Guest Blogger Becca Price: The Importance of Fairy Tales

The Importance of Fairy Tales

“We learn from the characters in stories, even as adults. They help us because we connect to our own lives, dreams, anxieties, and consider what we would do in their shoes. Fairy tales help children learn how to navigate life. “(Bruno Bettelheim. Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.)

Fairy tales stretch the imagination, encourage creativity in small children. They foster a sense of wonder, and, in many cases, a sense of optimism that difficulties can be overcome. Childhood is a time of transitions, and fairy tales can help provide a road map for navigating those transitions.  In fairy tales, the weak can become strong, the powerless gain power, frequently through cleverness rather than feats of arms. 

G. K. Chesterton said “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know

that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” In my book, Dragons and Dreams, I show that not all dragons need to be killed, but that some can be negotiated with. Dragons are only scary when they’re part of the unknown. When we face the unknown, a dragon can become not an enemy to be overcome, but can become a protector. In fairy tales, evil can be turned to good. In my story “A Princess for Tea” (part of the Dragons and Dreams collection), the bold princess learns that a dragon can become a friend, with a little bit of understanding.

The theme of monsters as protectors is also brought out in my short story Heart of Rock (coming soon). In that story, the gargoyles become not only something to be overcome, but ultimately can be enlisted as guides and protectors of a human kingdom, at the price of only a little kindness.

Many fairy tales focus on the quest. In the story “The Three Precious Things,” another story in Dragons and Dreams, we see that, when you quest for one thing, you might find something else of even greater value.

For me, one of the best things about fostering a love of fairy tales in children is that they can become a gateway to a love of stories in general. Andrew Lang’s colorful fairy books can lead to an appreciation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Stories don’t have to teach a moral, but can be appreciated simply because they’re fun. Whole genres, like mysteries and romance, are basically optimistic in their outlook. Justice can prevail, even if through non-typical ways. There can be a happily ever after ending, even after heartbreak. Mankind, through striving, can find the stars.

Check out Dragons and Dreams: Bedtime Stories on Amazon 
Find Becca on FACEBOOK

Series Characters and Aging

I've seen reviews and/or book discussion threads where people comment or chat (often negatively) about series characters in crime fiction that do not seem to age. 

One discussion (where and when and with whom I cannot recall) had worked out the supposed age of the Spenser character by Robert B. Parker.  The gist was that by the time of said conversation (maybe around the release of second last Spenser novel fully written by Parker?) the sleuth would have to be somewhere around 60 or 65 years old.  The person's point was that they had lost interest in the series by then because it was hard to believe that this character could still be kicking ass like a young guy.

In a similar but different vein, I read an interview somewhere long ago where Sue Grafton addresses the topic of Kinsey's age.  Essentially, even though the Alphabet books come out roughly once a year or so, Kinsey was/is still fairly young.  As I recall it, Grafton stated that the first book was set in Nineteen-Eighty-Something and that the subsequent novels carried on in that timeline.  

This is more or less what I have done with the Sasha books.

Blood and Groom (released in November of 2009) takes place mainly during the the spring/early
summer in an unspecified year (contemporary, roughly 2009 or so).  Dead Light District, the second book, which was released in March 2011, picks up roughly where Blood and Groom left off.  Dead Light District starts in July of the same year and finishes right around Labour Day.  The third book, The Lies Have It (released in November 2011) begins a few weeks after Dead Light, with the action taking place during October of the same year. I am currently working on book four (Frisky Business), and it takes place in November of the same year.

As you read through the series, you'll notice that Sasha refers to other cases as happening "a few weeks ago" or "last month" - she doesn't say years at all.  

I like doing it this way.  Having a bookworld timeline allows me (and the reader!) to grow along with Sasha.  There are no gaps in her life, no blank spots for what she did over the last ~eleven months.  This way, I also get to work with the seasons.  

By the time I get to book five, it will be Christmas, and book six should be smack dab in the middle of winter, which makes a nice writing contrast from the stultifying humidity of a Toronto summer.

So, for the time being, Sasha is still in her early thirties and it's still 20XX.  Maybe by book seven, I'll be ready to throw a birthday party for Sasha (it will have to be in August, as she is a Leo).

Typewriters (Remember Those???)

Popular with Dutch artists, I hear...

This would be good for writing cozy mysteries.

Wow!  It looks so mad!

How cute!  It's actually a teapot!

Whoa... Dude...

Once upon a time, this was modern, avant-garde, cutting edge...

I love this!  I want one!  Kind of like the best of both worlds!

Looks like it would be horribly uncomfortable to use this.

Creative "upcycling"!

What is there to say...?

