The Fairy Tale Feminista
Answering life’s questions one fairy tale at a time.
Do Names Matter?
When I start a story, I begin with the conflict. I ask a question and then I try and find characters and settings that help answer it. It’s a very research paper way to write fiction, I just realized, but it works for me. Some people start with a character or even a name. I, on the other hand, start with the story and then have a dedicated name day.
Pulling a Prince out of a Bear
As a reader, I love a good and well-considered plot twist. Depending on who you ask there are only six, seven, or thirty-six stories in the world. With that in mind, the only way to very them is with a good twist. Mind you I said a good twist. Too often I’ve been on the receiving end of a story that bends over backward to make a plot work with a twist so implausible it ruins it. There is such a thing as too twisty a plot and I say this as a person who reads fantasy and fairy tales. Even they get it wrong sometimes.
Mechanical Creativity II
The holidays are feast or famine time for my writing. I either have tons to write or I am stuck with nothing to write. This year is a little different because I recently published my latest book, so I've given myself a pass until the new year on getting any real writing done on the last book in the series. But I still get the itch...that feeling of restless need to make SOMETHING and work. It's the same feeling I got around the beginning of August when I was waiting for school to start up again (yes, an admittedly nerdy admission but I'm owning it!).
A Rebel's Path - Release Day!
The day has arrived! My new book, A Rebel’s Path, the third in my Enchanted Path series was released today. And for the next two weeks the digital copies of both A Smuggler’s Path and A Noble’s Path are half off!
Fairy Word of Mouth
Remember the brave little tailor? He kills seven flies with one blow and sews a belt proclaiming his achievement to anyone who read it. It led to people somehow assuming he meant giants and not flies. Or how about the woman in Rumpelstiltskin whose father bragged about her spinning straw into gold while drinking in a tavern and somehow word got back to the king? Talk about amazing marketing.
Relaunch and Pre-launch
Starting over is hard, but sometimes restarting is even more of a challenge. Last year I was supposed to publish the third book in my Enchanted Path series. I ‘d already written a draft and worked on the rewrites all quarantine long. Sad to say it read like quarantine—long, unpredictable and uncomfortable. I had to start, not again, but over, as though I’d never done any rewrites. My editor was really patient and helped immensely and I finally finished my book, A Rebel’s Path.
A Winter's Story, part III: Book Divining Edition
Writers get inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, especially when they’re blocked creatively. Part III of my 100-words serial was elusive, which I hoped wasn’t an omen for edits in my third novel (currently underway). I remembered reading somewhere that there are psychics who pick a book at random, flip through, and point to a sentence to determine a reading.
A Winter Story, part II
Well, this is embarrassing…
A few weeks ago, I was scrambling for an idea. I’ve been remiss with my postings lately and I didn’t want another week to go by without putting something up. It’s not that I haven’t been writing—I’m in my (fingers-crossed) last couple of edit passes with my editor and outlining new projects—but when I’m in fiction mode, it’s hard to shift over to creative non-fiction. It’s what gave me my first idea.
Fairy Representation
A lot has been said and written about the drawbacks to revisiting the same stories over and over again. As a person who has written novels based on nursery rhymes and fairy tales, I prefer to look at story re-imaginings as a way to write myself and people like me into stories we've told for centuries. And I'm clearly not alone. Fairy tale retellings are very popular and for the very reason I described. The proof is Hallmark holiday movies.
Writing while...
As a writer in the 21st century, you’re often asked to share more of yourself than you’re comfortable with in order to gain readership of your intended work, be it blog posts or novels. The field is so crowded with talent that something has to help you stand out.
Less Fairy, More Tale
It's been far too long, dear reader, since I've written. Not that I'm not writing--I've been working on editing the third book in my four-book series. But I have been woefully negligent with my social media. It's an offshoot of my mixed feelings about marketing.Therefore, I'm going to write one of my rare writing posts. I don't write them often because I hardly feel like an expert. However, I have learned a few things while working as an indie author.
Author Anniversary: Special Edition
As Fairytale Feminista readers know, I don’t usually post on Fridays, but today I’m making an exception.Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t celebrate, but last year I found a new reason to mark the occasion. Last year I published my first novella, The Cemetery Circle. It seemed appropriate to release it on Valentine’s Day because it was a paranormal romance that I thought up while on a romantic trip with my husband.
Never miss a new post
Subscribe to the Fairy Tale Feminista