The New Generation

I often wonder about what type of audience my writing may appeal to. They always say, “be cognizant of your audience,” and while may be a poignant fact, it doesn’t tell you exactly how your supposed to capture your audience. What that statement doesn’t say, but inherently infers, is that you should write for the audience that has traditionally sold. This means, feminine readers (a la Mercandes Lackey and Andre Norton), or the more traditional pen and paper Dungeons and Dragons. However, when you look at the fantasy market today, especially with the influx of Harry Potter fans, most have never even heard of these atypical authors. They’ve never read the works of Anne McCaffrey, or induged themselves in the long-chapters of Tad Williams. Hell, a couple of months ago, I caught a glimpse of an Age of Conan book. Not the traditional AoC books mind you, but one based around the, “just released,” MMORPG. Not that anyone bought it.

How about the average 14 year old kid? Lets face it, he doesn’t read. Back in the day, when people first fell in love with fantasy, they clung to it as a baby hatchling clings to a mother’s warmth, it was necessity. They didn’t fit into the normal crowd, or circumstances demanded that they lived a life secluded from normal friends, be it through constant moving or family issues that demanded one work all the time. Fantasy, at least in my mind, to the LOTR generation, was something that demanded one imagine a place far away. It was a mindset that you had to buy into, because there wasn’t fancy pictures or games to do it for you. When you pictured elves, it was your elves that stared back at you, not some guy’s creatures. When you pictured battles, it was the heroes of your own imagination.

But I digress, how is the new generation of fans any different? They’re different because World of Warcraft isn’t something you have to “buy” into, you just hop in. You don’t have to picture the trees in your mind, because they’re already there. Harry Potter is a simple book, you don’t need an intricate understanding of vocab to buy into that. Hell, lots of people just watch the movies. On the other hand, this might truly be the next wave the fantasy readers.

So, the question remains. How do you appeal to an audience which fell in love with fantasy via a visual medium? Or can you at all? I’ve played with dozens of teenagers online, male and female alike, that seem to crave the fantastical realm that fantasy provides, and while some may like to read and write stories, the vast majority don’t.

Would shorter chapters help? Or how about more distinct visuals and more action? Would fancy covers determine the sales of your novel? Or are we damned to make constant Harry Potter copies?

I know what you’d say, and that would be to write for yourself. And personally, I think that’s crap. Not that I’m saying you should totally sell out, but if no one appreciates what you craft, then what’s the point at all?

The Next Generation (Not startrek) is a generation that, to me at least, is an untapped well of readers. What pickles me is that, given the choice between playing an MMORPG like Warhammeronline and buying the next George R. R. Martin novel, your average male fantasy fan would buy the game 10 times out of 10.

-Longbow