Writing Christian Fantasy Tip #4: No Lost Heirs

The King lies dying. There is no one to take the throne as the prince disappeared years ago. The story starts with a young man, raised in a humble setting. As the story progresses, the need for the prince becomes greater until (Surprise!) this young man finds out that he is the missing prince and takes the throne.

Sound familiar? Here’s a bonus tip for writing Christian fantasy for you. If it sounds familiar, change it.

Just as the parents really shouldn’t go missing without a good cause, so it is true with the children. To be honest, I love this storyline because of how it can be used. Just as Merlin had Arthur raised without knowledge of his status and Obi-Wan hid Luke in Star Wars, there are merits to this path. For example, often the children do not grow up in a privileged status, they are free to take risks that may not be open to a crown prince, and can draw on their upbringing to bring creative solutions to the problems of battle or ruling.

But there are twists you can use to surprise your reader and make the story an expected journey. Perhaps there is a prince, but your main character is the older twin. Maybe he’s the younger son, but the crown prince is killed in battle. Another route would be to have the main character learn who he is when he is young by overhearing some talk or a slip of a tongue.

The point is this: Be creative. (That’s your second bonus tip for today.) Get them to the throne if you like but do it in a new way.

Do you think this plot line is overdone? Do you think fantasy is too much about the main character becoming the king or the leader instead of other story lines? 

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