Insecure Writers Support Group - Writing outside of your comfort zone...can you help me write FANTASY?

Hello all who come by today! I hope you're enjoying a wonderful holiday season! I'm back as promised!

As writers we all have our favourite genre, right? Some write sci-fi, some paranormal romance, some women's fiction...but a whole heap of writers just love writing and reading fantasy! I haven't been one of those writers. Sure, I like some fantasy novels -- The Magus by John Fowles would be one of my favourites, and I've definitely enjoyed reading some bloggers' fantasy novels (am currently being wowed by Make Believe, a wonderful fantasy anthology featuring our very own Lynda Young), but I usually prefer to sink my teeth into a good Pat Conroy, Anita Shreve or Jodi Picoult  along with my penchant for reading and writing romantic fiction (which some say is fantasy anyhow!). I also saw the LOTR trilogy and just went to The Hobbit yesterday and really loved Avatar. That's all got to help, right?

HOWEVER, and this is the rub, what do you do when your Writing Group decides on a whole-group project? These fans of fantasy of course have decided to write a fantasy epic -- going the whole hog -- creating our own particular world (one of our members is a scientist, so the progress on this has been a little slow as he likes to get the sun in the right place to cause the right climate, blah blah). We have to keep reminding him that this is fantasy -- we can create our own world -- but he is more of the sci-fi bent.) That said, I'm sure our fantasy will stand up to quite rigorous analysis.

But I digress -- what does a romantic fiction writer do when she has to write a fantasy chapter to seamlessly blend with other chapters/characters/worlds written by other group members? Well, this bunny did a crash course in Fantasy -- devoured the books, the movies, the dictionaries. I even wrote and won joint first prize for my first fantasy story at Kathy McKendry's Knights of Micro Fiction for a story I imagined of two knights entering a Dark City, called City of the Dark Gods.

For the Writing Group joint project I was given the character of the Princess who lives in the castle on the edge of the city. She has to hook up with a commoner (young man) and go on a quest. So I asked myself -- what do fantasy princesses do/look like/act like? I read a few books such as Tamora Pierce's Alannah series which I enjoyed, so I read a few more fantasy books featuring young girls. After that,  I went to THE TOUGH GUIDE TO FANTASY LAND by Diana Wynne Jones and found that:

Source

Princesses come in two main kinds:

1. Wimps
2. Spirited and wilful. A spirited Princess will be detectable by the scattering of freckles across the bridge of her somewhat tiptilted nose. Spirited Princesses often disguise themselves as boys and invariably marry commoners of sterling worth. With surprising frequency these commoners turn out to be long-lost heirs to Kingdoms. 

Well this is a good start. I can see where I can use some of this for my Princess. No question my Princess is going to be spirited, if spoilt, so has to bribe the young man to let her accompany him, but she is going to show her mettle on her quest.

You may be able to help me here as I have to write at least 1,000 words of my Princess chapter for homework and the deadline is looming.

• Do you have any hints/suggestions on writing fantasy?
• Do you have any particular suggestions for my fantasy Princess? Such as a name, description, personality? All suggestions welcome!!

Thank you for coming by. Click here to see more IWSG posts.

Merry Christmas everyone! Peace on Earth by U2. I'll be back on January 2!

Only a couple of days till Christmas! We're actually celebrating our main Christmas on Christmas Eve as a daughter is travelling on Christmas Day -- this effectively means two Christmas Days to prepare for.

Tonight things kick off with family members arriving to fill the guest rooms at the, er, Beach Hotel here at Peregian Beach. It's been like living in a sauna for quite awhile now and the swimming pool has been taking a thrashing between house cleaning, cooking, shopping. Thankfully, we are promised cooler weather for Christmas! At the moment I couldn't imagine cooking a hot Christmas dinner - we'll just have to suffer prawns and salads followed by Toblerone Cheesecake and home-made macarons! Pity us!

I go into this festive season remembering those who haven't had such a happy lead in to Christmas. I was so relieved to see that Nas Dean and her lovely husband Ragesh are safe there in Nadi, in their home where we stayed in July/August. Cyclone Evan wasn't kind. Nadi will be without electricity and water for a time, I believe. Those in Samoa are in the midst of a huge cleanup after Cyclone Evan, too. The devastation is worse than in the quite recent tsunami, poor people. But on the bright side, the US, NZ and Australia and probably other countries have been quick to offer aid to both Samoa and/or Fiji. I know planes full of emergency supplies have been leaving Australia for Nadi.

