Prudence - Fairy Story or Fantasy?

I recently read an article asking the question what is the difference between a fairy story and a fantasy?  My first thought was, is there a difference and my second was does it matter?
However having read the article it got me thinking about the Prudence trilogy.  I have always thought of this as a fantasy story and marketed it as such, but have I got this all wrong?  Am I barking up the wrong marketing tree?
According to the article - and they quote the great Tolkein in this no less - a fairy story must contain at least one fairy in its narrative.  Aimed at children they are generally shorter stories with strong moral lessons to them.  The conflicts within them are generally smaller and more personal to the main character of the story and his or her immediate surroundings.  They are not your sweeping saga's associated with fantasy novels where the conflict usually endangers whole nations or worlds.

So, before we decide where to put Prudence let's look at some of the more traditional fairy stories and compare these to the fantasy formula.  The most obvious fairy stories that spring to mind are Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  These two have all your boxes nicely ticked; fairies, a strong moral core, and the story is short and localised.  But, there are others that we tend to think of as fairy stories that don't fit so nicely into the definition.  Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, all of these seem to be missing - if I remember rightly - one vital ingredient, not a single fairy in any of them!  Lots of magic, wicked witches and strong morals, but no actual fairies.  So, perhaps the word 'fairy' has just become a by-word for all the other requirements of a fairy story and fairies are not actually necessary?

Fantasy novels are a different kettle of fish.  usually much longer and often stretched over at least two or three separate books.  If we look at a typical and well loved children's fantasy like 'The Chronicles of Narnia' for example, we can perhaps see a little more easily the differences between the fantasy and the fairy.  The title in itself gives away the fact that this is more than just a short story; this is a chronicle and you need to be prepared to be in it for the long haul!  Even if we take each of the books in the series on their own they are all longer than your traditional fairy story.  They have that epic saga feel of a fantasy story.
On the other hand the magic of the fairy story is still there; we have the iconic wicked witch and a strong moral too.  So are the differences between the two really so clear cut?

This is where I struggle with Prudence.  For those of you who haven't read the stories let me give you a little background.
Prudence is a fairy, but she is also the descendant of a union between one of King Arthur's grandsons and a fairy princess.  She lives in a land we know as Avalon and at the time of her story this land is under threat from a dark wizard called Mareck. This wizard has allied himself with the king of the fairies to find the lost sword of King Arthur, Excalibur.  It is his intention to use its power to break through the portal between the human and faery worlds and wage war upon a totally unsuspecting and unprepared human world.  According to prophecy Prudence, as a descendant of King Arthur - the man for whom the sword was made - is the only one who can protect the sword from Mareck's evil plans.  She allies herself with, among others, Arien, King of the Elves, a somewhat eccentric wizard called Emrys, a human man who is the 'Gatekeeper' - guardian of the portal between the two worlds and a cantankerous old dragon called Bob.  Of course her strongest allies are her friends, Maggie, Sam, and the elf prince Rupert, who become just as entangled in her adventures.

So, fairy story or fantasy?
Well, we certainly have the fairy box ticked!  As well as Prudence we have Maggie, Lady Alaia, the explorers Walter and Elspeth Flowerdew and the rebel leader, Gil, all of them fairies.  Not to mention of course, the fairy king, Gideon and his son Tristan, so we have good fairies and bad.
But, the story is long; stretching over three books and this is where the fantasy element takes over I believe.  Prudence's struggle is not localised.  She is not simply battling a wicked stepmother and if she fails in her quest it will be two worlds that will suffer; not just hers, but that of the human world she knows little of, but is just as determined to protect.
So, yes I think I am still erring on the side of the fantasy rather than fairy story.  I think it fills the formula of a fantasy much more, but I do have one more reason for steering away from the fairy story angle.
Often when I tell people I have written a book about a fairy called Prudence I am met with the response, "Oh I must look at that for my daughter/grandaughter/niece," etc and I then go on to discover that said child is 3 or 4 or 5 - not really  the age that the Prudence trilogy is aimed at at all!
It does seem though that 'fairy stories' are usually associated with a younger age and the last thing I want with my marketing is to target the wrong age group.

In conclusion, at the beginning of this post I asked is there a difference between the fairy and fantasy story and if there is, does it matter?  I think we can conclude that the answer to both of these questions is yes.  Although they can seem similar in many ways there is definitely a defining difference between the two, one of the main ones being the type of audience the story will attract.  And, therefore because of this it is important to get this right.  For Prudence I believe I made the right choice in marketing her story as a fantasy - unless of course we want to come up with a whole new genre - fairy fantasy perhaps?!

