An Update

It's been a little less than a year since I last posted on this blog. Looking back, I find it rather ironic that the last post I wrote was about "when life gets in the way." Seems my life has been getting in the way of blogging quite a lot this past year.

To be honest, I've been afraid to start blogging again. I feel like I have nothing left to say. My writing projects haven't been focused on fantasy any more, and neither has my reading, so I'm afraid that if I blog about fantasy I'm betraying myself and my readers. I'm left wondering if this whole idea of "Faeire & Faith" is really what I want to be doing.

To put it another way, I am full of doubts about my writing, my self, and the place that Christian fantasy has in my life.

But let's look at it in another way: when are we not full of doubts? When can we ever say with perfect confidence, "This is my ultimate purpose in life and the reason I was placed on this earth; I will not depart from it"?

Life is about so much more than simple certainties. Life is composed of doubts strung together into a narrow, tenuous lifeline clinging to our one anchor: the Cross.


Whew. That felt good to say!

Let me give you a quick update on my current writing and reading projects.

I've written about 60k of a fantasy story about time travel, Vikings, and a magical Ireland. Unfortunately, what I've written so far is about a third to half of the whole story, at least in my imagination. Plus, I keep getting waylaid by fears that my story idea is ridiculous, cliché, unfaithful to Ireland... You know the feeling. More doubts.

So then I started another story, roughly-maybe fantasy, and abandoned it after only about 20k. Don't worry, it wasn't worth saving. I just wrote it to get out the frustrations about story #1 with a new story.

Then I got sick of fantasy, and I decided to write a contemporary romance story set in NYC about a twentysomething writer who gets fired from her job for criticizing her boss and the company. At the threat of a lawsuit, she's forced to do something rather desperate. Honestly, it's just fluff, but it's so entertaining to write that I can't really force myself to give it up! I think I have about 40k written right now.

As far as reading goes...I must admit, I've been sinking deeper and deeper into the world of Jane Austen. Did you know that there are fanfiction and variations for every possible minor Austen character, from Elizabeth Elliot in Persuasion to Charlotte Collins from Pride & Prejudice? Also, Georgette Heyer, another Regency writer, is an amazing author. Hilarious and so subtle! I have to say, some of these stories are so engrossing that it's hard to think about anything other than Regency dresses and chaperones and carriages and...  You get the picture.


So there's an update on my life. What about you? What have you been writing or reading? Has anyone published any books or stories? Also, has anyone struggled with any of these doubts?


Image courtesy of Flickr.com Creative Commons. "The Path" by GabPRR.

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4 Myths About YA Fantasy

Today I have the honor of being part of Inklined’s blog tour on young adult books in honor of National Teen Read Week (in the US). 

For those of you who regularly visit my blog, you may have noticed that many of my recent book reviews have dealt with young adult (YA) fantasy books. Well, today’s my chance to explain why you should read YA fantasy too. To do so, I’ll bust four common myths about YA fantasy.

Myth #1: All YA fantasy is about vampires.

Falser than false teeth! Sure, there’s Twilight and Vampire Diaries and a whole slew of vampire-related books. However, they certainly don’t dominate the entire market. There are sub-genres of YA fantasy about fairies (Swift), about Greek myth (Percy Jackson), about fairy tales (Ella Enchanted), about traditional Medieval fantasy (Inkheart), and so much more. The vampire books may coat the surface of YA fantasy, but just like when searching for gold, you need to dig a little deeper to find the treasure.

Myth #2: YA fantasy has less mature content than adult fantasy.

Sadly, this myth is both true and false. There are many books, especially those intended for a middle-grade (preteen to early teen) audience, that have a minimum or no adult content. However, especially as you start progressing into full-on YA fantasy, the mature content escalates until, sometimes, it’s indistinguishable from an adult book. So before you plunge into a YA fantasy book, be sure to check out reviews to make sure you won’t be in over your head.

Myth #3: YA fantasy is too short.

Okay, so some YA fantasy doesn’t top 200 pages. But there are other works of YA fantasy that are 600, 700, even 800 or more pages long. For a few examples, think of the Eragon series or the Harry Potter series (at least the later books). One benefit of having such a wide range of page counts to choose from is that you can pick a book according to how much time you have to read. Pick a short book to breeze through for the weekend, and a long book to relish over winter break.

Myth #4: YA fantasy is “second-rate” fiction.

Definitely false! YA fantasy is just like any fantasy, or any fiction, for that matter. There may be shoddy work, but there are also plenty of gems waiting to be discovered. One way to discover them is to look for books that have won awards (ALA best book for young adults, for example). Or go to your favorite book reviewer and ask them for recommendations. Whatever you do, I can assure you that you will eventually find an example of YA fantasy that you truly love.

I hope this blog post has piqued your interest for YA fantasy. Check out some of my book reviews, or stop by Inklined to see some more blog posts about YA fantasy. And, of course, don’t forget to comment about YA fantasy myths you’d like to bust!



Sienna North is a writer, poet, and photographer. Her hobbies include reading Medieval literature, traveling around the world, and doodling in watercolor. She blogs right here at Faerie & Faith as well as on her photo blog, Sienna North Photography. She plans to self-publish her first novel, a YA book about Japan's 2011 tsunami, in March 2013.

