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Robin Takes The Scenic Route


Walking The Line

6/21/2018

 
Do you ever feel like you're walking a tightrope? I often do considering I'm a follower of the Messiah Yeshua and I choose to write in the fantasy realm. It adds an extra dimension of challenge I was more than well aware of before taking my first step. It might even be the reason it took me so long to get started on my writing journey. Read on to learn more...

Choosing The Path Less Traveled

"It's a fine line I choose to walk upon." - Melody Kittles
I've chosen the path less traveled and one that's hardly even cut. There aren't many fantasy authors out there that have been able to successfully braid the fantasy genre with their faith in a single Creator God. What I'm attempting to do sometimes overwhelms me.
I want to do justice to the genre, but at the same time hold true to my own beliefs. I guess that's why my work moves along slowly. I'm certain I'm overthinking at least some of the aspects of what I do. But I press on and try to focus on just doing my best and also being myself.
I just finished reading Huntress by Julie Hall. If you want to read more about Julie Hall, you can do that here.  I thought it was well-done, though at first I had a hard time jumping over the hurdle that there won't be 'marriages' in Heaven. I gave myself a mental slap and reminded myself that fiction and fantasy are by definition not what truly is, though some of the stories may be based in reality. I'm reserving final judgment to see what happens in the end. I still have two more books to read in the series and I have to say I'm looking forward to it. Also, if you do check out the book, do the author a huge favor and go leave a review. I didn't realize how important reviews were to authors, especially on sites like Amazon where reviews mean the difference between your book getting seen at all or disappearing forever in the abyss filled with other forgotten tomes.
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Can you help me? I'd love to know what you think.

I really struggle with which genre my work should fall into. It's definitely fantasy, but I'm not certain it's 'high' enough for epic fantasy or filled with enough romance to be called a YA fantasy. But maybe I'm wrong. I'd love to know what you think and your answers to these questions would help me so much. Would you please? Thanks in advance!

    Genre Questionnaire

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Roos
6/21/2018 14:48:01

I understand this. All I can say is do what you feel is necessary. Love/Romance in a store doesn't have to be sexual. There's faaaaaar more to it!

mkrmauthor link
6/25/2018 15:20:43

Thanks, Roos! I agree with you. And that's what I'm working to create, stories about characters who care about more than just physical things. (PS, I thought I'd replied to this before. So if this is redundant, I apologize.)

Alexandra Simmons
6/22/2018 08:59:31

Hey there! FYI, normally I HATE romance novels, dislike fantasy, but love sci fi. I loved the Narnia books though, not sure if those are fantasy? I also love (yes still) YA books. But the ones they used to write were better. I guess I like more intellectual stuff? Dunno how popular my opinion is, but one of the reasons I never liked fantasy was they all seemed the same. Some troup of D&D like characters on some version of Aerth or Oerth. Anyways, I know fantasy is popular, so I'm surprised you don't market to a Christian bookstore - I'd think they'd jump at a "clean" fantasy line.

mkrmauthor link
6/25/2018 15:17:46

Thanks, Alexandra! The Narnia books are indeed classified as fantasy books and are family favorites. As far as popular opinion, I suppose it doesn't matter so much as long as everyone has an enjoyable book to read. I like stories with a deep meaning and stories about how people handle life in general. The reason I don't want to publish with Christian publishers is that the guidelines are pretty strict. I can't promise that the entire storyline will not cross over the boundary at some point. Marketing to CBSs might work, though, and I'd not pass up an opportunity to try. There are some Christian fantasy novels out there but I haven't been overly impressed yet. I'm working my way through Julie Hall's 'Life After' books right now and they are certainly interesting. There's hope for Christian fantasy writers yet! :)

Mean Siller
6/23/2018 03:01:31

You seem like an awesome person who loves to have family over and cook for them. I could totally see someone named Snow or even... Velveteen... Sharing words arranged in the most excellent of orders. Orders that make memories! Don't know how I thought of this. It just came to me. You definitely don't know me!

mkrmauthor link
6/25/2018 15:11:55

Thanks Mean Siller! LOL Nope. Definitely do not know you. XD I appreciate the comment.

Jay
6/24/2018 08:27:30

Similar to Alexandra above, I've kinda lost my taste for fantasy because it all started sounding so similar. Ditto for any YA romance and the (genre-mandated?) triangle. Sci-fi is definitely my preference. I'm a huge fan of C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner series, especially the earlier books. Examples of fantasy that I do enjoy are the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, the Gunslinger series by Stephen King, and the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

mkrmauthor link
6/25/2018 15:10:30

Thanks, Jay! I love the sort of humor that Terry Pratchett weaves into his work but I don't think I've ever finished even one of the books. I need to look them up and give them a go. Thanks for commenting!


Comments are closed.
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    Melody Kittles writes fantasy fiction under the name Robin McElveen. She loves God, her family, the arts, a warm cup of coffee or tea, visiting friends, and collecting coffee & Pusheen items.

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    MKRM Author Blog by Melody R Kittles is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


    Melody's bookshelf: read

    Chasing Cinders
    Children of Blood and Bone
    Mere Christianity
    Life of Pi
    The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God
    Murder on the Orient Express
    Murder on the Orient Express
    On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
    Around the World in 80 Days
    Plague of Shadows
    The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 5
    Rumpole Misbehaves
    Divergent
    Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
    Houseboat Mystery
    Write to Discover Yourself


    Melody's favorite books »

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