Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Young Adult Fantasy Novel

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I love reading a great young adult fantasy novel. Even in my adult years, there is something timeless and special about those fantasy worlds that easily capture and transport me to another place.

However, through the years of reading and editing fantasy novels, I have found there are a few pitfalls that seem to be common to authors of this genre. Challenges that, when overlooked, can dilute the message, confuse readers, or prevent your book from finding its way into the hands of your target audience.

There is a beautiful balance in great fantasy novels. A balance between magic and realism. A balance between detail and simplicity. And that balance is different for each book, so it's essential to know your message, your characters, and your goals for the story.

So, let’s take a few minutes to review some important aspects of fantasy writing and help you make your story the best it can be.

Choose the Right Details for Your Story
Fantasy stories are known for their elaborate and detailed story worlds. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things about fantasies—the ability to transport you to another world altogether, if only for a short time. However, even in fantasy worlds, you want to maintain a sense of realism and authenticity. It’s a fine balance. How much magic is too much? How much detail is too much?

I want to become deeply immersed in the world your characters are living in. I want to smell what they smell, see what they see, and hear what they hear. But I don’t want to wade through seven pages of world description when it does nothing to advance the plot, build tension, or develop the characters.

This can be challenging for authors because to write a great story, they have to know all the ins and outs of their story’s world. However, that doesn’t mean all those details will make it into the story their readers will experience. Nor should they.

The same goes for writing powerful, magical scenes. Readers love to experience the possibilities that fantasy worlds offer, but if your climax results in an epic battle devoid of what is believable, relatable, or authentic for the world you have built, you will lose your audience. Even in the realm of magic, readers want to feel authenticity through the characters, through the experiences, and through the story.

Stay the Course
Just as it can be easy to include too many details or unrealistic aspects of your characters’ world, it can be tempting to include as many subgenres as possible. Some authors think that by including several subgenres in their fantasy writing, they can appeal to a wider audience.

However, often the opposite is true.

Readers are niche. They know what they are looking for, and if you fail to deliver on the expectations of each genre you include in your book, you will lose those readers. Not to mention, you will often end up with a story with so many plotlines that you confuse readers, drop lines, or lose your story arc altogether.

Stay the course. Write your story—the story God gave you to write—and trust the process. The right readers will come to you. They will be more satisfied with the product. And you will build a fan base eager to engage with your future works.

Keep the Fire
Finally, one of the most challenging aspects of fantasy writing is keeping the momentum throughout the entire book.

Fantasy writers are gifted authors. They create fantastical characters, magic systems, and imaginary worlds combined with intense conflict, epic battles of good and evil, and life-changing journeys. It can be very easy for any author to lose momentum partway through the book in one area or more.

While romance authors can focus on the relationship between their characters (and I’m not bad-mouthing romance books; I love a good romance story!), fantasy authors have to balance the magical components of their fantasy world with the practical components of plot line, character development, and story arc.

This is why being a part of a great writing group or partnering with an experienced editor (or both!) is so essential to building a solid, engaging, powerful story.

Conclusion: Writing an Epic YA Fantasy Novel
Fantasy writers provide an incredible service to this world.

They create possibilities.

They offer hope.

They inspire their readers every day.

They show physical battles, spiritual battles, and magical possibilities unfolding in ways that capture readers and allow them to experience a world beyond their own.
Worlds ripe with justice and happily-ever-afters.
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If you are a fantasy writer, God has gifted you with a unique and desirable story. Nurture it. Polish it. And using these strategies, bless your readers with a story that engages them with the perfect balance of detail, magic, focus, and passion.
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