Getting two days to learn from legendary fantasy & historical fiction author, Kate Forsyth at the Australian Writers Centre was simply amazing. So much knowledge that I just wanted to digitally download from her brain into mine. I highly recommend her ‘History, Mystery & Magic’ masterclass, it gave me another good kickstart to keep going on my work.
One of her best tips for writing fantasy:
Don’t break the frame!
Meaning, you spend all this time world building and can lose your reader simply by using poorly picked/lazy modern words, you literally jerk them out of the world you have created. Keep them under your spell.
Her best tip for overall wanting to be a writer:
Set your habits. Write EVERY DAY! And read EVERY NIGHT!
I swear this lady has read and can quote every book ever written. It made me realise how many wonderful authors I’ve missed out on. I seriously need to up my home book library.
Story is the most beautiful intruder into the heart.
Some of her top reading tips included:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Scaffer
Touch Magic, by Jane Yolen
Fingersmith, by Sarah Walters
Women Who Run With Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola
Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan
Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert.
I have read (and re-read) all of Kate’s fantasy series, The Witches of Eileanan and Rhiannon’s Ride – it’s simply some of the best fantasy out there, so I was tentative about her historical fiction books when I grabbed , The Wild Girl. I’m not really one for books based in reality, but it’s such a spellbinding story of the Grimm Brothers, and even though it is set in Europe it had a wonderfully magical feel to the characters and setting. This has now led me to read a whole host of historical fiction, including my obsession with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.
So thank you, Kate Forsyth! For encouraging me to read widely and inspiring me to write bravely.
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