Chalice

I just finished The Chalice by Robin McKinley, one of my favorite writers. I loved this book; as usual, her characters are divine, the environment lush and alien, and the story kept me from putting it down much. There is also a side romance which is sweet and exactly how I like romance…not part of the main story, somewhat of a surprise, but if you think about it afterwards its not.

One of the many things I enjoy about McKinley’s prose is how she thoroughly, yet slowly, immerses the reader into her world. As a fantasy writer, I know how tempting it is to launch into big explantions. Ideally, you give the reader just enough so there is no frustrating confusion without so much information that it distracts from the story.

McKinley is a master at this. Chalice is not set on Earth, at least, not the earth I know. The land, the politics, the cultural mores, are all her invention. Weaving all of that into her tale without overwhelming the reader is a real talent. And no one, in my opinion, does it better.

Into The Fantasy

After more than a few fast paced mysteries and YA books, it feels good to settle into a traditional fantasy. Not that there isn’t action, but the tale is unraveling itself slowly. There’s more time for description. Exploration of the world. Long journeys and destinations. The environment becomes very real, which is especially important when the story is not set in the modern world. Or on earth.

It’s fun. I enjoy every part of writing a book (except the editing and marketing), but developing the way my world appears, sounds, feels, and tastes is my favorite part. I have to watch myself, though. It’s easy for me to get lost in too many flouncy paragraphs.

So…even though third person is most often used for traditional fantasy, I’m writing in first. First person keeps me grounded. And, it’s first person through the eyes of a young girl. A child would never go and on and on and on about the forest.

And so, hopefully, neither will I. :-)

The Blue Sword

The Blue Sword is the name of one of Robin McKinley’s books, but I love the Hero and the Crown even more. The blue sword is an important part of both stories, which is why I chose it as the title of this post.

I’m in-between books now, a disquieting time, I think, for any writer, but more for me this time than any other point in my writing career. I’ve written many books and short stories, and sold a number of them. I have one at an agent’s, another (asked for) at a publisher, and am waiting to hear back on several other queries from agents and publishers. I could write a sequel in any of the recent worlds I’ve created, but which? I don’t want to write a sequel until I’ve sold the first…made that mistake before.

I could come up with another world, but I find I’m rather tired. I love the worlds I’ve created, and I’d like to stay in one for awhile. So here I am, waiting, and wondering what to do next.

I’ve almost decided to do something completely different from what I’ve been doing, first person paranormal mysteries and YA adventures, and delve deeply into another form and format…a traditional, third person fantasy.

A traditional fantasy would have different meanings depending on who you ask. For me, it means some kind of alternate world with the protagonists on some kind of quest. One of my favorite in this genre is Robin McKinley. I’m reading a collection of her short stories now, and will probably read the Hero and the Crown before I begin mine.

Her characters are all wonderful, the stories are fabulous, and the settings and descriptions are the best I’ve read, but what I love the most is the sparseness of conversation. Her people speak without speaking, letting their actions say what is in their hearts. Reading her books inspire me.

And besides, on a cold Indiana afternoon there is nothing better.

Holly and Ivy

The holiday decorations are packed away, the presents are opened, placed, consumed, or forgotten about, and in my part of the country the winter has set its teeth into the ground and my bones.

But an early birthday gift thawed my chilly skin and melted my heart…my niece and nephew found and presented a book to me that I hadn’t read since I was a child: The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Adrianne Adams (cover above).

The book is about the power of wishing. It is a sweet and magical story with wonderful characters. But what I love most about this seemingly simple tale is how the author presents the strength of yearning in such few words. She doesn’t have to tell you what Ivy experiences …you feel it through her actions and wishes…and through Holly’s, Peter’s, and Mrs. Jones’.

I love this book so much. I read it again, even though the Yuletide is past. It was the perfect gift from two very sweet gift givers.

And that makes me love the book even more. :-)

Happy New Elf Year

A brand new year and elves...doesn't get much better than that. :-)

The New Year Ahead

I don’t make resolutions as such; if I decide to change something I do it no matter when it is. What I do instead is make statements of what I want to happen during the coming year. I used to call them wishes, but that sounded too iffy and as if I were waiting for something or someone to grant them.

I do think that there is someone or something out there that does some wish granting, but like that old lottery joke I believe you have to help. You don’t know the joke? It goes like this:

A man prays long and hard about winning the lottery. Finally God appears to him and says, “give me a break…buy a ticket.”

I love that joke because it acknowledges the divine yet it also recognizes your part in achieving what you want. God, the Goddess, the Force, the Source, The Unknowable, whatever you call it can’t help you unless you help yourself, and that’s where declarations come in.

So. I begin every year with these sorts of statements. Here is how I do it, although I don’t in any way say it’s the only or best way.

1) Make them positive. You can do negative, as in I don’t want this to happen anymore, but I believe positive ones are more powerful.

2) Make them about you and your behavior. You can’t control others (or publishing companies and literary agencies), but you can control you.

3) Make them specific. It’s hard to work towards a nebulous goal, and if anyone is listening out there, do you really want that something to guess what you want?

4) This one might sound like a contradiction to three but I don't think it is...allow the Universe to intervene. What you are asking for may not be in your best interest. Or, there may be something better you never imagined.

Being a writer means you have to be very focused. If nothing else, declarations help you to do that. At best, Pinocchio’s Blue Fairy will bring you exactly what you want in the coming year. :-)

Blog Format Change

When I first started writing this blog I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I looked at other writer’s blogs and my publishers had some ideas. One suggestion I received from a couple of sources was to review books.

I never was entirely comfortable with that. Even though I clearly state the reviews are my opinions, who am I to give one? I’m not an expert. All I know is what I like. Fair enough, but should I really put that out there in a public forum? The second thing is that I would never, ever want to hurt someone’s feelings...the author, or his or her fans.

But I went ahead with the reviews, trying to compliment as I was critiquing, which I never had a problem with… until last month.

Someone gave me some books I really did not like. (Scores of friends and family recommend books so I’m not identifying anyone here.) When I say I did not like, I mean I really didn’t like: not the setting, not the characters, not the plot, and not the writing style. I tried to like it. I started book one twice to make sure. I gave it to my husband who said the same thing. It was bad enough to return the books saying they were not for me when I knew this person loved them. I couldn’t bring myself to review them on my blog.

Because no matter how much syrup you dribble over a critique, if you diss someone’s woo no matter how nice or fair you believe you are, it can feel like you are questioning their taste.

I have recent experience with this over my (gasp) Twilight infatuation. Someone will say something nasty about the books and then a quick, “oh…you like those. I forgot.”

I have found myself in the odd position of defending these books. What I realized was that I wasn’t so much defending Twilight as I was defending my right to like whatever I want without my literary acumen questioned.

So. I’m not going to review books unless I totally fall in love with a story. From now on I’ll leave critiquing to the experts or for people who love to do it. Neither one will ever be me.