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Saturday, July 14, 2012

Why Faeries?

I first posted this last year, but though it was good enough to share again. Enjoy. ~ Jamie

The words of Wilson Rawls captivated me when I was a child, especially one brief passage about a fairy ring.
A few years ago, I found a fairy ring; perhaps it found me.
Only days after moving into our current home, I saw something on the front lawn. Tiny mushrooms forming a circle. I didn’t jump up and down and exclaim that I had solved the meaning of the universe, but I was fascinated. A Fairy Ring. Immediately, the words I had read years earlier repeated inside of me. I took a photo with my phone and captured the memory of the moment. Then I looked around, discreetly stepped inside the circle, and made a wish.

A year later, while plotting my first novel, I discovered that some of the characters were flat. In fact, I hated them. If the author doesn’t like what is written, then certainly the reader never would. I tried changing their descriptions, their names, even imagining different voices to make them unique. Still, they were boring. Then I remembered my little fairy ring. Perfect.

I studied fairies—their history, the myths, and writings about them. I quickly realized that my own mental images differed completely from everything I found. There was nothing close and that wasn’t a bad thing. I wanted my creation to be unique.

So, I’ve kept the FAERIES, using the old world name to more accurately match the characters involved. Characters that I love. With a different edge and a remake of history, I’m trying to share their stories in a way that takes the reader to a place they’ve never been.

What about you? Is there something in nature that inspires your creativity? What are your thoughts of Faeries?

2 comments:

  1. We have faerie rings in our lawn every year. I never thought about wishing--I just pull them up.

    Faeries, on the other hand...I saw a tree once, with the big center branch pruned out. It turned into a novel about trees that turn into people (or maybe the other way around). I saw a picture of a cave and the lighting was so perfect that I saw an eye looking out at me. And what thirves under the ocean, the little mer children rolling in toward the beach under the curl of the waves...

    As far as characters, I'm afraid I usually go in the other direction, with characters that I love so much I don't want to let them go when the story is over.

    Lauren

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those images are fantastice, Lauren. The tree and the cave sound incredible. Oh, the faerie rings. I miss that little creation. I haven't seen one since. Thanks for stopping by.

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