What do you think?

Kim

Getting organised

Today I made a little addition to my writing area; a cork board.  This is all part of my effort to be a little more organised and get myself focused on my new project.  As I have said before after five years working on the Prudence trilogy and living in her world it has been hard to let go; to stop thinking about what her next adventure will be, how it will affect her and her relationships with those around her - she was constantly in my thoughts! She does still invade my thoughts and I'm not totally ruling out the possibility of returning to Ealdhun, but it's just not for now.  Now I feel I need to give myself a break and try something fresh.
My little break in Cumbria helped immensely, and I certainly returned home feeling refreshed and with a very basic idea for my next project.  So, in order to consolidate my idea's I have got myself a cork board and a whole wad of post-it notes. At the moment it's looking very neat and tidy, but that's probably because I'm still in the early planning stages, looking at character bio's and outlining the first couple of chapters, I'm sure it'll soon look like a confused jumble that only I can understand, but that's okay - so long as I can understand it!
I also have a notebook that I carried around with me everywhere whilst I was on holiday so that I could make notes as and when the ideas came and I intend to keep it with me so that I can drift off into 'Kim world' wherever and whenever the opportunity presents!
I still have another week to go before I have to get back to the drudgery of the day job, but hopefully I will have made a good inroad on the groundwork by then.  I'm not making any predictions about when this is likely to be finished as we all know how rubbish I am with deadlines and targets, but I will update my progress as I go.

And, in case you were wondering I still haven't sorted out the website, but I really am going to get on to that..... soon.

Kim

Cumbria: My little piece of heaven on earth

So, as the final volume of the Prudence trilogy is now completed and published I am now enjoying a well earned holiday!
It was quite stressful getting the last volume finished and making sure I was completely happy with the way I was leaving Prudence.  It has also been a bit of a wrench leaving her behind.  I have been working on this series for the past five years; for five years she has been a part of my life, as I constantly planned and plotted her story.  She accompanied me everywhere I went and was never far from my thoughts - so how do I let go?

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm quite mercenary and am really quite keen to start working on the next project!  The only problem is what exactly is the next project?  It's not that I don't have any ideas, in fact it's just the opposite - I have too many!  The problem is deciding on which one to actually focus on.

And, that is why I am here in beautiful Cumbria.  This is my little piece of heaven on earth.  If you've ever been here you'll understand exactly what I mean.  This is where I have come to be inspired and to find my focus and to be quite honest if I can't find it here, I'll never find it!

So if you follow me on facebook (link)/or twitter (link)  expect lots of pictures over the next few days of lakes, mountains and of course, because it's me, trees!

So after an early morning hike up on the fells, I'm now off out for a more relaxed evening stroll by the lake.  See you soon!

Kim

to self edit or not to self edit????

Editing is generally believed to be one of the bugbears of writing, painstakingly picking through your work, checking and fine-tuning.  Personally I love the process, but I know a lot of people don't.  So when it comes to the editing process we basically have two options, either we package up our little bundle of words and send it on to someone else to edit, or we do it ourselves, and there are of course pros and cons for both.

Sending your work to someone else has the obvious benefit of fresh eyes; they are seeing the text for the first time and so are more inclined to read what is actually there and not what you think is there. Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes are going to stand out more and usually it will be someone who is a professional editor reading your work so they will know what to look for and how to do the job properly.

The obvious down side to this is cost.  These people are not going to work for free!  So, if cash flow is a bit of a problem this may not be the best option for you.

Self editing is easier and cheaper and possibly also quicker.  This is the option I prefer.  Funds are not so readily available and most of the available spare cash goes on marketing and advertising my work.  I also find it quite relaxing and satisfying to go through my work 'polishing' and honing the story.  The hard work is done, the story itself is finished and it is quite rewarding to go through your work and know that, hey, I did this!  it makes all the stress, all the late nights and early mornings worth it!

My usual process is to go through the text and make sure I'm absolutely 100% happy with it, then put it aside and leave it for a week or so before going through it again.  It's not exactly fresh eyes, but it's the next best thing.

Of course, ideally a combination of the two choices would be best.  Go through your work, polish, fine tune, hone, make it the best draft that you can and then let someone else look at it even if it is just a friend or family member.  Getting those fresh eyes to go over the text, professional or not will always help.

