The more I look around at the books coming to press and what publishers seem to be looking for in new and even established authors, the more I see two paths of writing forming into more rigid forms when it comes to fantasy fiction.

    For a long while it was assumed that fiction writing, particularly fantasy fiction of which I tend to spend a majority of my time crafting these days, was open to all forms of interpretation. Writers could craft stories from the most detailed and “heavy hitting” of fare to a more whimsical “lighter” reading.

    While this still is the case in the present day, it has become clear to me there are two main ways that seem to be forming now and many writers in the days ahead will have to come to a crossroads of sorts as to which way they will travel with their own work.

    So, what are these two paths?

    They are two ways of crafting story based upon the reading habits of the modern reader. Given the fast paced nature of the other story telling mediums, as well as just the way technology has impacted and changed life in general, the reader of today’s story doesn’t want complicated fiction. They instead prefer “an easy read” in many cases. While I don’t have exact figures on this my guess would be we’re still at a fairly close mix of those who enjoy and can handle more “complex fiction” versus those who can’t get into it (though I see the tipping point moving in favor of the former if things don’t change in the future).

    In much the same way science fiction has split into the more rigidly defined “hard” (real science) and “light” (commercial/popular) sci-fi, a change is coming to fantasy fiction. Light science fiction has proven to be the more popular because, as the name implies, it is lighter and easier to read, not focusing so heavily on the real hard “science” of the story. This isn’t to say hard sci-fi isn’t still being crafted and sold, but it has moved to a smaller readership base when compared to the more popular light sci-fi. You can just go to your local bookstore or peruse the latest publisher catalogs to see the difference in title offers between these two options. This definition is even more apparent when you look in the YA section.

    Is such a fate coming to fantasy fiction?

    There is a change afoot that’s for certain, but I don’t know yet it if it will be something that befell the sci-fi genre. In part many aspects of this change can also be credited to the changing of the older guard–the writers who took over from the ones who came before them. This is natural and it happens in all genres and all areas of life be it social, political to entertainment. The new generation wants to make their mark, just as the one before them did and so they rise and shine for a while till the next generation comes to rise above them and so forth.

    While this is part of it, I think I do see the tendency of writers moving toward the emerging paths and many of them tend to be opting for the “easier read” over the “more substantial read”. Now this is nothing really new. There used to be, and still is, a division of sorts between literature and commercial fiction. When the debate was hot in its raging the agreement went something akin to: “literature was a true art form and helped man aspire to greater heights and was worthy of adoration, study, celebration and to become something schools and colleges had to dedicate some teaching to.” Commercial fiction, it was argued, was something lower leveled and plebeian, a way to entertain the common, uneducated masses who couldn’t read that well to begin with and didn’t know the true rhyme nor reason to good, classic story structure.

    Well, I think it’s safe to say that decades later the clear winner here is commercial fiction. And why, you might ask? Because it sells well by keeping people entertained. This isn’t to say literature is bad, just that very few write it now in lieu of getting more success and money from creating commercial fiction. Given that most publishers want mainstream or commercial fiction and actively promote it tremendously helps the effort as well. Television and modern media have helped the push too over the years, but it really has only served to showcase the inevitable tide that was already turning.

    With that push to commercial fiction, however, there has come a trend to make it even more lowest common denominator than it was before. People use email and text messages to chat now and are used to shorter gaps of text. They have been programmed now with faster and faster television shows and movies to the point that if one tries to stop and just catch their breath or stretch out the tale just a little bit, which might have been more common even twenty years ago, perhaps, you run the risk of boring or even losing the audience whose attention might already be waning.

    Given this trend I’ve found authors just putting together a “shadowy”, shallow story with the brass tacks showing clearly for all to see. Limited character development, short, rapid events that lead into the next so that there is little but a stream of constant action. There is not so much story being told in which things are engaged, but rather short summaries of what happened, which now serves as the exposition leading up to the next scene and dialogue exchange. Now, I understand that you don’t need to tell everything that happened and not all that takes place in a story needs to be experienced by the reader, but the increase of such story telling methodology makes me wonder if in the future stories won’t be more or less just a slightly better version of: “See Dick Run. See Jane hit Dick with her hand. “Ow,” Dick said.”

