I’m a big proponent of writing fantasy. It’s kind of my thing, as well as “the thing” of most of the authors on here. So, I highly recommend it. But why? Why write fantasy?

The better question: what is a fantasy?

It is more than just an escape from the mundane, I’ll tell you that now.

It is a tunnel of longing and desire. Not just a way to see a whole new world. More even than that.

Fantasy is . . .

A tree of possibility, with branches of emotions. It is the opening of a free sky, where the eagles can go, free from chains and cages. And in the freedom, answers are found. In the land of the dragons. In the dark, answers are hidden. But first, one must shine a light on it.

A place. Where possibility meets reality. Virtue meets evil. A story of stories. A story, a testimonial, of a man’s life. Of the life of men.

Many do not survive the cold. They lose themselves to the darkness. Sometimes to death. For these men, they know not of hope, they know not the end of the darkness which is promised.

All of life can be separated into this understanding:

A separation of knowledge and ignorance. For in the latter, one is tested. And in the former is their reward. What else can a story be beside trial? But some, dare I say many, are lost to the realm of possibility. There is so much that the path becomes clouded. And they believe in the shadows. In the lies.

It is the job of the fantasy author to capture the man where he is—in the realm of the infinite shadow. Catch him there and lead him back to the path of understanding. For all the shadows are but a silhouette of reality. And writing fantasy is a game of shadows. A work of saving lives.

That’s why we write fantasy.

And why we challenge you to write it, too.

Godspeed . . .