A fantasy story is usually written from the viewpoint of a main character. This is the character with whom the reader identifies and who the reader wants to 'win'.

In The Wizard of Oz we follow the adventures of Dorothy as she goes to the Land of Oz. She is a very ordinary girl who is thrown into an extraordinary world.

Lucy Pevensie, the viewpoint character of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is also an ordinary girl who happens to hide in a wardrobe. Again, she is unexpectedly thrown into an unfamiliar fantasy world.

Frodo, in The Lord of the Rings is a different case, as he is a hobbit, already in the fantasy world. However, hobbits are very human like, and Frodo is a fairly ordinary hobbit living in the relatively ordinary Shire, at the start of his adventures. As he leaves the Shire, the world becomes significantly more extraordinary.

Harry Potter, in all the Harry Potter books, is another seemingly ordinary child who is transported from what appears to be an ordinary (if rather repressive) suburban home. Much to his surprise, he is transported to the wonderful Hogwarts on discovering he is, in fact, a wizard.

1. Look through your Fantasy List. Who is the viewpoint character in each one? How ordinary are they, and how do they go to the fantasy world?

 
There is a great deal of logic in starting from somewhere in the Known World with an ordinary person. This means you are starting from a place the reader knows and hence doesn't need any explanation. With a human as your viewpoint character, the reader can learn of the fantasy world as your main character does. That means the information can be delivered at a comprehensible rate.

If your character is not human and in a World which is Known, you have to get all that across form the start. That may mean a lot has to be explained before anything can happen. If the character is fairly human and the world fairly earthlike, then you will not bog down your reader with what is known as an 'infodump' at the start.

But this is YOUR story - so these are only guidelines !

You need to create your viewpoint character. This character needs to be so real to you that you can write their story convincingly. This is one way to try and get into that character.

Find somewhere you can relax, where it is quiet. Lie down and totally relax. Try to see a grey mist around you and nothing else. As the mist disperses, you are faced with a character, someone who has the strength to do something extraordinary, but still exhibits human vulnerabilities. If your viewpoint character is infallible, then there is no challenge and there is no story worth reading.

Stay in that relaxed state letting things just happen as long as you can. Where are you? An ordinary home from which to start the adventure? Somewhere else? Relax and talk to your character. Find out about where they live and what they do. Find out what it is about them which means they are the one who is likely to experience extraordinary adventures.
What makes your character stand out? An insatiable curiosity? A strange sense of right and wrong? A need to right an injustice?

Whatever their driving emotion is, you must make it so strong that it dominates their life.They are more human than a real human. Do they have any idiosyncratic traits? A phrase they repeat constantly or a signet ring they would never be without? How do they dress? what do they eat? What mannerisms tell you about their personality?

2. Create a character to drive your story. Draw him or her. Write their description. Scribble down what he or she thinks.

Put on paper anything you know about your viewpoint character, in whatever way suits you best. Then the big question - what is their name?

The omniscient viewpoint, where you can jump into the head of every character, is considered by some as the most natural one for storytelling. It was the most common viewpoint in older fiction. Jumping around between different characters' perspectives can make the reader feel distanced from both the story and the characters. Focusing on a single character leads the reader to identify with them. You then reveal the thoughts and feelings of minor characters through their actions or dialogue. Inexperienced writers using omniscient viewpoint sometimes change viewpoint in the middle of a paragraph, or even the middle of a sentence. For this reason you are being encouraged to write from what is known as a 'limited viewpoint' - that of a single character.

Most modern fiction is written in limited viewpoint. Always remember - this task is only a guideline. This is your story and your writing so it is also your choice of viewpoint.