshadowed in the first half of the book.
Characters shall behave according to their age and their experience. Thus twelve-year-old farm girls will not have wisdom and keen insight far beyond their years; nor will elderly viziers, wizards and generals of vast empires act like ignorant, immature, indecisive brats.
No FRODME 2003 novel shall contain a Thieves’ Guild, Assassins’ Guild etc. Any criminal organization described in FRODME 2003 novels shall behave like actual criminal organizations, not like members of a High School student council.
The main antagonist (“Dark Lord”, if we may use a cliche term) of the Frodma 2003 novel shall have proper motivations for whatever he does, not just “I destroy because I’m EVIL!”
Frodma 2003 novel shall happen in maximum of three (possibly two) countries, not including the land the “Dark Lord” operates from, if such land is included. Majority of action shall take place in one country. Under no circumstances will the protagonist wander around in a bunch of generic cookie-cutter countries which seem like they’ve been rolled with dice.
Magic shall not be overpowerful. There must be clear limits and/or setbacks to the power, so it is obvious why those possessing magical powers haven’t taken over the world yet. (“They’re all good” is not a good explanation.)
I don’t mind a map if the terrain is realistic. However, if the map is such that I can pretty much tell you the plot from looking at it (they start at Tinydale, flee to Betrayalville (on the other side of the Deadly Forest), then hike through the Murky Swamp to Elfland, etc, until they get to Skull Mountain in the opposite corner of the map) then the whole book should probably be ditched.
Characters of humble background (e.g., Woodrow Brownberry, the apprentice back-shaver of Spitwash Downs) will not suddenly be made counselors and partners in adventure to powerful kings and wizards simply because they found the magic doodad or delivered a message. They’ll be given a 5-grotnork tip and go home. Peasants.
In most of my writing Magic is (over)powerful, but in contrary to rule 16 those who possess magic power have taken over the world (or at least pull most of the major strings), and no they are not all good, what about that?
I must take issue with this. I find it very irritating when a writer creates a fantasy world, has various interrelationships between its regions discussed, and does not include a map
Bubba Ray: Consider 16 to have an addition “…unless the novel’s based on wizards having taken over the world”. I sort of meant to add it in there, but then forgot.
Otherwise commonplace fantasy concepts or creatures shall not be thinly disguised by feeble spelling variations, including but not limited to the substitution of other vowels by the letter “Y” (e.g., “weyr-wolf,” “magyck,” “goblyn”), thus exempting them from Rule 6.
Villains shall not demonstrate their evilness by casually ripping the still-beating hearts from their foes/incompetent minions.
The author shall, whenever possible, refrain from employing the FRODMA 2003 fantasy novel as a blatant format for political axe-grinding, or for airing out personal issues that probably should remain personal ("…As Baryk stroked the idol, he felt a strange passion and suddenly found himself transformed into a glittering, nubile elf-maiden…")
Any character employed as comic relief should, in fact, be funny.
If, at any point during the mission/quest/thing, should said comic-relief character becomes an actual liability through pratfalls or madcap antics, they shall not be permitted to tag along to the conclusion while wisecracking mercilessly, but instead shall be jettisoned as per Rule 17.
Should the FRODMA 2003 fantasy novel incorporate supernatural, theological or mythological themes or elements, the author must invest a little time in actually providing some specifics, just like all actual religions do, instead of relying solely on empty New Age catchphrases.
28a. No goddess shall be identified solely as “The Goddess.”
No FRODMA 2003 novel shall … uh … ah, heck, who are we trying to kid here? We all know that FRODMA 2003 is just going to end up like the plot of another D&D game, complete with dice rolls. Let’s just give up and start calculating the main characters’ hit points right now.