Faerie & Faith is a blog for writers and readers of Christian fantasy. Since its inception in mid-2011, blog posts have dealt with such issues as using magic in stories, "God" in fantasy, and book reviews of (mostly fantasy) novels. While the focus of the blog has begun to shift away from strictly fantasy-related subjects, the fantastic will always be an important part of Faerie & Faith.

Review: Inkheart

Title: Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke (Translated from the German by Anthea Bell)

Page Count: 534

Stars: 5 of 5

•  5 = an amazing book that delivers a punch. Read this! 

Teaser: Imagine it were possible to bring the characters from a book to life. Not like when someone reads a book with such enchantment that the characters seem to jump off the pages and into your bedroom…but for real. Then, imagine if those characters brought their world into ours.

One cruel night, Meggie’s father, Mo, reads aloud from Inkheart. As he reads, an evil ruler named Capricorn escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Somehow, Meggie and Mo must learn to harness the power of reading aloud to end this nightmare.

Age level: Teen and up (13+)

Violence: 3 of 5

• 3 = between PG and PG-13 violence that plays a major role in the story

Romance: 1 of 5

• 1 = there's a hint of romance at a PG level

Language: 1 of 5

• 1 = replacement swear words, implied swearing, etc.

Christian worldview: The major “magical” element is that certain characters in Inkheart can read aloud and bring fictional characters and objects into the “real world.” This is basically explained as a skill and/or a genetic trait, so it doesn’t conflict the Christian worldview. The villains also converted an old church to use as their “audience hall,” but that’s clearly seen as wrong.

My Personal Opinion: This book is one of those rare few that qualifies as an all-time favorite. The concept alone is breathtaking. What if characters in books were real? Funke also opens each chapter with a thought-provoking quote. What’s more, Funke’s characterization made each character seem distinct, vivid, and real. Meggie’s voice especially enchanted me (in a literal and figurative sense). The plot was so gripping and each twist and turn completely unexpected. The climax was absolutely perfect and brilliant.

The one problem with this story? Funke wrote a sequel—in fact, she made it into a trilogy. The story that ends in Inkheart is beautiful, but the story that she continued…well, it didn’t have the same “magical” quality to it that Inkheart did. I finished the trilogy and enjoyed it, but the ending left me definitely disappointed. If you liked Inkheart, then give the other books a try, but be warned: they’re very different in substance and even in style from the original. Inkheart has also been made into a movie, which doesn’t live up to the original at all, but it’s not a horrible movie. In fact, I rather enjoyed it.

So, bottom line: read Inkheart! It’s truly breathtaking.

3 Major Writing Lessons

What follows are three lessons I've learned over my years of writing. I've also included specific advice (books to read, etc.). Hope you find it helpful, and enjoy!

1. To Write Well, Read Well

 

~ Read How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler. This volume provides excellent keys in grasping the flow of arguments in nonfiction and plot in fiction. For those limited on time, devote half an hour or fifteen minutes every evening to skimming a chapter or so. Be sure to read the table of contents to see which portions would be most helpful to you.

~ Research your desired writing field for bestselling or highly rated books in that genre. As you read these books, take note of techniques the author uses, themes the book espouses, the book’s structure, and other points that come to your attention. Keep a reading journal that sums up your thoughts and impressions on the book and—especially—how it relates to your writing. (You may wish to polish these impressions and post them as book reviews on a blog.)

~ Read good books on writing. This will enable you to learn from others’ mistakes rather than reinventing the wheel. The books On Writing Well (William Zinsser) and The Elements of Style (Strunk & White) may be a good place to begin. Additionally, there are many genre-specific writing books that may help you as you progress further into the realm of serious writing. Portioning out these tomes and reading a little consistently each day, along with recording your observations, will help you to fit this practice into your life. (Again, your observations may be excellent material for blogging.)

2. Write Every Day

 

~ The “write” that I am referring to is writing works that are roughly in line with your goals of what you want to publish. While it’s very well to keep a journal, simply cataloging the day’s events does nothing to challenge your writing. Further, if you do not write, then you will never finish any writing, and you will certainly never get published.

~ It can be quite helpful to utilize a competition like the annual National Novel Writing Month in November to kick-start your writing routine. However, in the end, it is up to you to find the time in your life to write. Begin the day with writing, and reward yourself with relaxation only after you have written your goal for the day. Most importantly, be consistent. If you promise yourself to write every day, than do it. Your writing will thank you.

3. Get Outside Feedback

 

~ Those of us who have participated in critique groups or worked under a mentor know that this rule goes without saying. No matter how many times you edit your work, the simple fact that the work is yours precludes you from looking at the piece with purely impartial eyes. For that, you will need partners or mentors who give you strong—even hurtful—critiques.

~ In the end, the final decision of what and how to edit should still remain yours, no matter what critiques you receive. Often, you may find that your readers have contradictory responses and suggestions for the work. In any case, it is up to you to decide what you want to change. Thus, read their suggestions and critiques with an open mind and heart, remembering that the final decision lies with you.

These “rules” aside, there are a thousand and one ways to become a good writer. Read and write yourself and see which areas are most helpful along your journey to excellent writing.