Fantasy Filler Phrases

I hope you are doing well today. Here’s a photo of an ice-covered tree in our front yard during a winter’s day as the season nears its end. That’s my dog, Missy, at her usual vantage spot where she can keep an eye on the neighborhood.

In this article, I will touch upon the topic of filler phrases often used in fantasy novels.

Fiction writers are often known for their creativity, at least in their writing. The stories we pen are intended to elicit a gasp, maybe a tear, certainly a chuckle now and then.

We scrub our manuscripts ceaselessly to ensure readers hang on every word. As a result, it’s often a wonder we publish anything—a trap befalling more than one writer.

Fantasy stories require their particular kind of originality. After all, magic can’t be conceived willy-nilly. Rules must be applied to make it believable.

Regardless of how successful or visionary the fantasy book is, filler words or phrases have a way of sneaking into even the best stories.

These aren’t necessarily bad or a sign of sloppy writing. Like a timeworn cliché, we understand precisely what the author is trying to express.

I came up with some of these phrases often used when an author has nothing but needs to say something. So here they are in no particular order.

I’m sure there are more; that’s all I could think about at the moment. I should check to see if I used one or more of these in my books. Probably.

Do you have other phrases to contribute? Let me know by posting a comment below.

Until next time,
John