Fairy Revel

It’s been a long time since I watched any anime. I used to be a full-time anime fan, starting all the way back at Robotech. Now however, though I still feel an abiding love for Japanese culture, anime has become less an obsession than just another thing to watch. So I was surprised when a series, not a recent one but completely new to me, captivated me and reminded me of what I loved about anime in the first place.

The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki) takes place in a fantasy setting with a Chinese mythological feel. Impatient with the lawlessness of the people, the gods once remade the world, dividing it into twelve kingdoms, each one ruled by a king or queen, chosen and then served by a holy creature called a Kirin (in the anime, something like a unicorn), who is given special care over that kingdom. In the Twelve Kingdoms, babies are grown on a tree in an egg-like cocoon called a ranka, and sometimes, when a typhoon-like wind called a shoku rises up from the sea, people from Japan can be blown into the Twelve Kingdoms, or a ranka may be carried into Japan.

If you’ve guessed that our Japanese school-girl heroine, Yoko, ends up in the Twelve Kingdoms at some point in the story, you’re right. However, unlike many people who are carried accidentally into the Twelve Kingdoms by a chance shoku, Yoko is struggling through a day at school when a handsome man with a mane of long white hair (Keiki, one of the holy Kirin) appears before her and kneels, swearing he will never desert her throne. At the same moment, supernatural beasts attack and Yoko is forced to flee into the Twelve Kingdoms. Maybe that’s not such a surprise, but everything in this anime is handled a bit differently than in your typical girl-transported-to-another-world series.

First of all, Yoko brings with her two “friends”: a girl, Sugimoto, who can’t stand Yoko and thinks there’s been a mistake—she is the magical princess who Keiki meant to bring to the Twelve Kingdoms; and a boy, Asano, who is cheerfully oblivious to the dangerous situation they’re in, and is enamoured of Sugimoto and clearly turned off by the obsequious Yoko who likes him.

These displaced Japanese aren’t welcomed into this new world with fanfare and a mission; instead, Keiki becomes separated from them, and they are regarded by the people they meet as the despised and cursed kaikyaku, hunted as criminals by a king bent on executing them as well as by monsters who have targeted them for an unknown reason. This is not a world in which everyone is rich, and some kingdoms are at subsistence-level, so those who are willing to take advantage of these outsiders are many. The main characters are starving, on the run, and betrayed at every turn.

Yoko herself is a different sort of heroine, and though she’s sympathetic, at first she’s hard to like. She’s not your typical high-school-aged main character, full of cheerful persistence (and the truth comes out much later that the Kirin don’t have a choice in the ruler they select—it’s a bit like falling in love, it seems—and don’t always know that the ruler will be a good one); instead she’s a self-conscious, timid middling-achiever who only says and does what will please others. Her schoolmates dislike her and her parents don’t trust her. She’s mealy-mouthed, self-pitying, and weak-willed. However, she has within her an ability to change and a desire to do good, and that’s what ultimately makes Yoko work as a main character. In her, many problems of the modern Japanese mindset about the individual versus society are explored, critiqued and in some ways resolved.

Apart from a fascinating setting and a unique take on old tropes, the anime is remarkable in its structure. While the first section focuses on Yoko’s journey from a self-pitying people-pleaser to a self-aware young woman with the potential to be Queen, the narrative eventually turns to explore the history of King En, a brash samurai-king who has ruled his kingdom of En for 500 years beside his Kirin, Enki, an eternal grouchy pre-teen. Then it follows the story of Taiki, a Kirin whose ranka was blown by a shoku into Japan. Not knowing his true identity, he lived there in an emotionally distant family until he was seven, was returned to the Twelve Kingdoms, chose a king, and now both Kirin and king are missing. The story changes focus like this frequently; it’s frustrating yet gives a sense of depth and history to The Twelve Kingdoms. Unfortunately, the anime series was never finished, and ends on a “review” episode, clearly with the intent that the story should continue in future episodes. It never did.

Still, in spite of the aggravating lack of an ending, the anime is well-worth watching (and the novels the series is based on are completed, I believe). The social issues explored, the questions asked about the relationship between gods, destiny and free will, and a refreshingly even-handed representation of monarchy all make The Twelve Kingdoms a stand-out series. I highly recommend it for those with a taste for the epic and a love of fantasy heavy on political drama.

Please read my disclosure policy for reviews. Most images in this post are from Hourai: The Twelve Kingdoms Fanlisting.

These are some of the interesting, useful or informative links I’ve wandered onto or been pointed to over the past week.