So, here I am at 5.44 on a Sunday morning about to start the editing of the final volume of the Prudence trilogy.  It's been a long time coming, but finally I'm almost there with the trilogy.  

Hope you enjoy your Sunday -  and remember at some point to relax with a good book!

Kim 

When Life gives you Lemons.................

This post is really just to say, Hey, I'm still here.  I haven't posted anything for six months for many reasons,  and I now feel that perhaps a little explanation is in order.
 About the middle of November last year I was hit by what I can only describe as a writing lethargy, a total inability to find any inspiration or motivation to write.
I have no idea what caused this.  All I know is that it was a real struggle, my little comfort zone, my escape from the 'real world' had deserted me and I suddenly felt a little bit lost, adrift.  I did all the things I would normally do when facing writer's block - going for walks, listening to music or just simply accepting that I needed to step back and focus on something else for a few days.  Nothing worked.
Christmas came as a little distraction although even that seemed to have lost a little of its shine this year and in the New Year I was determined to kick start my motivation by giving myself a 'to do' list.
The foremost thing that I have been wanting to do is set myself up with a website.  This is something I am constantly being advised to do and has been an issue for a while.  I also had various idea's for new promotions for the books and of course I needed to get my backside into gear and get the 'Prudence' trilogy finished.  So far I have achieved none of this.
As usual whilst I was making all these plans fate was stood at my shoulder having a little chuckle and saying, 'not on my watch'.  I won't go into detail but suffice to say that my family had something of a health scare at the beginning of the year that knocked us all a bit for six.  We have spent the last three months struggling up a mountain of anxiety and worry, but I am pleased to say that we have reached the top and are now happily free-wheeling down a hill of relief.  (I just hope there are no potholes).
There is a saying that goes, 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade', but to be quite honest sometimes all you really want to do is slice those lemons in half and squirt lemon juice right back into the eye of fate. I know I certainly did.
But, enough with the negativity.  I am slowly starting to feel more positive and am once again feeling motivated, inspired and even excited about my writing again.  I have dusted off the 'to do' list, I have a holiday booked in July to the most beautiful corner of the world - Cumbria and I am surrounded by the best family anyone could wish for.
Life is good.

See you soon

Kim

A Walk back in time - Sutton Hoo

I am approaching the end of the Prudence trilogy of books and as I have been looking for a little inspiration for the planning of the final battle I felt a walk was in order!  I decided to forego all my usual haunts in favour of Sutton Hoo, an ancient burial site close to the estuary town of Woodbridge in Suffolk.  History has long been a passion of mine and particularly ancient history.  I love coming to places like this where you can see little clues, ancient tidbits of a life long gone, but where real, solid evidence of that life has gone also.  It's perfect fuel for an active imagination!
Sutton Hoo is the only known ship burial in the country, and that in itself makes it a little bit special.  It is believed to be the last resting place of King Raedwald who died around 625 AD  the findings when the site was excavated have also been dated to this era.  The exhibition hall is well worth a visit, packed with information video's, photographs and replica's of the finds made during Basil Brown's original excavation.  (The actual finds are housed in the much more secure location of the British Museum in London.)  There is also a full size reconstruction of the burial chamber and the size of it gives some idea of the effort that must have gone into burying this king with his ship - whether it was King Raedwald or not he was clearly a man of great importance to his people.

However even if you are not a history buff, the walks around Sutton Hoo are lovely.  There are two main walks in the guide, both are said to be about a 50 min walk but I  kind of cobbled together both walks and it took me about an hour.  I was lucky with the weather; it was a clear bright morning, if a little chilly, but was perfect walking weather.

The first part of the walk takes in the site of the burial mounds, which I found particularly inspiring as I sat absorbing the atmosphere  and  taking myself back over a thousand years to Raedwalds time.
The walk then heads off into the surrounding countryside and most of it is through woodland.  Yep, more pictures of trees, sorry!

Couldn't resist taking a photo of this knobbly old fellow!  There was also plenty of wild life to spot including sheep, pigs, deer, squirrels and even a dragon - which kind of wound up the walk perfectly for me!

Once again I must apologise for the poor quality of the photo's.  I really need to sort out a new camera - my phone just isn't up to the task!  But, hopefully this has just given you a little taster of my walk and given you food for thought when planning your own inspirational walks!

have fun,

Kim

judging a book...............by its cover?