Nas is still smiling because they were able to fire up the generator so she could  keep blogging, lol!

It is sad that there are those living and dying in strife-torn countries too. Children being blown up by land mines in Afghanistan, aid workers shot dead in Pakistan, and civil war in Syria, unrest in many other countries. What can you do?

Hope and pray for Peace on Earth. here are the lyrics to one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands -- U2...

PEACE ON EARTH
Heaven on Earth, we need it now
I'm sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain
I'm sick of hearing again and again
That there's gonna be peace on Earth

Where I grew up there weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down
And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mock
Will surely overtake you

And you become a monster
So the monster will not break you
And it's already gone too far
You say that if you go in hard
You won't get hurt

Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth

Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth

No whos or whys
No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on Earth

She never got to say goodbye
To see the colour in his eyes
Now he's in the dirt
Peace on Earth

They're reading names out over the radio
All the folks the rest of us won't get to know
Sean and Julia, Gareth, Ann, and Breda
Their lives are bigger than any big idea

Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth

To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth

Jesus and the song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth

Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won't rhyme
So what's it worth
This peace on Earth
Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth

  I will be on blog break until January 2nd, when I will be back with a post for IWSG. Until then, I'll be enjoying a family Christmas and continuing to write for three hours every morning before most of the family are awake. Naturally, I'll steal some time to check out the blogs!

So to all my lovely followers and casual visitors -- Happy Christmas!! See you in the New Year!! Be safe!!

Holiday Spirit Blogfest - Flashback - Cyclone - Christmas Day - 1974

This is my second entry in the Holiday Spirit blogfest -- flash fiction this time. Cyclones are a fact of life in the Pacific during the summertime. Australia has her fair share, but the current cyclone is to the north. As Samoa and Fiji are battered by Cyclone Evan, my story for the blogfest is completely relevant. As Wellington lawyer Janet Mason says right now from Lautoka (a coastal town not far from Nadi) --  the weather is extreme and dramatic...an empty house has flown through the air and landed beside hers. "Another house has completely disintegrated, its roof is in the trees." Debris is everywhere and much of it is flying through the air. "Everything is going, all the trees are being destroyed, there will be nothing left."

In her own home the roof was coming off and she was losing windows. "It's really bad, it never stops. The wind is howling so strong and it is raining, except the wind is so strong you cannot see the rain.”

Damage to Darwin  

CHRISTMAS DAY

 DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY, 1974

Dawn peeps over the horizon, like a shy child coming late to a birthday party. Dawn’s light reveals crepe paper streamers—red and green dye trickling like blood, swaying nonchalantly in the morning breeze. Gold tinsel, ripped to tatters, is choking fallen timbers that lie on the soil like fallen soldiers. Balloons bobble and bounce across the streets—having a party all of their own—popped by exposed nails or sizzling electric wires that snake along the ground looking for someone to bite. Christmas presents lie spurned and broken like unwanted toys from the birthday child’s gift table.

Humans enter the dangerous landscape, looking as shell shocked as survivors of a wartime bombing raid. Puzzled—disorientated—stepping over a carpet of broken glass—dodging downed power poles—lifting twisted galvanized roofing, making sure no-one lies wounded beneath.

Houses that once stood proudly on stilts are lying crumpled in backyards, fallen on remnants of Christmas Eve barbeques. Odd sights like a car bonnet peep like a child playing hide and seek from under a pile of cement blocks. Rectangles of timber that once housed glass louvers gape emptily, propped like lazy drunkards against walls. The few trees still standing offer denuded fingers to the sky as if in surrender—battle over—battle lost.

Total devastation.

Mandy pulls herself from underneath the mattress that had landed on top of her during the long night.

The night—the darkness—the fear.

No lights—no radio—total terror.

She hurts. Her chest is crushed—her breathing labored—she cannot move any further.

 When will help come? The hideous sound of the wind blowing in from the sea is her only companion. She hears glass shattering, streetlights popping, neighbours screaming.

The long night is over. Dawn is breaking. It’s Christmas Day. Help will come, God willing.

©DeniseCovey2012

POSTSCRIPT:

Cyclone Tracy was not a fictional event. It struck on Christmas Eve, 1974,  practically destroying the city of Darwin. Darwin has been rebuilt and is today a thriving tropical city, the northern gateway to Australia. My account of events is of course, purely fictional, and based on my study of the event.

