Gillian Bronte Adams

YA Epic Fantasy Author

Fantasy Reflections

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If you’ve been around here for any length of time, then you know that fantasy is my favorite genre both to read and to write. I’ll read plenty of other genres as well, but fantasy is my favorite.

So I’d like to start something new over here. Each Friday, I’ll post a Fantasy Reflections question to spark a little discussion about common fantasy elements, or characters, or favorite books. You can answer the question in the comments and dialogue back and forth with one another. But you can also copy the image and past it on your blog and invite your readers to participate as well. All I ask is that you link back to my original post.

If you’re anything like me, some of these questions will be pure torture trying to narrow down to one answer. But I encourage you to do so! If it’s at all possible. It’ll be fun. Painful but fun.

We’ll focus the questions on fantasy, but feel free to answer from any sort of speculative fiction novel you desire. Sci-fi. Dystopian. You name it.

So without further ado, our first Fantasy Reflection:

Fantasy Reflections
I had to start this off with a difficult question, didn’t I? *sigh*
I would have to say, Aragorn son of Arathorn, from the Lord of the Rings. He’s just the sort of tough guy who could help you survive pretty much anything. And he’s got a wide variety of useful skills: woodsmanship, sword fighting, healing, orc tracking …
I think I’d have a fair chance of returning alive with Aragorn at my side.
How about you? 

Of War-Horses and Their Masters

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Thundering hooves echo through the arena accompanied by the harsh throb of ragged breathing. Rippling muscles testify to the sheer power stored within. A spirit that submits, but is never subdued. Even through the layers of saddle and pads you feel it.


But you feel it most of all in your aching forearms. The constant pressure on the reins as your steed strives to throw off all encumbrances and embrace the heady power of the wind and freedom.

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of horse novels, never considered myself a horsey-girl, and might not even reply with a horse if asked my favorite animal.

Why? There are a couple of reasons, but mainly because I’ve grown up around horses. I started taking riding lessons at seven, and have owned my own horse since the year I turned twelve. Now I work at a place where I have a whole herd of horses under my charge, to look after and ride.

So folks automatically assume I’m a horsey-girl.

But I’m not.

Don’t get me wrong, I love riding. There’s nothing quite like the feel of the wind in your hair, and the strength of the steed beneath you, and the beauty of willing submission when the horse bends its will to yours.

But I don’t love each and every horse. And I don’t think that every horse is a sweet-tempered beast that just wants to be loved and adored and given its freedom. Trust me, there are some lemons in the mix.
Growing up, I refused to read horse novels or watch horse movies. (Other than the Black Stallion series and the Scorpio Races—my two exceptions.) Both novels and movies exaggerate the sentimental bond between horse and rider, giving horses unrealistic human characteristics and failing to present them as animals.

True horsemanship becomes about understanding and sympathizing with the horse, rather than having good old fashioned horse sense. A horse that misbehaves is just a horse that is misunderstood.

It’s due in part to these novels and movies that horses seem to have been relegated to something that only girls are allowed to enjoy. That bothers me. What happened to the age of the cowboys? To mounted warriors and the magnificent chargers ridden into battle by knights.

True, horses and riders can bond. And when it truly does happen, it’s beautiful to watch. I’ve experienced it. I’ve owned my horse, Ariat, for five years now. Seems like sometimes he can tell what I’m thinking before I have time to cue him. Horses, like dogs or cats, get to know their riders and their habits. Ariat recognizes the sound of my spurs and knows my whistle—and if I’m lucky, he’ll actually answer it and come when I call.

I’m a one-horse rider, and he’s a one-rider horse. We get along just fine.

All that to say, I never thought I’d write a horse novel.

But I am.

Of a sort.

It’s an epic medieval fantasy that takes place in a country of horse-masters. Horses tend to be a natural part of most fantasy—who could resist the knight in shining army, or the flash of the tournament lance, or the charge of the Rohirrim?—but even more so of the fantasy world I’m imagining. The novel may not be about horses, but they are a necessary piece in the story.

There is a delicate balance required to write unique steeds that are realistic and horse-like and to present the true bond between horse and rider, without painting horses with a human shaped brush.

When we do that, we fail to portray the true beauty and majesty and nobility of a war-horse and its master.

What do you think? Do you enjoy reading novels where horses have more human characteristics? Is there a book you can think of where this has been done really well?

Cause Everyone Needs a Little Inspiration Now and Then …

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It’s just one of those days.

Cold. Grey. Damp.

Not quite raining, but drizzling every now and then. The sort that makes you want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of coffee and a good book, though you know you should be writing. So you stuff the book under a pillow out of reach and pull out your laptop … only to find yourself staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page with no idea how to get the words out of your head and into the story.

Ever had one of those days?

When I find it hard to write, it’s usually because there’s something holding me back.

Fear.

Fear that I’ll ruin what I think should be a good story. Fear that I’m a failure before I even get started. Fear that my story is terrible … and I’ll just make it worse.

In fact, I wrote a whole blog post about it once: When My Pen Runs Dry.

One thing that I’ve found helps me when I hit a dry spot in my writing, is to go back through my story and reread my favorite parts. This time, I decided to take it a little farther and designed a “quotes graphic” for each of the main characters to use as inspiration while I write.

I’m not a graphics designer by any means … it’s one of my many non-talents … but I had fun making these and they serve their purpose such as it is!

Ronan
Ronan: A Fighting Chance
Ceridwen
Ceridwen: Strong

Ceridwen: Ashes
Want to design your own character-inspiration graphic? 

Here’s what I did:

Color

First, I settled on a color for the graphic. I tend to associate certain characters with specific colors even as I write. I knew automatically that Ceridwen would be a burned-to-the-embers fire red. Ronan on the other hand was a smoky blue, like the sea on a misty morning.

Words

Second, I found words to describe my characters. These can be words your character would use to describe themselves. Or names others associate with them. Or words that encapsulate their identity in the story, even if they would never see themselves that way.
Ronan’s tale is in many ways a story of becoming, so all the different words in his backdrop point to the many different identities he bears throughout the story.
The fire and ash in Ceridwen’s backdrop, on the other hand, point to her past. A past that continues to define her present and her future.
The Quote

This, of course, is entirely up to you! I chose quotes that I thought captured some part of the character’s voice and history to help me remember who the character is and inspire me to continue to tell their tale. I made several graphics with quotes that aren’t actually in the story, but fit the character so well that I knew I would work them in somehow.
Are there any random things you do for inspiration when you hit those dull, grey days?

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