Recent Reads: Makers Freemasons Strangle

Look at the title and the subtitle: This should have been a far more interesting read than it was.  I gave up about 2/3 of the way through. 

At times very interesting, at times it gets bogged down in detail.  Do we really care that  "Fred" the cousin of the brother-in-law of the King of Somewhere was rumoured to be a Freemason but this claim is unsubstantiated?

This was my first book by Rotenberg and I will definitely go back to read his others!  Stranglehold races along to a very satisfying conclusion!  Detective Ari Greene is a great character, and I loved the Toronto setting! 

R.I.P. for my current W.I.P. (well, sort of..)

For my first two books (Blood and Groom and Dead Light District) I did not use an outline.  In my head, I knew from the outset whodunit, why and how.  Each of those books practically wrote itself; in fact, each was written in about six months.  I can almost say that each book practically wrote itself.  I got lucky.

The Lies Have It was a different story.  It took six YEARS of starts and stops.  I knew from the start who and why... I kind of knew how too, but the story lacked a solid framework.  Perhaps I should have used an outline; it might have saved me months and months of work!  Who knows?

So, now what about book four... 
Well, I've just declared R.I.P. for my current  W.I.P.  Well... sort of...

The fourth Sasha Jackson Mystery is called Frisky Business.  It's set within the world of the dirty movie business.  I've been poking away at it for about two years.  

This week, I've come to the realization that I need to scrap what I've got and begin anew.  That kind of sucks, but deep down, I am okay with it.  The story was spinning way out of control and I had far too many characters.  If I can't keep the storylines and people straight in my own head, how can I expect readers to??? 

I've spent the past couple of days writing a very detailed outline and I know it will be much smoother to write the book from this point onward.  I can still use lots of what I've previously penned - many of the characters and their backgrounds will be resuscitated, the major story arcs will be retained, the setting remains the same, and I'll rework some of the clues.  

I think that this time around, having an outline will rein me in.  I sure hope so.  I really want to get this story done and get it out there. At the rate I'm going, I expect to finish the manuscript by August if not a bit sooner :)

So, from someone who never thought an outline was necessary, well, I'm singing a different tune now!

Guest Blogger Margaret Johnson: Did you hear the joke about the writer who walked into a bar...?

Guest Blogger Margaret Johnson: How far would you go in the name of research?

On Tuesday 21 May 2013 I went to London to perform a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine at Up the Creek in Greenwich to an audience of around 200 people. Why? Had I gone completely out of my mind? No! It was part of my research for The Dare Club – the novel I’m currently writing.

The Dare Club is about a group of newly divorced or separated people who decide to challenge each other to do scary things as part of their recovery process. Colette, one of the characters, decides to have a go at stand-up comedy, so I had to have a go at stand-up comedy. Everyone tells her she’s very brave too!

I know what you’re thinking – you’re the writer. You didn’t have to make her do stand-up. That’s true, I didn’t. So I guess I might have had a deeply hidden desire to do it. Anyway, it was a completely amazing experience. My 3-minute performance followed on from a weekend course that taught me the basics of writing and performing stand-up and, most importantly gave me the opportunity to speak into a mic in front of a group of people.

I never really intended to go back to do the performance, figuring that the weekend course would give me enough of an insight. But I felt strangely compelled to complete the challenge. After all, Colette was going to do it!

On performance day, we had a go on stage before the audience arrived. It was a shock. The lights were so bright; you couldn’t see anything at all! How the heck was I supposed to choose someone to deliver my punch lines to? Then followed a period of tense waiting and feverish practising upstairs. Finally it was time. We went downstairs – to find that the comedy club was completely packed out! The audience were friends and family of us rookie comedians, and some people had invited 30-40 guests! Mad! I’d only invited one friend. I could see her right at the front, her video camera at the ready.

While I waited to go on, I couldn’t sit down. I was too pumped up with adrenalin. Just before the MC announced my name, I did a few jumps and arm swings, limbering up. I expect I looked like a fool, but that was the least of my concerns at that moment.

Then it was time. And amazingly, a feeling of calm settled over me as I went up the steps to the stage. We’d been told to take the mic out of the stand and to put the stand behind us. I did so – it took an age. But then I looked out at the invisible audience, said ‘hello’ and dived in.

Okay, it wasn’t perfect.

I didn’t have the mic quite in the right place to begin with and I forgot to include one of my jokes, which meant the one that preceded it didn’t work quite so well.

But I loved it! People laughed and it felt amazing. I didn’t want it to end. And when total strangers congratulated me later, I just felt so proud of myself. All the next day, I couldn’t stop smiling. And on the train home, I was already writing the scenes with Colette’s experience of stand-up in my head. I could never have made them so vivid if I hadn’t actually experienced it.