L. Jagi Lamplighter argues against those writers and critics who insist good writing cannot include any adverbs in “I Have Met the Enemy and It Is . . . Elmore Leonard”:

[The cutting of adverbs] is currently being taught as “good writing”. The same way not using run-ons and having a plot are good writing. But this is not a matter of good writing, it is a style—the same way using the address “Dear Reader” was a style a previous era.

Well, I would formally like to declare war with this school of style, until at which time they back off and admit that they are a preference, not a matter of good writing (much less a mortal sin!)

My take on it is that many people love rules because rules free them from thinking and having to make decisions. “Suggestions” require discretion, and a surprising number of people would rather be told what to do than take the time and effort to make a choice.

Darcy Pattison at Fiction Notes has posted a Checklist of 17 Character Qualities.
Each character quality links to a separate article about that aspect of character creation, like “Character Roles and Jobs”, “Inner Character”, “Character Flaws and Paradoxes”, “Body Language” and others. These could be some great starting points for brainstorming characters!

Fantasy writer Laura Resnick has a great page of her own suggested Writer’s Resources:

Whether you’re a beginning writer seeking basic self-education or a mid-career professional in need of specific information, this page contains a wide variety of recommended resources that may be useful to you. There’s also a section below that’s specifically for teenage writers.

What follows is a long list of books, blogs, articles, services, organizations, workshops, and websites that I can recommend. I am personally familiar with some of the resources on this page; all of the others were recommended to me by other working writers and publishing professionals.

Mike Flynn gives a brief overview of the witch burnings—or lack thereof—during the Middle Ages in “Witchcraft and the Dark Ages”:

Although some folk apply the term “Dark Ages” to the entire medieval period, others apply it only to the early middle ages and refer to the High Middle Ages as the Early Renaissance. This is done in service to belief, of course. It is not how the historians generally view things. (In fact, those have been abandoning such propaganda labels in favor of century labels.) But in any case, one of the most cherished foundation myths of the Modern Ages is that of the West’s struggle to free itself from the violence of religious intolerance. This is almost as basic as the myth of Galileo springing pristine from the brow of Copernicus.

One aspect of that violence was the witch mania.

(Though the commenters who point out that there are no citations in the article—holding the article up to higher standards than most blog articles usually are, I might add—are correct, the article includes plenty of names and facts that can be researched.)

(Not sure Marcia is still hosting this meme, but I had this post ready so I’m going ahead with it.)

Marcia at The Printed Page hosts Cover Attraction, a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.

Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev.

From the critically acclaimed author of Eyes Like Stars

We are such stuff as dreams are made on.

Act Two, Scene One

Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.

Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY

But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—

Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.

Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?

Once again, LISA MANTCHEV has spun a tale like no other—full of romance, magic, adventure, and fairies, too—that readers won’t want to put down, even after the curtain has closed.

Though I usually find the faerie-land of Shakespeare and Spenser unappealing, many books are written in related settings, and sometimes I just find them impossible to resist. I put off reading Eyes Like Stars in spite of its beautiful cover, but I don’t think I can turn the series down anymore after seeing this one (besides, I keep hearing good things about Eyes Like Stars). You can see more of Jason Chan’s artwork at his blog.

Alexandra Bracken is hosting a contest for a free copy of her fantasy novel Brightly Woven, and a bunch of other prizes!

When Wayland North brings rain to a region that’s been dry for over ten years, he’s promised anything he’d like as a reward. He chooses the village elder’s daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she’s hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she’s heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.

The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North’s dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

I’ve been looking forward to this book! Head on over and enter!

New in the stacks:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.
“Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside—she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don’t realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye, and escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know. Because Incarceron is alive.”

The Fireside Cook Book by James Beard.
(Warning: this cookbook was first printed in 1949; if you’re afraid of actual food like butter and lard, don’t bother.)

“The Fireside Cook Book is designed for people who are not content to regard food just as something one transfers periodically from plate to mouth. It is for those who recognize that a simple family meal (as well as a dress-up dinner party) can be a pleasure and a special event.

The wide variety of I-can’t-wait-to-try-it dishes in the book are presented according to a new and different theory. You will find here no attempt to overwhelm the cook with all the recipes ever concocted. Instead, you will find clear, easy-to-follow instructions for the basic preparation of every food, followed in each case by fascinating variations. The basic recipes and variations add up to 1,217 tested dishes — simple enough for the novice, delicious enough for the most meticulous master chef, complete enough for the most imaginative menus without a repetition.

