Does this come in Faery?

I use lots of keystrokes analyzing fairy tales. Today I want to discuss why we're so fascinated by them. They're old and antiquated. They're stilted and repetitive. They're sexist and...really sexist! So why the appeal? One answer is royalty. In a healthy majority of the stories good deeds, virtue, cleverness, and beauty yield majestic results. …

First Five Pages Syndrome

Hello FF Readers! I'm currently neck deep in rewrites, so pardon the short post. We’ve come to that time of year (which has become more and more nebulous) when TV shows make a last bid for our attention. Quite a few of those shows are in their freshman run and are competing with a huge …

Believing your own hype–like a tailor

Being a writer is hard. I know everyone says that, but it's like parenting--you don't know how hard it's going to be until you're in the trenches, slogging through it all. It turns out writing and rewriting (and rewriting, and rewriting...) is actually the easy part. Especially if you hold to the rule that you …

Admitted–Not Accepted

Here’s a weird thought. Have you ever had that moment when someone makes it clear that although you’ve been admitted, it does not mean you’ve been accepted? It made me think about Cinderella. After Cinderella was found by the prince and then he married her, what happened next? She was, for all intents and purposes, …

Author-versary

Last week a fellow writer and blogger celebrated her first year as a published author. I thought it was an amazing idea and wrote in her comments how much I lamented not having done the same. Not the post, but the celebrating. When you’re an indie author, work can be a bit of a slog. …

Formula: The Sequel or Comfort Mind Food

Last week I wrote about Hallmark Movies and their tendency to be formulaic. And I don’t think formula's are always a bad thing. But there was a time when my literary snobbery got in the way of a good time. As a teenager I flirted with a certain author’s romance stories that would be considered …

Hallmark Movie Drinking Game ©

The worst kept secret in fairy tales is that they conform to a formula. There’s something comforting in that, if a bit predictable. A modern-day equivalent is a Hallmark movie. They are predictable and comfortable, like worn-in shoes. Not great, not bad—just a pleasant way to spend an afternoon (or a holiday season). A bit …

The Elusive Ooh

Writers are some of the best readers. Many of the same traits that make a good writer are cultivated by good readers. Attention to detail. Love of a good story. Ability to suspend disbelief. But there's a fourth thing that I've only ever experienced as a writer. I've been working on my second novel and …

Fairy Tale Ambitions

I’ve been thinking about ambition lately. Wishes, yearnings, desires. It all sounds very intimate. Ambition is all about what we want deep down inside and work toward. We all have them, don’t we? Here’s where Snow White lost me. After escaping a death sentence because the queen’s servant takes pity on her and finding shelter …

Deadlines in the World of Make Believe

Fairy tales love deadlines. Midnight curfews. Seasonal mandates. Royal decrees with an expiration date. It ramps up the drama to know that not only does a protag have an obstacle to overcome, but there’s also a clock on when it must be completed. Readers love that. You know who doesn’t love it? Writers. We put …