As it's National Poetry Day, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Byron. The celebrity cult of Lord Byron began while he was still alive, boomed when he died, and still continues today. He remains an object of fascination, scandal, and appeal. I've been interested in him since I first read about him in a "Famous People" encyclopaedia. It was a children's book, so it did not explore the more infamous aspects of his life. But it was enough to inspire me to delve further into research on the man and the myth - including the puzzle of the mirror . Ultimately, Byron went on to become a major inspiration for my first published book Day's Dying Glory , right down to its title. His early poems (generally my favourite ones) feature heavily in the book, and I enjoyed weaving in lines and references which Byron-fans would spot where others might not even notice them. Poets and poetry have inspired hundreds of writers. It is fascinating that language can be so power...
Fantasy books certainly don't need any mythical creatures thrown into the mix, but doesn't it make it that bit more fun?
My first published book with mythical creatures was Unicorns Rule. And, you guessed it, was about unicorns! It followed characters that I had invented back when I was in primary school, but I changed the story since then to make it (what I considered) better.
When writing my unicorn character, I was carefully to keep to older myths and legends. None of that pooping rainbow rubbish! As always, I imagined what I would have wanted to read when I was younger. I design the books for a younger me, knowing that if I would have liked it, then there will be other children who enjoyed it too.
The levellan, a very localised mythical creature, formed the basis for a story I wrote and serialised for my class in Lockdown. Check local stories to see if there is a creature you could use in your book.
Other mythical creatures include the Nemean Lion (my own take on the lion and the unicorn). And neither of these characters talk. It's completely acceptable if you want your animal characters to be able to communicate with humans, but I chose not to. Personally, I felt that if the unicorns started chatting away, they would lose something of their magical presence.
The mythical creatures that did talk were gnomes and elves. My thinking behind this was they were humanoid, and therefore could have understandable speech for us. Yes, it's a fantasy story, so we can get away with a lot, but that was just my preference.
I don't always keep the talking for the humanoid races. In Book 3 of my Feather Down trilogy, four pivotal characters are mythical birds: Resvelgar, the Thunderbird, the Simurgh, and the Roc. These creatures can chat away 'til their heart's content. I honestly have no idea why I changed my own rules for these ones, except that the age range for the book is higher than for Unicorns Rule. I can get away with a much darker, grittier story. Given their role in the book and what they do, no one could confuse them with a bird-version of My Little Pony. Or, perhaps, it's because rainbow-pooping unicorns have become the norm, while elephant-eating giant birds have yet to have their day.
Dragons - now that's a great base for a character. Yes, they've been done a lot through the centuries, but the myths and folklore associated with them is huge. You can fall down a million rabbit holes researching and what's more, there's a dragon for every occasion! Want a friendly dragon? There are legends you could use. Want a dragon that represents the devil? Yep, lots of those too. Depending on the culture, dragons can range from inherently evil to benevolent. Take your pick. When I was writing Heartstone, I included a dragon in one of my scenes. It's only in it for a short while, but it was great fun looking through different historical 'accounts' of dragons to get ideas.
So, here are some key take-aways:
- Whatever you want goes. If you don't want rainbow manure, you don't need to have it!
- To talk or not to talk? It's up to you. Personally, I would advise caution.
- Check local stories.
- Research and have fun! You never know. While your researching, you could find records of another mythical creature that would suit the purpose even better.
And some bonus tips:
- Adapt your mythical creatures as you see fit.
- It helps to have a main character who is witnessing mythical creatures for the first time. It helps the reader relate.
- Don't always go for the usual. Go wacky!
What's New At Crowvus?
I've had a busy Crowvus weekend, catching up with things that should have been done some time ago. One of these things is the Ghost Story Competition trailer. Every year, Crowvus organises a ghost story competition which runs from May until the end of September. Most years, we put together a video advert, hoping to inspire writers to put pen to paper.
Often, the videos include stock footage which presents certain challenges. For example... all I wanted for this video was a Wuthering-Heights-style hand at a window. But, according to all stock footage website, the only hand at a window was either in a soulless office building, or it was multiple silhouetted hands as though in a zombie film.
I compromised, as one often does with stock footage, but I'm rather pleased with the result as it turns out...
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