The Genre Chooses the Writer, Harry

Okay. That might not be entirely true. But in my case, it is.

When I set out on this writing journey, I was sure I would find my niche primarily within the romance genre. Sure, I was going to write within the realm of fantasy, but it was going to be romantic fantasy. Imagine my surprise when that wasn't the case.

I certainly never expected to market myself as a horror author, which I now do. And granted, I am still writing fantasy. But it's dark, and the romances are highly secondary. So basically, speculative fiction grabbed me by the ass and made me its bitch.

(Oh, and by the way, most of my material contains adult content, as the above sentence probably indicates. You've been warned.)

This created a bit of a problem when it came to my marketing techniques. I had set up my blog, my Facebook page, my Twitter page, all to represent a different author than who I turned out to be. So now, everything's getting a bit of an upgrade. A few tweaks, a few changes, and some better insight to this fantastical genre of darkness I'm now exploring.

I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Much love.


**I have imported all the posts from (An Up-and-Coming) Nerd's Words to be included here, for those readers who still may want access to them. Going forward, however, the feel and content of Shadowed Destiny will be heading in a more genre-specific direction.**

Tell A Great Story

Tell a great story.

Sounds simple, right?

All you need is emotive characters that are true to life and compel your readers to care about them, a plot that is simultaneously not boring and not overdone, enough tricks to keep the reader hooked, but not so many they become trite, a colorful world full of cultural references to create atmosphere, enough of your voice to not be remote, but not so much as to overpower everything else, the use of language that is both beautiful and basic, so as to intrigue but not irritate your reader, a variety of sentence lengths and types that will give your story a rhythm to march to, and the list goes on and on and on.

I recently read an article by Chuck Wendig entitled "25 Reasons Why I Stopped Reading Your Book." It was genius. It was also a lot. A lot to remember, a lot to think about, a lot to obsess over as you put your own pen to paper (or finger to key). So what is one to do?

Easy. Tell a great story.

Many times, for me at least, especially when writing fantasy, we find ourselves caught up in the rules, the world-building, the magic, the language, and we get lost. We become so desperate to be original, to be beautiful, to be exciting, to be mysterious, to be dangerous, to write a strong female lead, to write a non-cookie-cutter male lead, to write the next Harry Potter or Hobbit or Odyssey. We try so hard to write, that we forget to tell.

And that's the difference. Note I've said: Tell a great story. Not "write" a great story. TELL a great story.

There's nothing wrong with doing research, with using a thesaurus, with checking facts, with creating a new language, with developing a detailed plot, with catching the reader by surprise. In fact, a good, publishable work requires all those things. But without a great story--a simple, real, compelling story--the rest is all window dressing. Smoke. Illusions.

Ask any magician: behind all the tigers and cages and curtains and trap doors and birds and flashes and fireworks, there is a solid, simple illusion. And without the solid, simple illusion, the rest is all meaningless. 

Don't be meaningless. Just tell a great story.

So here's your challenge: 

Tell me about the wolf. Who is s/he? What is s/he? What is s/he doing? Where is s/he going? Doesn't have to be long, doesn't have to be involved. Unless you want it to be. But tell me the wolf's story. Make it great. (I'll tell you mine next week!)

Much love!

**I cannot completely take credit for this post. The inspiration and advice comes directly from the great Jeff Brown (AJ Brown), my awesomesauce SSP liaison. He knows his stuff.**

Ravenwood Castle: A Fantasy Writer's Dream

If my eighth-grade English teacher hadn't done enough for me already--she's the one teacher that encouraged me to write, rather than doing "something important" with my life--she now has unwittingly introduced me to a new source of inspiration. And now, I introduce it to you.

I give you: Ravenwood Castle!

Located in New Plymouth, Ohio, Ravenwood Castle is a fantasy getaway for anyone who idolizes Robin Hood, King Arthur, Shakespeare, gypsies, and many other memorable historical characters.