Would I do it again? You bet your life I would! In fact, I need to seek out opportunities to make it happen.

And Colette? How is she going to get on? Well, she’s going to have a mixed ride. She’s got a particular reason for wanting to do this challenge, and because of that, she’s going to choose to ignore some of her tutor’s advice. So it could all go horribly wrong for her… Well, it’s fiction, isn’t it? I can’t give my characters a completely easy ride.

The Dare Club will be out later in 2013. If you’d like to keep informed about my progress and the publication date, follow my blog at www.margaretkajohnson.wordpress.com, 

like my Facebook page: Margaret K Johnson Author, 

visit my website: www.margaretkjohnson.co.uk 

or follow me on Twitter: @margaretkaj.

If you’d like to view my 3-minute stand-up comedy performance, click the link below. But be warned, it contains some swearing, some lies and some smut, so it won’t be to everyone’s taste. Give it a miss if you think you’ll be offended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc3t--LZcsc

 

The Dare Club is the follow up book to The Goddess Workshop, which is available on Amazon now.

Guest Blogger: Liz Bugg on Walking Away

Walk Away From Your Writing

By Liz Bugg

If you can believe various Internet sources, Gertrude Stein once said, “It takes a heap of loafing to write a book.” I agree, but when I’m working on, or supposed to be working on a manuscript, I often need a reminder. Fortunately, the more I write, the more credence I put in Stein’s statement, and the less I beat myself up over time management.

When I began the Calli Barnow Series back in 2004, I had no great aspirations about the first book ever being published. At that point, the writing of a mystery novel was a challenge I had set myself, a hobby of sorts, something to keep my mind sharp and my creative juices flowing for about six weeks during the summer months, when I wasn’t teaching high school.

Frustrating as this sporadic process was at times, I believe it made me a much better writer than I would have been otherwise. In fact, it really taught me how to write. Having a rather poor memory, each year I was forced to go back to the beginning of the manuscript, and as I worked my way through the story, I revised it - drastically. The end result was Red Rover, published in 2010.

I knew the process for the second book would be different. I was no longer teaching full time, so I was able to write year round. I wasn’t, however, prepared for the speed with which my publisher expected number two in the series. As I had done with Red Rover, I still preferred to write my first draft by hand, but that just made things more difficult. Oranges and Lemons was published eighteen months after its predecessor. The job got done, but I would have been much happier and more creative, had there been additional gestative time. I missed being able to walk away from the book for as long as I wanted or needed, returning later with fresh eyes and fresh ideas.

This spring YellowVengeance, the third book in the series, was published. With it, I was prepared; I knew what to expect and what would be expected of me. I began working on it the September before Orangesand Lemons was released, so that by the time number two hit the bookstore shelves, number three was ready for a first set of revisions. Once I was able to devote myself to it completely, however, I did just the opposite. 

I began a year of walking away from the manuscript for long periods. Sometimes this was intentional. I went on two holidays. I promoted the previous book. I read. I pursued different lines of employment. At other times I held off working on revisions, while I waited for feedback from my agent or editor. Whatever the reason, I came to realize what I had known before, but had pushed aside due to circumstance. I am a much more effective writer, when I have the luxury of putting time and space between a manuscript and my red pen. Not only do my ideas flow more freely, but I am able to see with more clarity what needs work. 

On occasion a major change will present itself. Yellow Vengeance grew considerably over the months of what might have been perceived as neglect. An entire subplot appeared, and important relationships between Calli and her family and close friends were deepened and refined. 

Distance from the manuscript might result, however, in something as simple as a word change. In fact, I’ve discovered that once I see the formatted pages, my eyes pick up previously-overlooked blunders, like unwanted repetition, as well as the possibility for subtle stylistic improvements. I admit I was still making improvements to YellowVengeance as my publisher metaphorically yanked it from my grasp this April.  

Gertrude Stein calls it loafing. Others have referred to it as taking a break, resting your mind and so on. I like to think that when I step back from my writing and take time away, what I’m really doing is gaining a multitude of experiences; in other words, I’m living my life. Regardless of what that living entails, it can only make my writing better, and because of that, walking away is something I will continue to do.

The book launch party for Liz's new book, YELLOW VENGEANCE, will be held on June 11th, from 6:30-8:30 pm at  Dora Keogh Irish Pub:  141 Danforth Ave, Toronto, a short walk from Broadview Station.  Drop by of you're in the neighbourhood!

Find out what Liz is up to by following her on Twitter @mysterybugg