Historical Fantasy (A new direction for me)

Since my novel is currently on submission I find myself sampling some of my other projects, trying to see if something will catch my interest. There's quite a lot to choose from. In addition to the novel series I've finished I also have ten other solid story beginnings. Many are different genres with different messages and audiences. Take a look at the sampling:

1 YA post apocalyptic
2 YA Dystopian (And they're VERY different in premise)
1 Adult Sci Fi
1 YA Fantasy
1 Middle Grade Fantasy
1 YA Fantasy/ Horror
1 YA Dark Contemporary
2 Adult Thrillers (Very very different)
1 Historical fantasy
1 YA romance (That has a slightly religious message going with it. It's like the two things I always avoid in writing: Religion and romance. Heck if I know why I got this idea)

So... ok that's actually 12 ideas. It's grown since I last counted I guess. Long story short, I like a lot of genres and I get a lot of ideas in said genres. The one I'm looking at today is the historical fantasy.

I should point out that I totally didn't expect it to be historical fantasy when I came up with the idea. It was just going to be urban fantasy in a modern day setting. But two nights ago I had a revelation (Don't you love those) and suddenly thought: "This would be so much cooler if it was set in early 1900s England."

What prompted said revelation? I watched Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows for the umpteenth time.  I was really struck by the tone and setting of the movie and I could totally see a lot of the events of my story taking place in that kind of setting. It just looks so dynamic and cool. I think the cinematography also played a hand in that (Honestly, the cinematography is just incredible in that movie... I'm such a film nerd) but the places and buildings themselves also did. I love cobblestone streets and horse drawn carriages. I love how the buildings look elegant and yet really dirty and gritty. I love how busy they were with people and the little shops and markets.

You know what else? I love the costumes. I think men look awesome in those waist coats and hats and canes. The women's fashion is fun to play with too as it was just starting to move away from the traditional bodice and suffocating corset and moving towards more freeing and comfortable fashions. They still looked very elegant though.

There's also a lot of interesting events going on in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Great Britain. Beginning of World War I, a change in the influence of young intellectuals, Jack the Ripper etc. Plenty of good fodder for conflict and intrigue. Not to mention Historical Fantasy is a lot less common right now next to Urban fantasy. I think it would be an interesting experiment.

Of course, what interests me one day will be something different the next. I have the attention span of a flea. But if something does capture my interest I write like crazy on it (That book that's on submission? It's first draft was completed in just under a month. Yup.)

What genres are you sampling right now?

-Authoress Anonymous

Trip of a lifetime (And what I've learned)

Finally I have returned from the unknown of the Baltic: That mysterious, overseas land in which I could not use my cell phone or email or facebook or any other messaging device, less I risk paying an arm and a leg for them.

But seriously, the lack of communication with the outside world did not at all hamper my experience of that wonderful place. I am eternally blessed to have been able to see eight different countries in just ten days. I can add eight more countries to my extensive list of places I've been (A list that only included America until quite recently.)

Since the vacation is fresh in my mind I thought I might talk about what I learned while I was there. Specifically: What I learned about writing.

Settings are fun.

Yeah, that's a bit of a weird thing to learn. But I've never been a particular fan of describing the scenery in minute detail. I'm more of a characters person. The setting is just kind of there. Now that's not to say that I don't love it when older books go into minute detail about their settings. I'm just not very good at it. Description of settings is probably one of my biggest shortcomings in my writing.

Maybe it's because the settings were never solid in my mind. Maybe it's because I've never been to the place I'm writing about because it's fantasy. That all changed when I went to Bornholm (This little island off the coast of Denmark). I remember thinking to myself as we drove through the small town (That contained buildings older than America) "Hey, this could be the setting of this book!"

And the trend continued. I found inspiring buildings, towns and, especially, churches all throughout Europe. From the quaint old town of Tallin to the modern Russia. And I took pictures of EVERYTHING in order to solidify my memory of these amazing places. I hope to use these pictures when I describe my scenery in the future. Maybe it will improve.

It is a shame that many books don't take time to describe their scenery anymore because so many editors, agents and publishers have told us to start with action and GO, GO, GO! I kind of want to see more stories really take their time and linger in the setting. Because even if it's not my strongest point, it can be an amazing tool in the hands of a master.'

-Authoress Anonymous