Heroes and villains

 So I was working on a thing. I call it my pandemic project. For those of you who are newsletter subscribers, you'll be getting news next week. For those of you who are not, now's your chance to sign up.

I've also been reading up a storm, books to distract and inspire. The last movie I saw in a theater was LITTLE WOMEN, and I appreciated how Jo was constantly writing, and how by the end of the movie she'd taken control of her career. It was also an illustration of how much the world has changed with time, and a reminder that it will continue to change. Through it all, we rely on the tales that are passed along, from the times of bards in the kings' courts to the dawn of the industrial revolution and continuing through today. We listen intently to stories of heroes and villains, both real and imagined.

With the crazy news cycles constantly vying for attention, my creative mind has been struggling. One of my friends nudged me to resurrect an old story I'd written several years ago, one that is a little out of my normal scope. It's more of a fantasy-type novel, about mythical beings and airline pilots that I wrote after a trip through canyon country. When I pulled it out to read it again, I decided it wasn't half bad, so I'm working on fine-tuning it before I take another trip to Hillendale. 

Antelope Canyon

One of my critique partners suggested I might be straying too far from the legend that inspired my fantasy novel, which got me to wondering how far is too far when you're making stuff up? How much is "appropriating" someone else's culture and how much is fair game for a vivid imagination? Then I started thinking about Bram Stoker's DRACULA, one of my favorite books (and movies - Bela Lugosi era). Fast forward a billion years and we have Twilight, which says vampires sparkle. Is that appropriating Transylvanian folklore? Is that twisting a legend to suit an author's vision? (Here's a Facebook link to the canyon legend.)

 

Bryce Canyon

Are you, my readers, interested in reading the fantasy novel I've written? (Inquiring minds want to know.)

Wherever the changes we're currently living through take us, we will have stories to pass along to the generations that follow, either as cautionary tales or as beacons of hope. While we wait to see how all this turns out, I'll do my best to give you something else to think about for a few hours. Thanks for sitting around the fire with me while I spin my yarns.

Current music: Tusk (Fleetwood Mac)
Current mood: 🤔
Currently working on: Hoodoo Awakening