    I didn’t really catch on to this emerging trend until fairly recently. I don’t read a lot of fiction, and so don’t often have my fingers on the “pulse” of what is moving out there. I do work with a publishing company, however, and try to keep abreast of the things happening in the market as best I’m able as that is just something all writers should be aware.

    What brought my attention to the matter was when I took to reading a fantasy series by a somewhat well known author. This series was something I’d been looking forward to and so took to it with great anticipation. I’d read this author’s work in the past and was delighted with how they did certain things in their work and so was amazed to see just how different this newest offering was. It was very thin on story and limited in details. This thinness made for an easy read on my part, but part of me didn’t feel like there was a whole story there. It was still a decent tale, in my opinion, and so I let it slid. However, the next volume in the series was even thinner in story and began to feel rushed, like the author just wanted to get the story told and done with as soon as they could. The third volume was even thinner still. It was then I began to understand that this was intentional and not limited to that author, but was something that was growing in fantasy fiction.

    Now, I’m not saying that some lightening up of what could be termed “heavy fantasy” isn’t needed if one wants to get a bit more commercial with the tale being told. I don’t know if people have the patience to sit through something of the detail and depth of the classic volumes of fantasy any more (trying to get them to sit through the Iliad is torture enough). I do have a concern that the reader might be cheapened if we make our stories too light and lacking in substance. Sure, you could just say: “He walked into the room and picked up the gem”. But wouldn’t it make for a more wonderful, and longer lasting experience to share some detail and take a moment to bring the room, the gem, and person entering into it a bit more to life? What of the smells? How did the gem look? How did he enter?

    The other draw back with the “easy reading” methodology is that stories then become forgettable. With a lack of basic depth where it is needed, the tale often fades from memory. I found this was the case with that series I read. I can only recall a few scenes and that is because the author took the time to explain them a bit more and establish them so I could make a better picture in my mind. The rest of the trilogy is pretty much a hazy, forgotten thing.

    So if that is one path, to get more simple in your story telling, what is the other? The other is to keep it complicated, basically maintaining the status quo. And truth be told there will be a market for this type of fantasy for a while as the middle aged population reaches its zenith. The interesting thing, however, is that I can see a third path that can be formed while these other two paths are being molded. You can forge a way between them now while things are still pliable and set yourself up for the days ahead. This is the option I’m looking to do with my own work.

    I don’t want to write simple fluff. I want to have some meat to the bones of my tales and where possible to have more complex stories. I understand, however, that the days of the heavy description and long Homeresque similes, epic metaphors, and explanations are nearing their end. There will always be someone who will enjoy them and they won’t entirely go away but the reader of the future probably won’t be that patient in working their way through them.

    So what does this mean for you?

    I’m sharing this essay with the hope that you start thinking of this changing dynamic when you get into your own projects. I want to make it clear too that I’m not putting down the lighter fare fiction nor the heavier fare. Each does and will continue to have its market just like literature and commercial fiction and hard and soft science fiction have with their respected audiences. I simply want to point out that if you can see this change coming you’ll be able to set in for that third path if you wish and get a name for yourself from the beginning or at least be ready for any changes that will be making themselves known in the future as you take off in your writing career.

    This isn’t to say you can’t write heavy, light, or in between or even all three styles over the course of your career. You are certainly free to do what you think fits best for you. Getting a style nailed down, though, and understanding its relation to the market is very helpful for all writers and should be looked at too when you begin that next tale–if anything for just noting it as another list of factors in the equation toward publication. It’s also not always easy to switch your style after you’ve been established as being one way for a period of time. Sure, you can learn a new style in time, but it takes awhile for your audience to adjust and for the new people you’re trying to add to your reader base to appear.

    Again, these are my thoughts as I see things now. The market could very well change again and a new horizon could suddenly arise before us. Given the trend for folks to read less and less, and look to other media/mediums to get their entertainment and information, it’ll be interesting to see how the future of the book and publishing industry changes. At least now, if you didn’t know already, you have a better understanding of what’s possibly coming down the pike so you can prepare before it gets to your doorstep.

© 2009 Chad Corrie, All rights reserved.

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