WIP Essay: What UF Debuts Need to Accomplish
As I was writing a review of Kim Harrison’s Dead Witch Walking, I started to sketch out my thoughts on what debuts in urban fantasy series need to accomplish. I’ve cut down that section of the review and am working on fleshing this out into a more useful rubric in this essay. I’m posting it now as a work-in-progress and will continue to develop it over time.
The (at least) four things UF debuts need to accomplish
Establish the main character and their relationships. Who are they, what do they want, how do they operate, what are their strengths and flaws, are we meant to like and sympathize with them or are they more of an anti-hero? Who are their main allies and enemies? Is there a love interest, obvious or not? What are the basics of their backstory? Are there any mysteries about their past, known or unknown to them?
Establish the world. This is particularly important in an urban fantasy. What are the fantasy elements—vampires, werewolves, fae, is it mostly like our world but there is m…
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