It's Wednesday again, which means it's time for another Road Trip! RTW is a blog carnival hosted by YA Highway, so if you've never participated, bop over there and check it out. The topic this week is:
What themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?
I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm primarily a fantasy writer. I've dabbled in other genres, but I always find myself writing in magic, or dragons, or tiny winged people. You get the idea. I read to escape (mostly...my life gets pretty stressful, and I like going to completely different worlds rather than hanging out in this one), so I tend to create new worlds that would never or could never exist.
I'm also big on family and relationships, so those themes show up a lot in my work. I come from a very close family with very open lines of communication, and I strive to represent that in my stories. Not everyone's family is that way, and I do offer diversity in terms of character back-stories, but for the most part, you'll always find strong family ties or relationships that evolve and tighten over time. Life is pretty meaningless without family and friends to share it with, wouldn't you agree?
As far as settings and scenes go, there's a lot of nature in my work. I don't really consider myself an "outdoorsy" girl by any means. I prefer toilet paper and indoor plumbing to camping in the woods, and I have a fierce hatred for flying things (bugs, bats, most birds). However, I can appreciate the beauty of nature and I spend a lot of time hanging out outside. My fiance and I hike a lot, and I enjoy being at parks or walking through the woods in the early morning or late afternoon light. The Earth and its creatures never cease to amaze me, so I incorporate them as much as possible in my stories. Usually if I write magic in, it draws power from nature. :)
I think that's about enough from me, but what about you? What recurring elements show up in your work?
J
PS I also won the Liebster Award...again! Thanks go to Christine! :D
Stopping by from RTW... enjoyed your take.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear about a young adult author exploring themes of family and the importance of a close-knit family. We need more of that these days!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the news! I can't believe that The Soulless made it to the finals! I'm so glad you liked it :)...PS I like your RTW post. Hopefully I'll have time to post mine tonight...
ReplyDelete*high five* on the hiking :)
ReplyDelete"I prefer toilet paper and indoor plumbing to camping in the woods, and I have a fierce hatred for flying things (bugs, bats, most birds). However, I can appreciate the beauty of nature and I spend a lot of time hanging out outside."
ReplyDeleteHilarious and very true of me too. I've joked that I need some sort of mobile bubble - maybe with a bathroom compartment - that will keep out the less desirable aspects of nature so I can enjoy its beauty all the time.
Ditto to the "not being outdoorsy but love writing about the outdoors" thing. I hate going outside most of the time, but I love writing about exotic locations and places I've never been.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the outdoors. I think that's why I love the beach; there are less bugs and creepy flying things by the sea. All you have to watch out for is seagull poop. : )
ReplyDeleteI spent more time describing nature in my last book, and it was hard. Because I'm not out with nature as much as I should be. You're right. Earth creatures are cool.
ReplyDeleteAh, another fantasy enthusiast! I meet so many of them, and it makes my day :) I love fantasy. I write it, I read it, and I play it around the dinner table with my friends.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you about the indoor plumbing, too. I tried out a dating site back in the day (before I met my wife), and since I'm in Colorado, it seems all of the single girls wanted to go hiking, mountain climbing, backpacking (camping AND hiking with heavy packs). All of the outdoorsy stuff that, I wouldn't hate, but would rather avoid except for special occasions. And camping, for me, requires a camp site, a tent, a propane grill, maybe even an RV. And definitely beer!
And now to tackle these comments...
ReplyDelete@Debra: Thanks! :)
@Sarah: Well, thank you! Family has been a driving force in my life and a strong influence on my decisions. I get a little sick of absent/crappy/ignorant parents in YA books, so...I'm adding some good ones. :)
@Jessica: You're welcome! I'm excited to read your book when it comes out next year. If "The Soulless" was anything to go by, it'll be awesome. :)
@Kate: Lol I used to hate it, until I started taking my camera along. Now I love it! Except that time I was by myself and ran into a couple of dogs that I thought were coyotes (they were half wolf, I think)...
@Jillian: A mobile bubble would be perfect! :D
@Francesca: Right?! It's so much more exciting to experience things in your head...nothing goes wrong that way. :P
@E.R.: And that is exactly why I also prefer the beach. As long as you don't bring food, the flapping-rats-formerly-known-as-seagulls leave you alone!
@Lori Ann: Aren't they just? Planet Earth (the documentary series) always puts me in the greatest of moods. :)
@Giles: Oh please, could we have a fantasy book discussion at some point?! There are seriously not enough people who are into it anymore. It's all sparkly vampires and werewolves now. :/ I met my fiance online, so I know what you mean about finding someone who shares your interests. Colorado and Arizona have the highest expectations for doing things outdoors, in my opinion. Your version of camping sounds wonderful! :D
I SO understand what you mean about fantasy always creeping in. Happens the same in my writing, too!
ReplyDeleteI love a nature setting, too. Food shows up often in my writing, especially stuff I can't eat. And dancing.
ReplyDeleteI love your themes, since they're some of mine too! I agree with the part about family. I have a very close one, that keeps getting bigger all the time - Brother married a wonderful lady with five kids of her own!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see non-dysfunctional families in YA!
I hear ya on the fantasy thing. I have a contemporary YA book I'm pouring myself into right now for school, and I'd love to see it published some day, but as my first? I'm not sure, because I'm afraid the publisher/agent (should I ever be so lucky to have either!) would want me to stay in the contemporary zone. And I love magic! So yeah, it's a recurring item in most of my stories.
ReplyDelete