Ravenwood Castle offers a variety of accommodations, from the stately King Arthur's Suite to the humble Woodcutter's Cottage, from Cinderella's elegant Coach House to Ezmerelda's lowly, but colorful Wagon.

Castle Rooms, such as the King Arthur Suite, are great for couples and offer king-sized beds (what else?), fireplaces, jacuzzis, second-story decks overlooking the village, and more.

(The second story of the King Arthur Tower Suite)

In the surrounding village, there are a number of medieval cottages available. A little less luxurious than the castle itself, and a bit more family friendly, the cottages still evoke a sense of ease and comfort and offer a number of amenities. In the brightly colored Clock Tower, one can still take advantage of a whirlpool tub and a second story balcony. The Tower offers extra charm with its hand-carved wood and stained glass.

 (The Clock Tower)

(The upstairs bedroom of the Clock Tower)

A bit farther out, at the bottom of the hill, is the Huntsman's Hollow. The village of cabins offers a rustic setting, situated by a creek with a central fire pit that allows for outdoor camaraderie and fellowship. Each cabin houses four, and also offers an unfurnished sleeping loft for extra sleeping space, or a child's imaginary adventures.

 (A Huntsman's Hollow cabin loft)

(The Huntsman's Hollow)

And for the truly adventurous, Ravenwood Castle offers the Gypsy Wagons. While these small wagons offer heat, a kitchenette, and a private bathroom (that's only a small trek down the road), they lack bedding, towels, and linens. Meaning, if you want to sleep comfortably, you better BYOB (bring your own bed!). They recommend air mattresses and/or sleeping bags.

(Ezmerelda's Wagon)

(The inside of Ezmerelda's Wagon)

All guests have access to the entire grounds, which includes the Great Hall (which serves breakfast and dinner) and Raven's Roost Pub, where guests can enjoy hand-crafted beers, hard ciders, and board games. Yes, board games.

Ravenwood Castle also hosts two annual gaming cons, one of which is for charity, for those of you that (like me!) love that kind of thing. :)

So what does all this have to do with writing? Well, it doesn't, really. Except that I want so badly to go here and write! Ravenwood Castle is unplugged, which means they don't provide internet service and their cell service is sketchy. The point of the Ravenwood experience is to unwind, relax, enjoy the company of others if you're so inclined, and be inspired! Go back in time while still enjoying modern amenities. 

What fantasy writer, especially one (again, like me) that tends to focus on European-inspired settings, wouldn't want to soak up the atmosphere and write all the words???

So I've come up with a plan. It's a new plan, and still needs a lot (a LOT!) of development, but somehow, I'm going to make it happen. I want to host a writer's retreat here. Either a weekend, or maybe a whole week (like I said, I'm still in the early stages here). I want to rent the Huntsman's Hollow, probably sometime in the fall when the weather's a bit milder, and have authors bunk together, and write. Write, write, and write some more, with no technological distractions. Why the Huntsman's Hollow? Because of the community fire pit. Every afternoon/evening/whenever, we can all get together, discuss what we've been working on, ask questions, read snippets of our work and get feedback. And roast marshmallows! Who doesn't love s'mores? (I don't, actually, but I'll have one every now and again.)

So, like I said, somehow, I'm going to make this happen. So now I need to know: who's with me? Say I can make this happen sometime in the next two years--who wants to go? Who wants more information? If you do, hit me up on Facebook, on Twitter, on here. Email me: brianarobertsonwrites@yahoo.com. Let me know you want to be on the To-Know List. And as I make this happen, I will keep you updated. I will give you dates, prices, etc. And if you have suggestions, if you want to be involved in the planning, or you know a group that would be willing to sponsor one sooner, let me know! I am all ears, because right now, I'm flying by the seat of my pants. But I will prevail!

Let's go back in time and get inspired! Let's go to Ravenwood Castle! Who's with me?