mystical places for magical stories, part 1

Tentsmuir Forest, Fife, Scotland ~  wikimedia/Macieklew

The ancient celtic lands are such an inspiration when I begin to form a story, so I thought I'd post a few photographs.

Old Man of Storr, Skye, Scotland ~ wikimedia/Wojsyl

Cliffs, Foula, Shetland ~ wikimedia/Lis Burk

Loch Long, Scottish Highlands ~ wikimedia/Richard Webb

Gogarth Bay, Holy Island, N. Wales ~ wikimedia/Humphrey Bolton

Y Lliwedd, Snowdonia, N. Wales ~ wikimedia/Velela



Next entry will be of the Emerald Isle!

truth, legend, myth and other realities

As a little girl, I read fairy tales and believed they were true.

As a teen, I read mythology stories and believed they were not true.

As a young woman, I read world history and believed it to be true.

As a mature woman, I believe all of it but none of it to be the truth as it is given.

To me, history and myths recorded through the annals of time are intertwined.  For most of us, as we turn from small imaginative children into grown-up "reasonable" people, we come to accept that certain stories belong in "mythology" lessons and others are in "history" class.  Some are fiction, others fact and never the twain shall meet.  But, for most of us, there comes a time when questions arise about these hard drawn lines in the sand.

In my imagination, many lines are blurred regarding these matters; many legends hold more weight with me than most historical accounts.  There are clues all around for a fantasy writer to explore.  But even if one does believe in dragons,  I suppose it's best to keep such topics out of social conversation... unless you don't mind being labeled as "going round the twist"...

Personally, I don't mind much at all.

entering the unknown



Writing fantasy fiction is all about entering an unknown world.  There are no limits as to how the world is structured, who inhabits it, what they wear and eat {or don't wear/eat} and what their lives are like.  These unknown worlds find their way into my mind through various means.

I had the great fortune of living in Ireland for a while and, as a native New Yorker, was indeed entering an unknown world.  Yes, it had been over a decade since I'd departed from city life, but the Emerald Isle was quite an eye opener. 

Staying just down the road from Newgrange {pictured above}, I was awestruck by such an incredibly magical and mysterious site.  Entering the grounds, let alone the chamber itself, was one of those spine-tingling experiences that I'll never forget. 

At five thousand years old, Newgrange and the surrounding carved stones brought me straight into a fantasy story.  Who were these people and what were they like?  Everything was foreign and fascinating {and gorgeously green and round} and, personally, I never wanted to leave.

Particularly because Newgrange was built with intention for "passage", I find places like this very inspiring when writing fantasy fiction; rarely am I concerned with normal life as we know it.  My imaginings of another world flourish when I visit the unknown of this one... either in person or by looking at certain photographs/art, or by reading history and lore.  For me, it wasn't until I visited the British Isles that I truly felt the possibility for magic to occur -- in the past, in the present day, and hopefully in times to come.

photo:  yourirish.com

hero and flaw

They say each character we write is a part of ourselves.

So we want to create a hero, one who will know the answer/solution and have the courage when all is lost and do the right thing and be special and get the girl or guy and live... forever with said girl or guy.

In any given story I guess there always needs to be conflict, otherwise it wouldn't be much of a story... no lessons learned, no growth upon introspection, no inspiration for a better future within ourselves or the world around us.  Although in fantasy fiction a lot of the conflicts are metaphorical {sort of}, for me relating to the conflicts -- and flaws -- of the character makes all the difference in how I respond to the story. 

Back in the day, Clark Kent was a relatable hero because he was a loner and wanted a girl he couldn't truly be with ... but "conflicts" and "flaws" are somewhat different, and I feel that flaws {mistakes?} take us further into the depth of a hero's relatablility.  For instance, a character like The Dark Tower's Roland of Gilead truly inspires when I go to write.

I feel the best heroes make just as many decisions that don't work.  They endure it, they learn and they forgive themselves and they face the next obstacle.  Mistakes made are hard to deal with and might often have serious consequences, but ultimately this all develops the strength of our hero.

I'd venture to say The Dark Tower left a lot of us feeling less than certain of the future, eh?  After all that, he didn't get what he'd hoped for.  But that was what made me admire Roland to the end:  he'd come so very, very, verrrry far, having made so many "questionable" choices, and he remained a true hero, a man of integrity.

dwellings

A fantasy story would not be complete without dwellings.  What would Harry Potter have been like without Hogwarts or the Burrow?

