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Fantasy: October 08, 2025 Issue [#13378]




 This week: Transportation
  Edited by: Nosferette Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

"Transportation is probably not going to be the same level of priority as building your magic system, but you can make it an interesting feature of your world." ~ Kara Copple


Letter from the editor

Transportation


Every fantasy writer has to work out a few rules that stay consistent throughout their story. There is the typical worldbuilding:

*Bullet* Medieval or modern?
*Bullet* Magic, alchemy, or technology?
*Bullet* Existing creatures such as humans and dogs, or also dragons?

No matter what you decide on, the vast majority of fantasy protagonists will have to travel at some point. Even if traveling is not the main focus of the story, it's a good idea to define ways in which the characters will get from one point on the map to the next.

*Footprints* Walking is great way to get places, but it also takes a long time, so traveling will have to be a main story element.
*HorseHead* Horses are tried and true modes of transportation that can be used for just about any period in human history and they also easily fit into most fantasy narratives.
*Wings* Can the protagonist fly places due to some bit of anatomy or magic?
*Witch* Brooms are great ways to get around. Although I wonder how comfortable they really are.
*Dragon* Dragons and gryphons make for good transportation options, if they agree.

As a fantasy writer, don't underestimate the amount of almost effortless worldbuilding you can get out of deciding how your characters get around. The mere existence of dragons sets the stage in an entirely different way than a character who gets around on an enchanted BMX bike. Both can work, maybe even in the same story.

No matter which mode of transit your characters use, make sure it fits the overall tone of the story, doesn't become a jarring and onerous side plot, and is still fun to read about.

What is the most inventive way of getting from one point to another that you ever thought of?




Editor's Picks

 
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After a bus crash, 13-year-old Eliza wakes in a surreal realm of lurking terrors.
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If I could steal an extra hour. LC: 40
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A distant relation I know, can't be distant enough.
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There are no gods left in the sky—only warlords, pirates, and floating islands.
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 The Napoleon Case Conflict Open in new Window. (13+)
Talon is fighting hard to catch a criminal and the higher ups don't make it any easier.
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A flash fiction from the point of view of a bird.
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Once a year the gateway to Narnia opens in Tilden Park
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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

Replies to my last Fantasy newsletter "Science: Fiction to Fact" Open in new Window.

Beholden Author Icon wrote: Yes, I do. We used to laugh at the idea that people would pay for a bottle of water.

That is a GREAT example!

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