Conan the Barbarian and writing Sword & Sorcery
Tips for writing gritty, visceral Fantasy stories.
When you ask the average person to name some famous Fantasy heroes, you are likely to get many answers, From Game Of Thrones' John Snow to Lord of the Rings' Frodo, to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen. One answer you are definitely likely to get is Conan the Barbarian, the pulp hero of Sword and Sorcery, a brutalist offshoot of the fantasy genre. Sword and Sorcery tales differ from other styles of fantasy for their more intimate settings, and for leaning more heavily into pulp-styled adventure. These stories focus on rugged antiheroes, exotic settings, and dark, often mystical dangers. If you want to to craft a more visceral fantasy tale, Sword and sorcery might be the route for you, and here are some tips for crafting a story in that vein.
Start with your protagonist
Sword and Sorcery stories tend to be more character-driven than other fantasy genres. and by that, I mean driven by one character. Sword and Sorcery characters are usually larger than life, hardened by battle and more than equipped to survive in a harsh fantasy world. The brutal world is most suited for flawed antiheroes willing and able to make hard choices and cross lines that most heroes wouldn't to get the job done. Conan is strong-willed, skilled in combat, and has a larger-than-life personality. Oftentimes he overcomes challenges by sheer force of will. In combat, a sword & sorcery hero like Kull the Conqueror is extremely dangerous and ruthless. You want your protagonist to be like them in that regard. They are believable and have the skills necessary to survive in a brutal fantasy environment. Maybe they are skilled, powerful fighters, or high level magic users, or stealthy thieves. They are driven by survival, ambition, or revenge. They will fight to preserve their personal freedom in the face of corruption and tyranny. They are relatable, with grounded traits both admirable and shameful. They live by personal codes of honor and not steadfast rules of morality. Perhaps your protagonist is brave, but may harbor a past trauma that they cannot get past. More than any other fantasy genre, your protagonist needs to be front and center and the biggest focus of the story progression.
The World is a character, too
One of the biggest differences between Sword & Sorcery and High Fantasy is the way it portrays its fantastical environments. High fantasy worlds tend to be grander, more open and more inviting, focusing on the sense of wonder these environments spawn. In Sword & Sorcery, the only thing you should be wondering is how you can possibly survive in such a harsh, unforgiving world. These are ancient, mysterious world full of ruins, dense jungles, and isolated temples. Your world should feel like every corner is full of danger and anything can pop out and kill you. the wilds are wilder, the cities are more hostile and distrusting, and you'll find your characters skulking around Mystical towers, dark caverns, and forbidden temples filled with secrets. Safe places should be few and far between in your sword & sorcery tale. This is best communicated in the descriptive language you use to visualize these environments, and the behavior of the people and creatures that inhabit these locales. Keep your wording dark, sinister, claustrophobic and foreboding, and do whatever you can to make your audience feel uneasy as they delve further into the story.
This time it's personal
If your sword & sorcery story feels majestic or epic, then you’re doing it wrong. Sword & sorcery stories are a lot more personal and intimate than other kinds of fantasy. Your protagonist isn't trying to save the world or in most cases even be a traditional hero. The goals are a lot smaller: survival, revenge, escape or treasure. Sword & sorcery heroes often choose selfish goals over sacrifice, and are heroic by way of their personal codes of honor. The stakes are always immediate and real; ideals and stuff like "the greater good" don't apply when you're just trying to get to the next day.
This also applies to the action in your story. Fighting hordes of monsters and minions to save a town doesn't really fit the sword & sorcery idiom. Keep your fights to small scale conflicts and one-on-one duels. These fights are a test of skills, wit and will. You want your action sequences to be a showcase of what your character is capable of without a lot of outside help.
Magic is not your friend
High fantasy leans heavily into the spectacle of magic. There's an emphasis on flashy effects that inspire awe and make the use of magic look and feel cool and desirable. You're going to want your sword & sorcery magic to be the opposite of all of that.
Magic users in sword & sorcery tend to be (very) flawed mortals trying to access, control and use forces well beyond their comprehension. Bad things usually happen when people try to do that, both for the user and for the victims. Keep your magic systems dark, mysterious and unpredictable, and always involve a cost. Your audience doesn't need to know the particulars of how the magic works, and keeping the system ambiguous adds to the mystery and menace of the magic. Magic that heals or has other benevolent effects is a rarity. This is magic that corrupts, and most sword & sorcery protagonists are leery of it. Conversely, sword & sorcery heroes often find themselves pitted against evil sorcerers and dealing with mysterious magic artifacts that are most likely cursed. Warrior vs. Mage stories are typical of the genre, where the warrior must use their wits to outsmart and outmaneuver the wizard, usually to get in position for a killing blow without falling victim to the mage's dark powers. If you're introducing magic artifacts, these things will tempt your protagonist to use or misuse, with disastrous results for them if they indulge.
Feel free to tap into horror when writing these stories. Sword & sorcery worlds are full of ghastly monsters, blighted lands and ancient, powerful beings. Your protagonist will fight to survive in situations that would have a normal person cowering. Creepy symbols and omens predicting a coming evil help build dread, and slowly builds up to the climax where your protagonist and the reader finally see the full scope of the threat and realize what they're really up against. it's the warrior taking down the wizard only to have to face the demonic monster the wizard was trying to summon after the wizard is defeated.
Get to the point
Conan's early adventures were all short stories published in pulp magazines. that means the author didn't have a lot of space to waste on drawn out, slow-moving scenes. You want your story moving briskly, and being driven by the action. Your descriptions of setting and your explorations of character should come within the flow of the action. Your writing style should be intense and have a rhythm to it, you want your audience to feel like their in the midst of the fight along with the protagonist. However, you can use your most evocative, descriptive words for things like setting, describing spells and accentuating the brutality of your combat. Try to engage the senses as much as possible. What does battle sound like? feel like? How do the dank caverns and old dungeons smell? You want your audience feeling like they are right there with the protagonist as they struggle for survival. keep your action fast paced and as brutal as the world the characters inhabit.
Conclusion
There is a place in fantasy fiction for rugged antiheroes fighting for survival and personal motivations in harsh fantasy realms. If you think fantasy stories are too nice, neat and pristine and want to write something grittier, I recommend giving sword & sorcery a try.
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