I am reaching the point with the third and final instalment of the Prudence series where I need to start thinking about a cover for the book.  Actually I've already thought about it and have pretty much decided exactly what I want.  The stage I am really at now is wishing I could improve my drawing skills to something a little beyond stick men.  Now, I know what you're all thinking, practice makes perfect and all that, but believe me I have tried and stick men are about as good as it gets.
I have been trying to tell myself that it is the content of the book that is important, but as we all know, the hard part is getting the reader as far as actually opening your masterpiece so that they will naturally go on to make this epic discovery.  So, is it the cover of the book that makes up our mind to delve inside?

Recently I found myself in the happy position of having some book tokens to spend so I thought back over what had actually made me make the choices that I did on that day. I've realised that, for me there are five things that can influence my choices.

1.  The author.

Okay, this may be a bit obvious, but if you have read a particular author before and enjoyed the work why not stick with something you know, especially if the book, or books have been particularly good.  Unfortunately, in my experience this hasn't always worked out particularly well.  What if your beloved favourite decides it's time to try something new? What if the series you have loved so far suddenly starts to veer off into a totally unexpected direction that sours the whole thing for you?  What if they kill off your favourite character?  This has happened to me in the past and so now I tend to look less and less at who the author is as a guide for my choices.  It may be a consideration, a passing "Ooh yes I've read her/him before", but it won't completely sway my decision.    

2. Recommendations

Again this can be dangerous territory.  I have a very good friend who, like me, likes to read, but we like completely different books.  She'll rave about a book she's read "It's about this woman who was abused as a child, left home when she was sixteen got into an abusive relationship with an older man........................"  Okay, I've already switched off.  I have no doubt that the story is an inspirational tale about overcoming horrendous hardships, but that's not what I want from a book.  When I sit down to read I do it as a way to escape.  I don't want to turn the pages just to be reminded of all that is awful with this world, I want to lose myself in something as far removed from reality as possible, whether it be a classic fantasy, a step back in time or a trip into space.  We all have to live real life I don't want to be bound by it when I'm reading.
So, if I am going to guided by any recommendations it will be from those that I know like to read the same thing as me - like my mum! Although some of her choices can be a bit bloodthirsty for my tastes.  I'm still not sure about the Deathstalker series!

3. The blurb

Obviously an integral part of the decision making is the book blurb.  This really is one of the main weapons the author has to hook the reader; they've actually picked the book up off the shelf, now you've got to persuade them not to put it down.  If you're a new author the reader is not going to know your name, nobody is going to recommend you; this is where you have to sell your work.  So it needs to be good.  One of the books I picked up on my aforementioned shopping trip was called 'Stranger of Tempest' by Tom Lloyd, not an author I have read before, but the blurb on the back of the book started like this:

"For a damsel in distress, she was rather more spattered with someone else's blood than Lynx had expected.  And naked.  Very naked............"

I didn't put the book back down!  Still haven't read it yet, but will let you know when I have and what I thought!

4. The title

Book shops; wonderful things!  You step into a cave full of shelves with row upon row of book spines facing you.  All you can see is the title and the author's name - what do you go for?  We've already established that the author's name is not always a safe option so the title needs to do the selling; the title needs to reach out and grab you.  The title needs to entice, intrigue. It needs to stand out, be a little unique - it needs to outsmart all the other spines you're looking at.  Easy, right???????

5.  The cover

Finally, we come to it;  do we judge a book by its cover?  Okay come on admit it, yes we do!  You've looked at the rows of spines, an author or title has enticed you to take one from the shelf, do you immediately turn to the blurb or look at the cover first?  You may not consciously do it, you may not say to yourself 'hmm that looks interesting wonder what the cover is like', but I bet 99% of the time you subconsciously glance at the cover before doing anything else.  And, of course, when you're shopping on line, scrolling through endless lists, the visual effect of the book definitely needs to be more striking, more eye-catching.  It doesn't have to be fussy; it doesn't have to tell the whole story in one image, again it just needs to entice.  

So, for me getting the cover right is important.  My name is not well known enough, I have not sold enough books to rely on recommendations therefore the title, the blurb and yes, the cover need to be right.  you never know one day people may say 'oh look, Kim Watts, her last one was really good!'
For now though I'm back to the drawing board!  Well, I'm off to find someone else to get back to the drawing board for me - Stick men just aren't going to cut it!

Happy reading everyone!

Kim