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6.
AOTW: Other than a limitless imagination, what one quality should a fantasy writer possess?
Tamora Pierce: Persistence and, to quote Weird Al Yankovitch, the ability to 'dare to be stupid.' Writers take risks. If you're writing speculative fiction or, what one non-fan referred to as 'lies,' you need a lot more willingness to stick your neck out on ideas than most writers of mainstream fiction need. You're also going to encounter a lot more resistance to your chosen brand of fiction, or what my mother always referred to as "that junk."
Patrice Kindl: Ironically, my answer to this is: a strong grip on reality. This is not because I am afraid they will start believing in their own inventions and go crazy.
All fiction is fantasy in the sense that it requires a suspension of disbelief, a willing adherence to literary conventions in order to experience a virtual reality. The more fantastical the story is, the more careful the author must be to root it in real life.
Writers of realistic fiction have the advantage of writing about things which readers already know to exist. Fantasy writers must mesmerize an audience into accepting patent absurdities as earnest truth. The best way to convince readers is to flood them with reality, and only swerve from fact when you absolutely must for the purposes of your story.
If you write from life, they will have to believe you.
Carol Hughes: A good amount of very down to earth commonsense so that in all respects they can endeavor to make their worlds work logically. There is nothing more annoying than fantasy worlds where the author's 'limitless imagination' gets in the way of the logic of the world they have created. Terry Pratchett's wonderful Discworld novels are studies in incredible logic. They may be wild and whacky, but they always make sense.
Meredith Ann Pierce: Stick-to-ititiveness. If you can't sit down in front of your desk (or wherever you write) long enough to get that story written down, and rewritten, and properly formatted, and submitted to prospective publishers with all the proper cover letters, etc., that wonderful, imaginative story of yours is never going to see the light of day. It'll remain in your head --- and your head alone --- forever. The whole point of being a writer is sharing the stories that are in your head. In order to do so, you have to stick to the task of writing them down and submitting them for publication. Don't quit! Quitters don't get published.
Mark L. Williams: A good sense of humor, an openness to the world. A personal sense of adventure --- or being willing to engage in same --- never hurts, either!
Nancy Springer: Honesty. Just bone-deep honesty to attempt to tell the truth as she sees it through her writing.
Sherwood Smith: The ability to observe.
Nancy Farmer: A fantasy writer needs a boundless ability to work and an ability to bounce back from rejection. Actually, all writers need that.
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