Surprise! This wasn't going to drop until tomorrow, but I've decided it couldn't wait, I had some time on my hands, and the weekend is going to be quite busy, so here comes my third post, my second full post, and a full on exploration of the themes I'm going to explore in my writing.
Fantasy is a genre I hold dear to my heart, it is the genre I have lived in now most of my life. I have written stories, all of which are incomplete with varying themes and sensibilities. Dragonsoul is an amalgamation of most of these stories. Some very famous authors have said that the book you write should be the book you want to read but can't find. (Points to whoever guesses right on who said that, mind you, that's paraphrasing.)
A lot of fantasy covers a wide range of themes. Fellowship, family, cycles of violence, and in some cases, we see fantasy that is parody, a dark commentary on the state of the world, a treaties on class warfare or how people treat others in society. Fantasy covers a wide range of themes, but one of the things that I feel like has been lacking is a fantasy that is inspiring, hopeful, yet equally as gritty as your Song of Ice and Fire or First Law.
And, not to go off track too much, but the world doesn't have a lot of hope. There's multiple wars going on, and depending on your worldview, things may seem bleak. People in power are generally doing awful things, average people struggle, it's very easy to get lost in all of that and feel hopeless. A lot of fantasy, just like a lot of other pieces of media, tends to speak on the current times. I never want to do that.
At least, not in the sense of writing good things when times are good and bad things when times are bad. At a time when there's very little hope for the real world I've chosen a different angle. I want to tell a story that can go to some dark places, but ultimately, is a hopeful story. A story that can bring its characters low, but can also bring them and the world around them to some very triumphant and glorious places.
That isn't to say this story is a guaranteed happy ending. I won't reveal anything, because that would just be foolish of me when I'm only in draft 2 and well, I'd rather people read the end, but I'd say Book 1 carries the theme of hope well. Or at least I think it does.
I also want to be clear. Hope is not the only theme. Some tried and true themes like family and found family can be found within, the concept of duty and honor conflicting with right and wrong, and of course, some more difficult issues such as bloodlines, race (or in this case, species,) will come up, but I don't want to do it in a way that is cliche, disrespectful, or boring.
In my short story, The Dra'niran, readers will get to know Tarva. Tarva is what is known by the human tongue as a Dragonspawn, the daughter of a male royal dragon and a human woman. A twisted irony is that while dragons and mankind get along in Draigtir, such offspring is considered immoral, an abomination. Why is that? Why is it that dragons merely pity but disown such offspring, while humans outright shun them? People are complicated, and flawed. That speaks to the theme of Hope, because in The Dra'niran, much like Dragonsoul, there is a journey that Tarva will embark on, not just in that short story, but in future stories. And these stories, while being willing to delve into some murky waters, are still going to have hope laced throughout. I love fantasy that is grimdark, but not every fantasy needs to be that.
Still, this is a fairly vague post about the world. I'm not quite ready to get into the true deets, not yet. Next week, probably more on the weekend this time (this weekend I have a two day Warhammer: Age of Sigmar tournament to attend,) I'll be getting into my inspirations, which should obviously be some pretty large clues as to the nature of Dragonsoul.
Then, as we get closer to the holiday, I'll really get into it with the topic of "Adult Fantasy." Yes, I'd call Dragonsoul adult fantasy. And for me, what that means may be different from what others might guess. It has more to do with the target audience, not necessarily the content within (although it does obviously open up for content that isn't suitable for a young audience.)
Until next time!
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