Karen GoatKeeper's Blog - Posts Tagged "fantasy-creatures"
Fantasy Creatures
I'm normally pretty rooted in reality. Fantasy is not a favorite genre. It's not that I like gritty true-to-life stories, I choose nonfiction for that. I like storybook endings.
Yet somehow I ended up drifting away into fantasy with Edwina. It was rather fun.
Aleta needed someone to push her out of herself and her "Pity me" attitude. Adults do that but young readers don't like having parents or other adults telling them what to do. The adults are often at the root of the problem as they are for Aleta.
Friends are good for analyzing ad infinitum what is wrong with you. Their suggestions, if they are also young, either sound like adult speech or wishful thinking.
I had a main character. She had a problem. I needed someone to push her minus these obstacles. Enter the invisible friend.
Except Aleta is too old for an invisible friend. And an invisible friend would only be a friend, not one to push her outside of her defeatism.
So Aleta's invisible friend became a fairy of sorts. But forget the fairy godmother routine. This fairy had to stir things up, get Aleta to take action. So Edwina became a pooka with my own additions.
This makes my Edwina character wound like so much logical deduction. In truth she just appeared in the story because she belonged there. She added fun, adventure, daring and pushed Aleta while she was at it.
Perhaps that is why so many people enjoy writing about fantasy creatures. I find it pushed me out of my comfort zone a little, made me stretch my writing a little. It makes me want to push a little further and see what else is out there.
Yet somehow I ended up drifting away into fantasy with Edwina. It was rather fun.
Aleta needed someone to push her out of herself and her "Pity me" attitude. Adults do that but young readers don't like having parents or other adults telling them what to do. The adults are often at the root of the problem as they are for Aleta.
Friends are good for analyzing ad infinitum what is wrong with you. Their suggestions, if they are also young, either sound like adult speech or wishful thinking.
I had a main character. She had a problem. I needed someone to push her minus these obstacles. Enter the invisible friend.
Except Aleta is too old for an invisible friend. And an invisible friend would only be a friend, not one to push her outside of her defeatism.
So Aleta's invisible friend became a fairy of sorts. But forget the fairy godmother routine. This fairy had to stir things up, get Aleta to take action. So Edwina became a pooka with my own additions.
This makes my Edwina character wound like so much logical deduction. In truth she just appeared in the story because she belonged there. She added fun, adventure, daring and pushed Aleta while she was at it.
Perhaps that is why so many people enjoy writing about fantasy creatures. I find it pushed me out of my comfort zone a little, made me stretch my writing a little. It makes me want to push a little further and see what else is out there.