This is not the cheeriest Christmas story, but I hope it helps us to remember those less fortunate --whether affected by natural or man-made disasters -- as we approach the holiday season.

I hope your Christmas is wonderful!

Thanks for reading. Perhaps you have a story...fact or fiction...you'd like to share. 

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Holiday Spirit Blogfest - entry No 1 - RECIPE - Milk and White Chocolate Macarons

Don't you just love walking around Farmer's Markets? Soon after I moved to Brisbane, a Farmer's Market opened in Brisbane Square, in the heart of the city, only a few short minutes from my apartment. Every Wednesday morning I filled my recycled shopping bags with fresh produce, and, er, fresh French treats.

There is a large population of French people in Brisbane and who does food quite as well? I was in French heaven when I stumbled on Monsieur Macaron, a purveyor of French treats, but pride of place, French Macarons (no, it doesn't have a double 'o'). I was their first customer and won a regular supply for awhile--bliss. I've tasted many a macaron in Paris, and these were every bit as good, lucky Brisbane! 

The macaron, thought to have been created in a convent in France in 1791, is two miniature meringue morsels filled with buttercream, jam, or ganache. Especially difficult to make, the perfect macaron should be like an eggshell on the outside and soft and chewy inside. 

Monsieur Macaron did the Aussie thing and soon added to his traditional flavours of lavender, pistachio, champagne--macarons with an Aussie flavour--passionfruit, lemon and basil (gorgeous!) For years now my once-a-week-treat has been 3 small macarons of various flavours--coconut being my all-time favourite.

Unfortunately, like all good things, they come to an end. The macarons just weren't tasing as swoon-worthy any more. Something was different. The owners finally admitted that they had employed a new chef. The macarons were just too dry, but it appears no one else was complaining, so they continue to sell less-than-perfect (to me) macarons. What to do?

I always prefer to make my own food rather than buy it, but only if I can make it better. Now I've decided I won't get mad, I'll get even. 

Come Christmas, I cook up a storm to rival the thunderstorms that will be cracking along most afternoons after a very hot day. I've already tried my hotcakes, crispy bacon, maple syrup, raspberries and ice cream (definitely American!) breakfast on the family to rave reviews, so now I'm going to fiddle in the kitchen and produce the best macarons they've ever had. And...I'm going to share the recipe with you. 

I wouldn't recommend eating these sugar-laden treats very often. They must be savoured with caution and followed by a couple of kilometres run along the beach. 

All ingredients are based on Australian product names, measurements and terms. I'm sure you can adjust...

Milk and White Chocolate Macarons

Macarons

1½ cups icing sugar

½ cup blanched almonds

¼ cup Cadbury Bournville Cocoa powder

3 egg whites at room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup caster sugar

Filling

80g Cadbury White Chocolate Melts

30g unsalted butter

100g Philadelphia Original Spreadable Cream Cheese

1/3 cup icing sugar, extra, sifted

Macarons

1.      Combine icing sugar, almonds and cocoa in a food processor and process until superfine. Sift and remove any coarse pieces of almond.

2.      Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Continue beating, gradually adding the sugar, just until dissolved.

3.      Stir one third of the almond mixture into the meringue and then fold in the remaining mixture until just combined. Spoon or pipe 3cm rounds onto paper lined trays, allowing 2-3cm between each for spreading. Use a wet finger to pat down any tips. Stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until macarons form a light crust.

4.      Bake in a slow over - 150°C for 22-28 minutes or until firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely on trays.

Filling

5.      Combine chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat together the Philly cream cheese and extra icing sugar then beat in the chocolate mixture. Chill until firm enough to spread.

6.      To assemble:: Spread chocolate filling onto 15 macarons and top with remaining halves, pressing together gently. Serve immediately. (They will keep up to a week in the fridge, but lose heaps of flavour.)

Makes 30.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Level of fiddleability: High–recipe must be followed carefully or you will be disappointed

Calories: best left unsaid.

I hope you enjoyed reading my little story and recipe. Do you have one to share?

This is my entry for RFWers' Holiday Spirit Blogfest. Add your name to the list below if/when you have an entry to share...

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Holiday Spirit Blogfest - you can sign up here! Your fiction, non-fiction, recipes, your photos - share your holidays with us!

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I hope you'll join in the Holiday Spirit and post your entry! Can't wait to read them all!


And I'll leave you with a beautiful photo of a parrot I took on a recent trip to O'Reilly's, a lovely mountain in the hinterland of the Gold Coast.