#IWSG June 2019: Why I love to read and write fantasy

Posted June 5, 2019 in Creative Writing / 4 Comments

The Insecure Writer's Support Group badge

It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post to boost my confidence and encourage myself to engage with the writing community. The IWSG post on the first Wednesday of every month.

This month’s co-hosts are:  Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi,Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte! 

I can’t believe we’re half way through the year already! I’m in the thick of running exams at work so life is busy and tiring right now. But the summer holidays are fast approaching and I’m looking forward to getting lots of writing projects completed and spending some quality time with my family.

Writing News

I’m back to my 5:30 am writing sessions, which are much easier to get up for now that the mornings are brighter and warmer. I’m working on a short story based on Slavic mythology at the moment, then my next projects will be a flash fiction piece for the June WEP challenge, and a modern fairytale story. Then I’ll start my entry for the IWSG anthology contest, which could be interesting as middle grade is not my usual genre.

I’m also planning an anthology of stories based on local folklore from the Lincolnshire fens and continuing with my science fantasy novel. So I’ve got plenty to be getting on with!

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Why I love to read and write fantasy

I’ve talked about my love of fantasy many times on this blog. It’s the genre that I’ve been reading and writing for as long as I can remember. I started with The Magic Faraway Tree and The Chronicles of Narnia and then fell in love with Harry Potter and The Hobbit. My current favourites are anything by Laini Taylor, Neil Gaiman or Maggie Stiefvater.

I also enjoy science fiction, paranormal, steampunk and dystopian tales, which all come under the umbrella of speculative fiction.

I’m drawn to fantasy especially because:

  • I’m curious about ancient mythology, philosophy, magic and cultural practices. I love discovering new things during my research.
  • I’m fascinated by tales of mythical creatures like dragons.
  • I love reading about perilous quests, mysterious artefacts and supernatural battles.
  • I need to escape into a colourful fantasy world after I’ve been working on spreadsheets all day!
  • I’d like to own a pet dragon.
  • The metaphors and allegories in fantasy stories can reveal truths about our own society and the human condition.
  • Did I mention DRAGONS?

This quote by George R. R. Martin says it all, really:

What about you?

What’s your favourite genre to read and/or write?

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4 responses to “#IWSG June 2019: Why I love to read and write fantasy

  1. Perfect justification for writing fantasy – especially the dragons as I’m Pern fan. I no longer read much fantasy – current Audible is one – but I love the sound of your short story based on Slavic mythology. My IWSG Anthology entry might have Slavic elements – the Firebird – and Baba Yaga crept into my WEP/IWSG entry. But so did Norse mythology which is my first love, so I may do a short with a Viking slant.

    • Ooh, I like the sound of that! I love Norse mythology too, but I usually struggle to put my own original spin on it. I look forward to reading your WEP entry. It will be touch and go as to whether I get mine finished in time!

  2. I’d love a pet dragon, though I wonder where I would keep one? Excellent post. I’m a huge fan of Narnia and Tolkien as well 🙂 Happy IWSG Day.

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