The policy on Elves and Dragons.

[Acra of the Wind]

Dear Fantasy Writers

I am writing a fantasy novel which contains Dragons and Elves. Although they are not in too many places in the book I was wondering if it was cliche for me to use them. Since nowadays elves and dragons are very overused. IT seems that in every fantasy I read nowadays there is always mention of some elves or some Dragons, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I was wondering if my readers might cringe or sigh if I use them, if the fantasy audience is tiring of them slowly. Since they've become more of a standard and less of a cliche.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

Nobody will care about the presence of "cliché" elements if it's well-written. So my advice is to focus on writing a good story and worry less about what elements are in it.

 

[Xanados]

Many people still want these cliché, familiar fantasy tropes. Like Benjamin says, if it's well written then people, I think, will still read your story.
Edit: Still, as famous authors such as Sanderson say, "you should blend the familiar with the strange."

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

Heed the words of Mr Clayborne, for he speaks the truth.

The reason they are in everything is because they a popular formular, and to be honest it wouldn't bother me personally so long as there is something fresh in your work somewhere. I think its more important to worry about keeping the story fresh than the characters, but of course they are both intertwined. However, what I would find jarring is if you used Tolkien style elves. They work fabulously in his work, but he practically created that interpretation of them, and I think that should be something which is unique to him rather than devalue them from overuse and imitation. Thats just me.

 

[JCFarnham]

I have dragons. Of course you wouldn't look at them and say they were definitely dragons. My reasoning is thus (oh and I promise this will eventually be on topic ), I'm writing in an Urban Fantasy setting and way back when humans were apes, so to it should follow that dragons wouldn't necessarily be huge fire breathing, flying lizards anymore, right? This is why I believe I can get away with my portrayal of the three or so dragon characters in my UF books. They still embody the core role of a dragon in fantasy, the mystery, the hoarding of "power", the having of power, and so on but they are more in keeping with a modern setting.

I would never deny my stories elves or dragons if they needed one or the other, but I would never take them as stereotype and insert the traditional version wholesale. If you do have traditional dragons you need to be logical about it, they are without a doubt the top of the food chain, being typically large you'd need to think about what they're eating, is it sustainable? To summarize: If their existence in your world isn't logical, they probably shouldn't exist. Especially not for the sake of the plot!

To go back to the dragons in my wip UF books as an example, they are still very much the top of the ecosystem (not necessarily the food chain any more...), but they're some what more clever about it. They run things from the shadows orchestrating the world to their view. I supposed you could say why if they don't look like huge lizards do I need to call them dragons? The answer is I don't. They were once "dragons", only they've evolved a bit since then.

What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be afraid to play with the architypal Elf and Dragon. I definitely think there is still a lot of unexplored ground to be covered with both.

And I mean, if experimenting with it doesn't work, no problem right? If the story is good, who cares?

 

[SeverinR]

Elves and dragons are mentioned in lore many hundreds of years,
like I said on a similar thread:

Change the elf or dragon to human, would you even ask the question?

Are humans cliche'? Almost every book/story in the world has them, but yet we still buy them. Why? Because each person is different,
each story about the humans are different.
Make your elves and dragons yours, and they won't be cliche.

 

[Ghost]

Since elves and dragons aren't the focus, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Most folks won't break out into hives at the mention of elves or dragons, especially if they're peripheral. Whenever they're the center of a book, showing off how wise and magical they are and how concerned they are for humanity, I'll pass.

 

[TWErvin2]

If dragons and elves are part of the story, even a backdrop part, have them in it.

While readers enjoy creativity and something new, readers also enjoy something familiar.
Why do romance readers read the next romance when they know the main characters will visit excotic locations and, despite heartache and trouble, will finally find love? Why do readers of thrillers know there will likely be some sort of chase and even a deadline of some sort, and it will be beat by a small margin, yet read anyway?

I could go on, but why wouldn't fantasy readers enjoy a story where elves and/or dragons appear? Will they appeal to every fantasy reader? No. But you're never going to appeal to every reader, let alone every reader who enjoys fantasy novels.

 

[SlimShady]

When I read, I care more about the plot than the setting. (I find this true about most readers anyways.) As long as the setting is consistent and the plot very strong then people will read it no matter what. I think it's better to focus on characters and plot more than setting.

 

[Walrusdragon]

I have honestly never cared about how over used something like elves or dragons are. All I care about is the story. Now with that being said, the best way (in my opinion) to ruin a story is to fill it with the most stereotypical elves, dragons, and other fantasy creatures possible. If written well enough, I don't see why anyone would care if there are commonly used cliches in a story.

 

[Argentum]

Elves and Dragons are cliche/standard. Yes. But how I love them! I think if dragons and elves were exactly the same in every fantasy book out there, it would be very much annoying. So long as there is something about your dragons/elves that makes them different (slightly or very) from everyone else's, you'll be fine.

 

[YohannIan]

I have honestly never cared about how over used something like elves or dragons are. All I care about is the story. Now with that being said, the best way (in my opinion) to ruin a story is to fill it with the most stereotypical elves, dragons, and other fantasy creatures possible. If written well enough, I don't see why anyone would care if there are commonly used cliches in a story.

Lol..i was reading through when I HAD to ask you this question: do your stories have a walrus-dragon cross breed in it?

Generally I feel it's not wrong to have elves and dragons in your story. Wouldn't it be a let down to not have something of that sort? It's something people are familiar with, and I'm sure they would like to see the part elves and dragons play in your story. Besides..the two are very fascinating things.

 

[Walrusdragon]

Lol..i was reading through when I HAD to ask you this question: do your stories have a walrus-dragon cross breed in it?

Generally I feel it's not wrong to have elves and dragons in your story. Wouldn't it be a let down to not have something of that sort? It's something people are familiar with, and I'm sure they would like to see the part elves and dragons play in your story. Besides..the two are very fascinating things.

Actually no, but I have considered it before. That would definitely not be a cliche. I suppose one way to make a dragon more interesting would be to change its anatomy a bit.