A detailed chapter is devoted to the art of outdoor cookery, another to the preparation of hors d’oeuvres, cocktail snacks, and supper snacks. There is an entire section of suggested menus subdivided into cold weather meals and summer doldrum hints. There is also a complete section on wines and liquors.

The 36 full-color pictures and the nearly 400 other color pictures are themselves full of helpful invention. Handsome double-page spreads employ visual-aid methods to give practical details about, and special uses of, cuts of meat, varieties of wine, and types of fish.

Here, in short, is a book that is an indispensable addition to every American home in which good food is appreciated. It is a book to use constantly, to pore over with delight, and give to all friends from whom you can reasonably expect a future dinner invitation.”

Wishlisted:
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.
“In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love — the light and the dark, the warm and the cold — in a way you will never forget.”

Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual by Bill Mollison and Rena Mia Slay.
(From a review at Amazon:) “This is the definitive Permaculture design manual in print since 1988. It is the text book and curriculum for the 72-hour Certificate course in Permaculture Design. Written for teachers, students and designers, it follows on and greatly enlarges on the initial introductory texts, Permaculture One (1978) and Permaculture Two (1979) both of which are still in demand over twenty years after publication. Very little of the material found in this book is reproduced from the former texts. It covers design methodologies and strategies for both urban and rural applications describing property design and natural farming techniques.”

The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon.
“Gene Logsdon has become something of a rabble-rouser in progressive farm circles, stirring up debates and controversies with his popular New Farm magazine column, The Contrary Farmer. One of Logsdon’s principle contrarieties is the opinion that—popular images of the vanishing American farmer, notwithstanding—greater numbers of people in the U.S. will soon be growing and raising a greater share of their own food than at any time since the last century. Instead of vanishing, more and more farmers will be cottage farming, part-time.

This detailed and personal account of how Logsdon’s family uses the art and science of agriculture to achieve a reasonably happy and ecologically sane way of life in an example for all who seek a sustainable lifestyle. In The Contrary Farmer, Logsdon offers the tried-and-true, practical advice of a manual for the cottage farmer, as well as the subtler delights of a meditation in praise of work and pleasure. The Contrary Farmer will give its readers tools and tenets, but also hilarious commentaries and beautiful evocations of the Ohio countryside that Logsdon knows as his place in the universe.”

What I’m Watching:
All In a Night’s Work starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine.
“After the sudden death of magazine publisher Colonel Ryder, his nephew, Tony (Martin) inherits the magazine and has big plans to expand it. While negotiating a loan from the bank, Tony gets a call from a detective surrounding his uncle’s death. It turns out Colonel Ryder died in his hotel room with a smile on his face and a young woman (MacLaine) was seen fleeing his room wearing only a towel. Suspicious of this woman and afraid the magazine’s wholesome image may be tarnished and their loan denied, Tony asks the detective to stick around and find her. What ensues is a series of misunderstandings.”

Shirley MacLaine is such a cutie in this, and knowing she had a real-life crush on Dean Martin makes this film even more adorable. As a Dean Martin fan, this is one of my favorite films of his; I like him as a romantic lead better than as Sinatra’s sidekick (I have this feeling that in real life, it was the other way around.)

What I’m Reading:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.
I’m only a few chapters in and not sure what to make of it. At first I thought the female protagonist was going to be one of those “I’m living in a patriarchal pre-modern society but I’m not a priss so there!” sorts of characters that I am oh-so-sick of, but she may turn out to be more complicated than that. The setting is unusual and the story is intense so far.

What I’m Writing:
As usual, as soon as I started working on Foxglove, I started getting ideas for Evening Primrose (aka Amaranth; I’m not sure I should have changed the working title.) The main character’s personality is dramatically different now, which is a good thing as she was pretty dull before. I’m getting back to Foxglove now though. Mostly I’ve been sorting through old notes for my setting, Searoyal, getting them ready to go into VoodooPad.

What I’m Revising: Still working through Dogwood, but I haven’t picked it up in a bit. I’m starting to feel less intimidated by it, so I’ll tackle it again soon.

Around the House:
On Valentine’s Day, my dad gave me a beautiful miniature rosebush. I’ve transferred it into a pot, and it seems to be doing all right.

I also got a bunch of herb seeds in the mail, and I’m waiting for a few more: spearmint, catnip, California Poppy, Hungarian Breadseed Poppy (a culinary poppy), chervil, garlic chives, Purple Opal Basil, and others. The plan is to set out a small greenhouse on my deck to keep the ground squirrels and deer away.

