What is Adventure Writing?
Murchison Falls. A place of adventure.
Just a quick one for you today.
I saw this on a website, and I liked it enough to share it here. The key points come at the end. If you are ever trying to write a decent adventure story, go for: epic journeys; new horizons; themes of courage and endurance; and connecting with a different reality or culture. You won’t go far wrong in creating a great story.
What are the essential ingredients of a great adventure story? An impossible quest? Action? Romance? Insurmountable odds? A pacey plot? Danger?
A great adventure story often contains all these elements and many more besides, but the most important thing in any adventure story is the feeling of being on an epic journey. We have travelled with Sean Courtney across southern Africa during the gold rush and the Boer War. We have explored Egypt’s treasures with Taita. We have combed the Indian Ocean for Cayla Bannock with Hector Cross. A great adventure story is a journey so compelling that we have no choice but to get on board.
We expect an adventure story to:
Take the reader on an epic journey, exploring new horizons – be they historical or geographical
Explore the themes of courage, endurance and resourcefulness
Allow readers to connect with a different reality or culture
Epic journeys; new horizons; themes of courage and endurance; and connecting with a different reality or culture. Words to live by.
PS. These words come from the Wilbur Smith-Niso Foundation website. It’s the blurb for an amazing competition, looking for new adventure writers. If you’re thinking about becoming an adventure writer, then enter now! What have you got to lose? You’ll finish your manuscript, at the very least.
https://www.wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org/index.php/page/definition-of-adventure-writing