http://bookswelove.net/authors/sawka-randall-western-suspense/

The word ‘groove’ came to mind the other day. I wasn’t in the woodwork shop carving a sign. It came to mind when I had a morning when I added an exceptionally large amount to my latest move.

While I basked in the accomplishment the word ‘roll’ or ‘run’ didn’t pop into my head. I felt like it was a dated word. But, is it? I mulled over the thought and decided it was still used and a far out idea.

Gee whiz, I decided that I was comfortable in my 60’s and 70’s language and self for the most part. Ok, I don’t have fond memories of stripped bell bottoms and I struggle to imagine owning jet boots again.

Those decades put me in touch with my beloved folk music and I still hang out at ‘coffee houses’. I have an issue with paying six dollars for drink and lining up behind dozens of people to order my coffee. Yes, in the heart of Toronto the lines stretch on forever and some have four or five tills humming.

Really? What’s the answers? Is it possible to regain the ‘chilled atmosphere of the past?

Thank you Orillia, Ontario. We stumbled upon an amazing independent coffee shop tucked on a side street. The tables and chairs were a mix of chairs, picnic tables, benches, and sitting in the corner a very very old piano. We sat down and I started writing. A few minutes later a bearded fellow came in with a friend. He set down his guitar case covered with stickers and sipped coffee. He friend went out to their van (so seventies) and brought in a tiny drum kit. They set up and the guitarist tuned up. Minutes later two gentleman arrived. A heavy-set man sat on the tired piano stool and the other man swun open his upright base.

They chatted and plucked away at their instruments for a few minutes, talking and laughing. The locals in the coffee house (no-I won’t call it a coffee shop) barely gave them a look.

A few minutes later our day, and trip across four provinces had a highlight. We sipped,  wrote, and enjoyed high quality jazz.

Human Nature in Fantasy

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Human Nature in Fantasy

by S. L. Carlson, YA fantasy author with BWL

 What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

~Ecclesiastes 1:9 New International Version (NIV)

(Quote from the Wisdom Books c. 450-180 BCE)

If there is nothing new under the sun, whyever do I continue to write…new stuff? Plus, how can a quote written so long ago be relevant in today’s world of highspeed internet, spaceships, and modern forms of weaponry? It is as relevant as Christopher Booker’s surmise of there being only seven basic plots. For the Ecclesiastes quote, as with the seven plots, concerns human nature and character, not inventions or accomplishments.

Folk and fairy tales are all about human nature, even when morals vary from culture to culture. For example, thievery and trickery is a negative trait in northern European cultures, but in some Native American or Middle Eastern cultures, they are amusing and even admirable—e.g., the old adage “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”.  The Brothers Grimm and Edward Lang rewrote folk tales they’d collected to accommodate the minds of their young readers. Also, the many stories in the volumes of Tales from the Arabian Nights were intended for adults-only, unless, like Disney’s treatment of Aladdin, they are sliced, diced, and rewritten for “the gentle mind.”

I own about one hundred thousand folk and fairy tales in print, and countless more on electronical devises. Decades ago I wrote my master’s paper based on folk tales. For me, these are fantasy quick-reads with pow factors, causing my mind to think about history, people, places, fantastical things, and human nature.

Years ago I thought to write about a magical ring but hesitated because of the popularity of LOTR. J.R.R. Tolkien was known for his love of Norse myths and legends. And then I read folk tale after fairy tale involving rings, one had a magic trait to transport, one provided food, and another made someone wearing it invisible. There is nothing new under the sun.

I wanted to write about a unicorn, but not the fluffy-duffy, rainbow kid-type. Take the opposite of that and what have you got? A war unicorn! Whoever thought of such a thing? And then I read about D&D war unicorns. It wasn’t much like my war unicorn, still…nothing new under the sun.

An author of fantasy (like me) takes a little bit of this and a little bit of that, eye of newt and toe of frog, throw them in a cauldron (or swirl them around in your brain sometimes for years), and out will come...

Something New.

http://www.bookswelove.com/authors/carlson-sandy-young-adult/

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(Book 2 coming September 1, 2018)

Shortened Bibliography: Shakespeare-Macbeth; Bible; Christopher Booker; The Inklings of Oxford; Tales of the Arabian Nights (Richard Burton’s edition); Brothers Grimm & Andrew Lang & 100,000+ Folk and Fairy Tales.

www.sandycarlson.com

Movies and Books by Victoria Chatham

For my seventh birthday, I was treated to a trip to the movies to see Walt Disney’s Cinderella. 

Cinderella and her Prince colored my world in a way that books didn’t and since then I've been a die-hard (no pun intended) movie fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love books. I was taught to read at home, pre-school. I was, and am, an avid reader of anything that takes my fancy. My books fueled my imagination, but movies had me holding my breath and perching on the edge of my seat as I watched the action.

I think I was eight or nine when I started going to the Saturday morning movies on a regular basis. It very much depended on whether there was a movie theater where we lived. Moving around with my soldier dad was a bit of a potluck lifestyle. I do remember having to do chores to earn the one shilling and sixpence ticket price to enter those magic portals and sit through a B movie, Pathé news, and then – WOW – the all-important feature film.

The cinemas I remember were more like theaters with their music pits in front of the screen, sometimes with actual live music depending on the movie, curved tiers of seating and fancy boxes and always those magnificent tasseled, velvet drapes. Oh, the anticipation when the lights were dimmed and they opened to reveal that magical silver screen. Girls carrying trays of ice-creams and cigarettes paraded the aisles during the breaks. How I envied them! In my innocence, I thought they saw all the movies they wanted for free. The truth, as I later discovered from a friend who actually got a job in a movie theater, was very different.

I still love going to the movies, but today I see them through different eyes as I’m far more aware of the beats in a movie – especially since reading Blake Snyder’s book ‘Save the Cat.’ Although Blake passed away in 2009, his trilogy of books on screenwriting and story structure make him a still recognized writing mentor. I’ve never been interested in scriptwriting, but I’ve found his book and his beat sheets have helped me with my own story structure as did Michael Hague’s workshop on the three-act structure.

There are so many good craft books and great workshops and I know I’ll never get bored with learning about the craft of writing. But there comes a time when, regardless of structure or how many craft books writers have on their shelves, you just have to let loose and bleed on the page. That’s where story comes from, the heart and soul of the writer. Write the story first, then apply the finesse of the craft.

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www.victoriachatham.com

http://www.bookswelove.com/authors/chatham-victoria-romance-historical/

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