The Beast Approaches...

Sharma looked warily around the islet - already the feeling of dread started to overcome him. He let out a small hiss of breath and moved onward to the cave. This was where it was supposed to come back to every night. The smell of sulphur was heady and hung in the air like cheap, foul-smelling perfume, and heat radiated from the walls of the cave. There was probably a hotspring inside, and where he found it, he would find-

Something was moving.

It coiled and hissed inside the cave, growled and roared, bleated and honked all at the same time. Then it came out - towering over him, twice his height and thrice lengthwise - and reared its three ugly heads at him, snake, goat and lion. It unfurled its batlike wings, twice the creature's length, and snarled at Sharma, who held his 7-metre-long sarissa spear in the direction of the beast. This was bad. He hoped to have the advantage of a confined space inside the cave, attacking it from afar, not allowing it to use the advantage of flight - or the chance to use its quills.

The chimera reared forwards then, its tail rattling, shaking the needles on the tip threateningly. The only thing Sharma could do was raise his shield and wait.

This was bad.

Yes, this is Fantasy. Dragons, heroes, swords, magic, and corrupt kings' advisors. Fantasy is a genre in itself, having its own nuances and its own fluff in addition to the usual ones included in any kind of fiction writing. For one thing, it's much, much easier to fall into a clichéd plot. A cliché is a worn-out novelty, something that gets old after a while. Of course, with all the usual ideas about Fantasy, it is very easy to get into a cliché, and once you're in that line, it's hard to get out of it.

Of course, the good thing is, you're allowed much, much, much more freedom in creating a story of your own. You can create and rearrange ideas outside of this world, from peoples, beasts, worlds, planets, and even tear the fabric of the universe apart and remake it in your own way. It's your own little universe, your own little baby, yours to take care of and yours to destroy.

However, I'm not going to cover mainly world-building. My focus is on writing Fantasy. This is not to be interpreted as how to write 'all Fantasy', but just my own opinions, and it is open for negotiation and change, which is up to The People™. Which, in all actuality, means you guys. Comments and criticisms are fine, by the way, but rough-housing and flaming is not. Don't make me throw Mjölnir at you.

Lastly, one more note: Some people think Fantasy is a child's game, a little dream reserved for the little children.

Well, screw 'em.