Hi all, I've not written a new blog in a while, as I remain busy with all other author tasks, social media, creating, sales and marketing, ads, and of course there's the actual writing part that takes about 2% of my time, I thought I would start to wake up my blog and begin with answering some of the common questions I get asked on public forums and social media. Let's get into it.
Why fantasy?
This is a common one a lot of fantasy authors get asked, my answer has changed over time, it used to be 'it's not just fantasy,' I write historical fiction, horror, and romance as well, although those genres are smaller for me. My answer now is, I love the escapism, the ability to create a new world, a whole new race of humanity, or a completely new creature. I love waking up creatures of mythology that aren't talked about enough, such as puka. I love the mystery of the lands. When I write fantasy, I take my audience on a journey, not only with my characters and the world I'm building, but with the weather! The simplest things, such as the trees and plants, the wildlife, rocks and terrain, all changes in fantasy. I will go into more detail about this later. For now, I chose fantasy as my 'go to' genre, because I have a freedom there that I struggle to find anywhere else. Plus, I love making up names for people and places.
Why so dark?
A short answer would be, why not? However, this is one I never struggle to answer. I often bring people down into a state of depression when I do, but I'll try to avoid that today. I chose the dark tones of fantasy because that's who I am. Now, out and about, I'm known as Twinkle. In my hometown of Clifton, Nottingham, I will get called Twinkle at least once when I visit. That is who I am on the outside. On the inside, I believe we all have the same make-up. Each morning we put on a mask, we get through the day without injury, and that has been a good day. My exterior is bubbly, fun, free! I smell every rose I can. I would rather sit on a bench in the rain rather than in a dry parked car. I love to feel. Seeing the darkness in our world simply translates into the world I'm creating. Sure, there may be some weird parallel universe somewhere similar to that of the Lego Movie, where everyone is living a happy, carefree life, but that is not the world we're in. The world can be beautiful. People can show so much kindness it melts me, but it can also be dark, where cruelty is a part of the norm. Torment and torture are plastered in our history. To ignore that would be odd, and in some ways, wrong. The dark tones of fantasy simply give people a feeling of familiarity - hard word to say! Plus, to me, fantasy isn't just about talking dragons or a D&D style of strife. It's the real side of war, the boredom, the aching feet, the mud. Without all the elements put together, the story can fall flat. You need that conflict to help an audience fall in love with a character, an author doesn't always need to kill the MC's parents, or give them some unmanageable ailment, but our past shapes us, just as it does our characters, and it is often the bad things that build our own character more. I learn more from the bad. It's the good that gets me through.
Who is my favourite character? (From Bound by Blood)
I get asked this a lot, and it's like being asked to choose a favourite child. It's not possible. I love all the characters I create, even the 'bad' ones. Kairne for example, completely mental, but looking deeper, his father never respected him, his mother practically abandoned him, he's pressured by an entire race of people to gain a kingdom he longs for, but that's simply because of his bloodline, he knows nothing else. To top it all off, his 'power' is laughable. Kairne has spent his entire life trying for the sake of others and yet he comes across as cold, selfish, and underhanded. Of course, you'll be able to read more into that, but that's just my take on him. Harris, being on the side of good, or so we think, is strong, he's lost so much, but he's still reaching for respect, he stopped caring long ago about the opinions of others and does what he does for the sake of others, he isn't that much different from Kairne. My favourite, however, if I'm forced to choose, is probably Svend. That horse puts up with a lot.
What are your best world-building tips?
World-building is very personal to every author. I've seen authors create worlds starting with a map and try to figure out what parts of that map would be hot, cold, rainy, windy, etc. Some authors prefer a more chaotic approach, they just write and hope that the map never gets mentioned. Other authors create a map and then go from there. World-building isn't always about having a map, it's about everything that goes into the structure of society. Politics, professions, trade, food, personalities, races, creatures, and that's before you start to think about the more complex 'map' of your world. Personally, I like to do an outline, I have a general understanding of landmass, on that landmass I'll place certain societies, races, political structures, and then I start to write, as I go along I fill in different parts of the map to help with the world-building, for example, Marrion is largely a coastal desert, a place where overseas trade was once in abundance, until a race from the west in Amerius began to take advantage of the ports, it turned tragic when the war began. Looking at different areas can help determine what happens there. As I say, world-building doesn't mean you need a map, but having an outline can help. Know your mass, know your world, create your structure, and before you know it, you know every bit of geography there is to know.
How long did it take you to finish your first book?
I'll let you know when it's finished. I started writing back in the age of dinosaurs. My kids refer to it as the 1900s and they're not wrong. My first idea for a story came when I was just thirteen. I won't tell you what year that was. As we grow, so do our stories. Our first is always really quite shocking, and without those cringe stories you belted out because it was the best idea ever, you wouldn't have the magical content you write today. Seriously, the first book I wrote that I actually published and kept published would've been The Hangman's Turn, which is now becoming a screenplay. From start to publish, it took me just over a year, and I still keep changing the cover now. I don't believe an author can ever let a book rest. We revisit it often, wondering if we could change something. Would it make the story better? Probably, yes it would, but we cannot get caught in the trap of constantly going back for a re-write. Sometimes, we just have to let it go into the wild and be free.
Do you have any other tips for readers or authors?
Don't overcomplicate things - this is for authors. Your readers will become the most amazing people you'll ever know. They will become the only people you want to hang out with, and other authors. Gain a good and supportive community. First, you have to write the book and then follow the steps we all follow, from editing, to cover, take the advice of other authors, and never have a moment where you think, meh, I really want to hit publish without the fancy cover or decent edit, that will damage you more than you realise, take your time, we've all been there, and wished we could go back to take the advice of other authors. It's a marathon, not a race, is the best words of advice I can give.
Readers are some of the most forgiving people, and yet they aren't very forgiving to themselves. Most wonderful authors are readers. I often struggle now to sit with a book and read without being interrupted 20 times, or asked what time it is by a fully grown adult with a watch on. It can be hard! The second the headphones go on, I have so many questions thrown at me, and that's the evening gone. But, I have a way of getting around it. I read while I work, not just my work, but others, too. I spend most of my day writing, but every half hour I take a break to have a cheeky read. There is always a way! Find yours.
I've come across a few people recently who want to take up reading as a hobby but struggle to get 'into' a good book. Not all books will be for you. It doesn't make it bad. It means you need to choose something else. Then there are those with a limited attention span. You look at a massive book and instant guilt hits! Yes, this happens to me too. You are not a bad person, just choose smaller books, a good book doesn't have to be 400 pages for you to enjoy, 100 page books are fantastic, because it makes you feel you've done so much, and you have! Celebrate all the wins, not just the big ones. But if you're still struggling with time, try audiobooks. I don't judge those who decide to turn to audio, especially as audiobooks are becoming so much more accessible to independent authors now.
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