Male vs. Female Fantasy

In the fantasy genre, a divide exists. Fantasy stories are ether for boys or girls (usually depending on who the protagonist is). I've been looking closely at what agents and publishers are looking for (not that it matters, I'm going to tell the stories that I have in me. I'm not a mercenary and I'm not sure I could ever be). There are a lot of requests for strong female characters.

From what I've read, there are more female than male fantasy readers, and they want different things from their books. Mostly because they are interested in different characters.

Neil Gaiman talked about this in Sandman: A Game of You.

Little boys have fantasies in which they are smarter, or faster, or able to fly...Little girls, on the other hand, have different fantasies. Their parents are not their parents. Their lives are not their lives. They are princesses...from distant lands.

I would say I write more for boys. Not intentionally, but I write the stories I would have loved to read as a younger guy (and still would). So, my potential audience is shrinking. That's okay. I believe in me.

Interestingly, even though fantasy novels for females are more popular, male fantasy is what they make into movies. I don't read Laurel K. Hamilton, but I know she is rather popular with the ladies. IFC is making an Anita Blake show, and the press release said it was geared for males 19-32. Uh. What?

Why Write Fantasy?

I love my genre.

I have a few science fiction ideas, and I'm brewing a "rural fantasy" story. I might even have a Star Wars book in me (if I had the ability to introduce new characters and play with the myth a little). But day in and day out, I'm a fantasy guy. Fantasy stories are the kind of stories I want to tell.

Why fantasy?

Because of the power of myth.

Stories about gods and heroes have a weight to them, and I love putting a human face on those archetypes.

Because of big stakes and big moments.

When you make the world, you have absolute control. Because its not our world, you can do whatever you want. You can depict events that if read in a more realistic fiction setting (let's say a nuclear war on earth) don't work as well, because readers might say "That would never happen."

In fantasy, the statement "that would never happen" does not exist, because anything can happen.

Because of larger than life characters, and the big choices they get to make.

You can have a character make a choice that changes the world. You can put them in situations that show you true character. You can build them and break them down and put the weight of a world on their shoulders.

Because its a great way to explore theme and symbolism.

When you deal with monsters and magic, you can really play with theme. My first book is about racism. True racism, as in human vs. other. Fantasy is such a sneaky way to affect people's outlooks. Its why we tell children fairy tales.

Because it strikes a chord.

And even if you can't put your finger on it, if you can't understand why a story affected you, it does. Because it jumps past logic and goes right for your gut.

Because there are no limits.

No other genre gives you the freedom to tell any story you want, to put the images you have in your mind into form. There's a reason why its called speculative fiction.

What about science fiction? The two genres are close, no doubt. But the word science is in the description. In the end, the readers want a sense of possibility.

In fantasy, they want the sense of impossibility.