Fantasy has a very particular following, a very particular direction, and also (unfortuntaely) some very particular stereotypes.

Many who shy away from the fantasy genre do so for a very specific reason - a lack of realism. It is their opinion that the stories and characters in the fantasy genre are very hard to relate to, and lack a believability. That it is hard to place themselves within the shoes of the characters, or in the world of the characters -- and in many cases, I believe this could be true!

Some might say that they lack imagination, and that is why they have a hard time relating to the stories, but that is not always the case. I think that, even though a story or character lies within a fantasy world, writers sometimes forget to make their characters and worlds relate-able. It is hard to relate to something that isn't believable, and for those whom that is important, it will completely isolate a group of readers who could easily be drawn in if a few concessions were made.

So, today, I intend to relay a few ways to be sure that the characters and worlds in your fantasy story are relate-able and "realistic", despite the fact that they are actually completely fantastical.

For example:

You have created a character who, because of her race, intentions, or perhaps even background, is not "allowed" to fall in love. Perhaps she is intended to be only an advisor, and never to be a wife. She has been brought up and trained for a very specific purpose in which love has absolutely no place.

Now, add to this character the fact that she has a very large heart, and falls in love far too easily. This flaw, in a character who is not allowed to fall in love for whatever reason, is bound to bring tragedy, depth, and chaos naturally to a story. Make a character who isn't allowed to do something, it's nearly inevitable that they will do it! Just to "ruin" everything.

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Now let's consider a male character who is supposed to be the most wise, most strong, most everything in the entire world. Perhaps he is the most powerful sorcerer in the land, and no one can beat him. No one! He's also completely ruthless, and his heart is cold. He rules the land with an iron fist, and his subjects are very obedient. No one dares go against him, or they shall surely die.

This sort of character NEEDS a flaw. Maybe not one that is visible, but something that can be used to "defeat" them in the end. There is no way this man could have gone his entire life and not gained a single flaw.

The examples for flaws could be:

1. He had a child when he was very young in a casual fling and was never told. The child resurfaces, and proves his ancestry by knowing some things of the man that only a lover could have known -- learned from his mother. Including his flaw -- the only thing that can kill him.

2. Why is the man that way? Something had to have MADE him ruthless and cold. What if the cause of the coldness suddenly arrives again - whether it be woman, circumstance, etc? This could have a possibility of breaking the man, because that IS his flaw.

3. Perhaps there is a single spell that he is weak to. And perhaps one of his flaws is that, even though he is cold to the world, there is one person he confides in, and that person turns on him. Sometimes, a weakness can be trusting a person who is not worthy of being trusted. (How many of us do THAT in our every day lives?)
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The possibilities for creating flaws are endless! Endless, fascinating, and certainly they can give someone something to cling to and relate to.

I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors, and thank you again for allowing me to invade your inbox!