Fantasy vs Realistic Fiction: Why Writing Fantasy Is the Better Choice

Are you trying to decide whether to set your novel in the real world or a fantasy one? You’re not alone. Many writers get stuck at this exact crossroads, and I can’t blame them; Realism offers safety, familiarity, but also some serious expectations to meet, while fantasy offers, well, freedom.

For many writers, fantasy solves problems that realism creates: overwhelming research, creative limitations, and a sense that everyday life simply isn’t interesting enough.

Which is where fantasy comes to the rescue. Here’s how:

1. Fantasy lets you skip exhaustive research

Writing in the real world comes with real obligations. You can’t rescue your protagonist and their friends with giant eagles, and you can’t add a comical-relief goblin sidekick.

But not just that – even if your story is set in a familiar modern setting, readers expect accuracy:

• Real locations

• Real cultural details

• Realistic social dynamics

This might seem easy when writing about modern Toronto, but if your novel is set in a far-away exotic location you’ve never visited, or the 18th century, you’ve got some research to do. Miss the details, and the story feels fake, no matter how strong your plot is.

But fantasy removes this burden.

When you write fantasy, you become the authority. You decide:

• How the world works

• How people speak

• Which rules exist (or don’t)

• How many goblins live in the forest

Worldbuilding has its own challenges and requires internal consistency, but it’s often easier than researching a reality you don’t live in (and if you ask me, far more enjoyable).

2. Fantasy frees you from the mundane

I mean, you could write about an accountant commuting to Toronto, crocheting bunnies on the GO train. But… why? Why tell the story of the places you’ve already seen, the routines you already live?

Realism often traps stories inside routines we already know – going to work, having kids, fighting with your spouse – but fantasy breaks that commitment.

Fantasy lets you:

• Invent creatures you’ve never seen

• Send characters on impossible quests (and not just managing not to get lost in Toronto’s Path)

• Explore situations you won’t normally encounter in real life (like the goblins from the previous paragraph)

Fantasy removes the limits, which, for many writers, is the reason we want to write in the first place.

3. Fantasy expands what’s possible for your characters

The real world sets a pretty clear tone of what can and can’t happen – no matter how much your story wants it to.

Your real-day accountant probably won’t:

• Become a legendary alchemist

• Fly a dragon (at most they’ll crochet one)

• Take mythic revenge on Karen from HR

In fantasy, however, all of that is possible – as long as your world is internally consistent.

Fantasy requires rules, too, only that you get to write them. And that opens narrative doors that are usually closed in realistic fiction.

So, should you write fantasy or realistic fiction?

For many writers, fantasy is often the better choice – not because realism lacks value, but because fantasy removes unnecessary constraints.

Truth be told, even though fantasy worlds are imaginary, the stories still revolve around the same human motivations: love, revenge, belonging and power. So at the end of the day, your story can appeal to readers whether your princess is fighting dragons or the unrealistic expectations of toxic managers.

But having said that, fantasy might still be the way to go for writers who:

• Feel constrained by research

• Want more creative freedom

• Struggle to make “ordinary” settings exciting

• Or simply want to enjoy the process more

And let’s face it, everything is better with dragons.

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