As a fantasy writer, I must confess here and now that although I ADORE The Lord of the Rings trilogy films, I have only read the third book.  {eek!}  I know it's horrid but I was never one of those teens who got into The Hobbit and LOTR... sigh.  I do intend to read them at some point.  Why not soak up some mastery, eh?

Anyway, when I saw the first film I was immediately head-over-heels in love with Bilbo's home, inside & out.  How simple!  How organic!  How adorable!  How utterly perfect for me and my little fairy ways!

I have been exposed to many "alternative" style homes -- I've lived in Taos, NM in an earthship {while dating a guy who lived in a yurt} then later lived {in a funky cabin} just up the road from the infamous Mushroom House in Whistler, BC -- but it wasn't until I imagined ideal homes and communities for my fantasy writing that structures began to take on unique form.  Once the proverbial "box" is broken out of, there truly is no going back.  Let's face it, regular box houses are kind of boring, particularly from the outside.

I encourage you all to close your eyes and, combined with Hobbiton or Rivendell or wherever your heart leads you, imagine the most gorgeous and magical dwelling you possibly can, then see your characters in those rooms, those homes, those realms.  And why not see yourself in there, too?

drawing:  balewatch.com

magical horse

As I continue in my own writing endeavors, I thought I'd share some artistic depictions of various magical horses.  Above is a tragic scene titled Unicorn in Captivity, one of the many famous tapestries in a series, which can be found here on wikimedia.

On a happier note, this is another classic, titled Virgin and Unicorn by Domenico Zampieri.  A common theme has portrayed young women with unicorns, which often symbolized both virility and purity.

Another glorious magical horse being, the pegasus, is shown here by Odilon Redon.  He painted more than one work of this magnificent creature so I'll enter two, again courtesy of wikimedia.

In closing {for now -- there are many more 'fantastic' images I'd like to share in future} here is a "plain ole" horse... because they, too, are magical beyond belief {and click to enlarge the photo, it is truly amazing - courtesy of wallpaper-s.org}



character study: it's all in the details

When I reflect upon my favorite characters of literature, the things that stand out are those few sentences which create "close up" shots.  As a photographer, I like to have a veritable photo album of a character in my mind's eye... it can be flipped through in order to study them in more depth.  As I'm reading, when he or she behaves in a certain way {and hopefully I'm provided with a "close up" of a particular aspect of their facial expression, gesture, breath, etc.}, I then take that snap-shot and place it in my photo album for later ponderings.

In writing, I find there is definitely a fine line between description to enhance the "fleshing out" of a character and when said description slows down the flow of the plot.  Even my favorite writers seem to struggle with this at times, in my opinion.  So I guess I'm in good company when I say this is one of the most difficult parts of writing for me.  I do love the challenge of fleshing out a character, though, and, in both reading and writing, find the perfect detail of jacket or brow to be utterly scrumptious.

daguerreotype:  wikimedia

light

Moments are sacred in writing.  We storytellers live for a Great Moment, some point in time where we can loll around and soak in the scenery, embellishing this or that, so the reader witnesses, stays with, the lingering glance or hesitant gesture that will mean something extraordinary. 

For me, an important facet of those Moments is creating the lighting:  a candlelit room is very different than being in one blaring with bulbs, or one dappled with morning sunshine.  In my life I take note of the lighting around me, how it affects my mood and my interaction with those near me.  It is no small part of how situations play out.  Unfortunately, in the day-to-day rush it's hard to pay much attention to atmosphere.  But hopefully we can apply subtle aspects to our work, and make a Great Moment something truly special when we shine a literary light... on light.

stories of redemption

I love developing a character.  

It begins with a fleeting image in my mind, asking questions:  a figure standing in protest {of what?}... or walking, deep in thought {about what?}... or gazing nervously out a window {why?} in an unfamiliar realm {where?}...

Some of these figures will be courageous "good guys", some will be supporting characters that fulfill a certain purpose and/or symbol, some will be "baddies".  But my favorite character to write tells a story of redemption.

Severus Snape has already been written and to me he was the quintessential {pun intended for HP-symbolism fans} redemptive character.  Starting out as the victim of a troubled childhood, yet knowing what love and being loved felt like, he took a series of wrong turns and fell in with the worst of the worst.  After his actions cost him the only thing he truly wanted, with catastrophic results, he devotes himself to making things right as best he can.

