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Writer's Room => Kidlit Genres => Topic started by: Tamilyn on June 28, 2011, 09:45 AM

Title: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Tamilyn on June 28, 2011, 09:45 AM

Hi, fantastic fantasy BlueBoarders.

I don't know if you all caught this but agent Kristin Nelson is in New York schmoozing with editors. She reports on a conversation with an editor from Tor about common fantasy openings they've been seeing a lot:

http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2011/06/groan-worthy.html

The blog entry also includes a link to her initial list in 2006. 

Cheers! :ha

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Valerian on June 29, 2011, 10:11 AM

Oops.  I'm guilty of number 3 on the list, the city chase scene.  In my defense I did change it a couple of drafts ago...but only by perpetrating number 4 (from the initial list), the dreaded prologue.  Maybe I need to take another look!

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Woods on January 07, 2012, 06:02 AM

Nice link to have. Thanks for sharing!

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: skate on January 07, 2012, 06:53 PM

Phew! Glad to have missed using any of those. I've seen them quite a few times, though.

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Beth on February 09, 2012, 10:06 AM

Quote from: skate on January 07, 2012, 06:53 PM

Phew! Glad to have missed using any of those....

Same here! The opening is just about the only part of my WIP that I have pretty much set "in stone" (well, as much "in stone" as anything can be in a 1st draft). I'd hate to have to change it at this point - then everything would be up in the air.

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: AuntyBooks on February 09, 2012, 11:33 AM

Tyger Tyger's opening scene includes a plea, a pink cashmere sweater, an ape who thinks she's on a fashion runway and a banana.  :ceilingdance  Whew! I have avoided cliche...but it is not high fantasy, so who knows what I might have done there?

 :tongue2 eab

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Tamilyn on February 10, 2012, 12:30 PM

Quote from: Auntybooks on February 09, 2012, 11:33 AM

Tyger Tyger's opening scene includes a plea, a pink cashmere sweater, an ape who thinks she's on a fashion runway and a banana.  :ceilingdance 

 :applause :applause :applause
"Mind if I ape your fashionable opening scene?" Tamilyn pleaded.

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: AuntyBooks on February 10, 2012, 02:24 PM

Quote from: Tamilyn on February 10, 2012, 12:30 PM

:applause :applause :applause
"Mind if I ape your fashionable opening scene?" Tamilyn pleaded.

Of course!-- so long as you're not just monkeying around. My MC gets very tense about these distinctions. I would never hear the end of it.

:) eab

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Hannah on February 11, 2012, 09:05 PM

Ha! Can we make #5 "any horrendous, extended period of purple prose with vague references to magical creatures or sadness or aftermath of apocalypse?"

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: Allison on March 03, 2012, 02:09 PM

Quote from: Tamilyn on June 28, 2011, 09:45 AM

I don't know if you all caught this but agent Kristin Nelson is in New York schmoozing with editors. She reports on a conversation with an editor from Tor about common fantasy openings they've been seeing a lot: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2011/06/groan-worthy.html

The blog entry also includes a link to her initial list in 2006. 

In my fantasy novel that I'm writing, I'm guilty of one of them openings on the 2006 list. Fortunately, my opening isn't set in stone.  :)

Title: Re: Common Fantasy Openers
Post by: sandycarl on July 20, 2012, 12:56 AM

Thanks for the link, Tamilyn. I love reading what Kristin has to say.
NOW I would like to hear of 10 openings which really work. (Guess it has to do with unique something or other.