Cooking:
Heading over to a friend’s for potluck dinner and hanging out tonight, and I’m making Cheese and Broccoli soup. Other than that, haven’t been cooking much.

Spirituality:
I’m trying to enjoy being at home more. I need to not spend every second busy and wrapped up in activity in an effort to keep the loneliness away.

I’ve been playing Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for the Wii the past few weeks, and I’m finally able to ride one of my animals! A sheep!

When your animals are well-cared-for, some of them will let you ride them. This is a big help because the days are really short in Harvest Moon and walking can be time consuming. My sheep, named Lafayete because 1) there wasn’t room to spell it correctly and 2) I thought she was a boy because the default name was “Charlie”, is now my noble steed!

Onward, Lafayete!

Here Lafayete and I charge across the grassy hillock, so fast she is merely a white blur.

Faithful Lafayete awaits my return from the darkness of Fugue Forest.

In other news, I found out I can make jelly with foraged berries, and herbal tea with foraged leaves.

I have no idea why it says “Raspberry Jam” above my head. I was definitely canning blackberries.

Blackberry Jam. Waste not, want not!

These are much better for giving to friends and neighbors than random leaves and berries I’ve put in my pocket.

I’m working on a “new” project, working title Foxglove, and it’s almost as if I’ve forgotten how to plan a story. (I put quotes around “new” because really, the idea is old, but I’m starting over with it.)

I did no planning for my NaNoWriMo manuscript, Dogwood, and even though it left my novel an unmitigated mess, it was freeing and helped me see that things don’t have be perfectly planned for the manuscript to get finished. In my case, over-planning is a detriment. It’s probably the reason why I’ve got so many unfinished stories in my files. It’s not that I feel like “I’ve told the story already”; it’s just that having all the scenes planned makes me feel committed to them, and saps all the joy out of writing them down.

In spite of that, I wanted to do a little planning this time around, and realized as I started that I’d forgotten how. I stared at my barely begun 7 1/2 Point Plan, wondering what should happen. I sat down for a few minutes with Orson Scott Card’s How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (a classic genre how-to, especially great for beginners), and he reminded me that story planning is all about those “what if” questions. A light went on. “Oh, yeah! Brainstorming!”

Brainstorming is something I’m good at, up to a point. After I get a certain amount of framework in my mind, however, I have to start being organized and sitting down with a pen and notebook to draw maps and do free association. I don’t know if it’s OCD or what, but I start circling around the same ideas over and over after awhile, broken record-like, and if I don’t start writing things down I can’t get past that point.

I’m feeling positive about Foxglove, which will be the first novel in my Searoyal setting. I have a much better understanding of my own process than I did before NaNoWriMo. While I plan out the 7 major plot points of my story, I’m also going to work on a setting bible, just so I can keep everything straight.

(Cover Attraction doesn’t seem to be happening today, but since I already had my post written in advance, I thought I’d go ahead and publish it.)

Marcia at The Printed Page hosts Cover Attraction, a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz and Angela Barrett.

From 2008 Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz comes an exhilarating new adventure — and a thoroughly original fairy who is a true force of nature.

What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing
to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.

I’m charmed by the tininess of the heroine, the richness of the night, the scale (the leaves and the hummingbird are both bigger than the protagonist). Just beautiful! I’d love to look inside this book and see the rest of the illustrations.

I’m endlessly fascinated by how different successful authors approach the story planning process. Cheryl at Learn to Write Fiction compares the processes of three authors in The Many Faces of a Plotter. She says of Lois McMaster Bujold:

Lois makes a broad section outline, what she calls “the event horizon”, which is how far she can see to write until she has to stop and make up some more. This is usually between one and three chapters. She gets mental pictures of what scenes should go in the next chapter and she pushes them around until they slot into sequence. She then pulls out the next scene and outlines it closely, as a kind of messy first draft. She choreographs dialogue especially carefully.

I find this approach interesting. Cheryl doesn’t say whether Bujold knows the ending, but she does mention that she re-outlines frequently, since each scene can change what comes next. If I was ever going to try writing a story in linear order again (the order in which the finished novel would be read), I think this is the method I’d try. But I’d have to have at least an idea of some ending, even a pretend one. I need that false sense of security to keep the pages coming.

Here’s where I pull the books down from.

As you can see, it’s full. I haven’t read about half of these, which is embarassing. When I do, I’ll be able to make more room because I’m pretty good about getting rid of books I’ve read. I only keep the ones that I’m really crazy about, or that are part of a series I’m working on.