In this world there are many sources of inspiration for a story of redemption.  With so much evil around us, I find it comforting to create characters who can find it in their heart to have a change of heart before it's too late.



photo:  wikimedia / Dori

commas, semicolons, full stops and other decisions, such as when a sentence becomes a run-on and if said run-on is actually part of one's style and is effective in getting one's point across

I've always been a fan of writers who toss out the rules.  It's a delicate balance, of course, because a complete disregard for structure can be counterproductive.  But once the basics are mastered, to me a unique style is truly achieved when a writer finds their own rhythm and that includes tossing out a rule or two.

Take this article from Throw Grammar from the Train.  Jane Austen is famous for her semicolons and... although I enjoy it, it seems many writers have debated her accuracy and/or appropriateness in using said punctuation mark.

Take another example:  the run-on sentence.  Sometimes a run-on is a very effective tool, as in dialogue when attempting to convey a character's anxiety or excitement, or in narrative when attempting to convey the mood or atmosphere of a group or scene.

I confess I haven't read many of the "greats" lately; I was exposed to too much Dickens, Hawthorne and Shakespeare at too young of an age and now prefer, for instance, early Stephen King.  But I know they gave me a foundation on which to base my departure from what is considered proper writing into what I consider My writing.

finding our voice in symbols

Sometimes words can be a burden.  I know, not a statement one would expect on a writers' blog, eh?  Well I believe it's true; for me, rather than explaining something in minute detail, using symbols to illustrate a message is often times far more pleasing and effective.

My mind works quite easily in the world of symbolism.  Metaphors, similes, allegories, I love them all and utilize them as much as possible.  Particularly because my writing style is rather simplistic -- meaning I don't go out of my way to use words I wouldn't say in everyday speech -- symbols are a way for my stories to gain depth and complexity.

Over the years of studying symbols, I have found that many are misused to the point where I best not include them in my writing.  An extreme example of distortion would be the swastika but there are many grey areas with various symbols having very different meanings at different times, places and cultures in history.  Having been a Harry Potter fanatic for several years {which has now subsided} I found the series to be an excellent example of the many shades of grey and how symbols might be used and/or misused.  So I try to be quite selective and do my homework. 

Whether animal, vegetable, mineral, geometry or anything in between, the world is chock full of symbols at a writer's disposal.  The style in which we get our message, or question, across has limitless possibilities when explored through the filter of symbolism.

photo:  wikimedia / Mehmet Karatay

along for the ride


For me, the most exciting, and most terrifying, part of writing fiction is stepping into another world.  The world I create becomes so desirable to inhabit that I never really want to leave it.  Hours will go by, an entire day.  When I "come up for air" the real world around me is so very foreign, if even for a moment. 

So... exciting, yes, because as a creator we can make these other worlds our own.  Terrifying, yes, because I might one day actually never truly return to "the real world".  The world we currently live in is such a weak substitute for what we can imagine, what we remember the world once was like, why should I bother to return?

But for me it is both exciting and terrifying for another reason:  I'm just along for the ride much of the time.  As my characters become more fully formed, and as they are aspects of myself that are not fully formed, they often take the reigns and the story goes down paths of which I cannot see the end.

That is not news for any of you who have been writing for a while, but it bears mentioning.  And for those of you who have not been writing for very long, if you're thinking of submitting a story to us, know this:  we value content and imagination far more than punctuation and structure.  Tell a good story and the rules no longer apply.

Cheers!

photo:  wikimedia / Sarah White

writing fantasy fiction

I found this beautiful image, titled Fairies, on wikimedia and thought I'd include it here. 

One of the things that draws me to write fantasy fiction is the promise of the world I might imagine.  Like this painting, the realm appears watery, earthy and airy, with everything possessing a pure fire within... it is similar to the greatest landscapes of our green planet but oh so much more.  Even in those stories I create with conflict and tragedy {would it be too boring without those elements?} the realm has a certain quality I can't seem to live without... and wouldn't want to, even if it is only in my mind... for now...

I look forward to receiving your submissions, dear readers, if you're out there drop me a line... even better, a story and maybe a cool photo or two!

happy december

December is here and that means it's the holiday season.  I found this lovely photo on Hot Toast and Jam and, until I take my own photo of twinkly lights, thought it would make the page festive.

In fact, their blog is sort of like what we are planning for the Caramel Gazette, only they do it with illustrations.  It's a nice little "co-op" for drawings, with challenges set twice a month for members.  We won't be posing any writing challenges or photography contests... just think of us as an online magazine!  Check them out here while we're getting our act together for accepting submissions.

Keep stopping by as we'll be set up real soon.  Till next time, happy creating!