AUTHOR INSIGHT CORNER - TRACY FALBE -RYS CHRONICLES

As the second participant in my series intended to provide visitors with insight to the creative processes and artistic vision or those who have been featured on my Guest author blog, Tracy Falbe, author of the fantasy series Rys Chronicles, has graciously agreed to answer the following question:

What is it about your chosen genre that compels you to write?




I'm a fantasy writer. It's a diverse genre, but I am most attracted to its traditional epic and medieval roots. In the beginning I was compelled to write in this genre because I love the genre so much. A good fantasy novel stimulates my imagination immensely and makes me want to create my own story but in a way that suits me perfectly. Hopefully other readers will like it too, but I believe in writing from the heart. I have to love it myself before I can expect anyone else to make the connection.



The fantasy genre also provides me with some specific freedoms that make it fun for me as a writer. First, I love history and find inspiration in the many cultures that have sprouted from humanity across the ages. When writing fantasy I can dip into this vast reservoir and take out the bits that interest me the most. I can mix and match political systems, religions, social mores, architecture, weapons, and so forth. The fantasy societies I create can illuminate institutions from the real world while providing escapist entertainment.



Next, the grandiose scale of the fantasy genre further excites my creativity. My motivation really thrives when I can craft a narrative that grabs whole societies and flings them into upheaval. Fantasy always has high stakes, and I love that. I enjoy the emotional power generated when the personal dramas of my characters are propelled by events gripping a whole society. This is not limited to the fantasy genre, but it is expected from it.



Because I like playing the fantasy deck, I greatly appreciate its permanent trump card: magic. Fantasy has to have magic. It is the definitive element of the genre. What I like about the concept of magic as a fiction writer is how it acts as a foil to technology, which is the definitive element of our real world. I enjoy medieval style fantasy because I can play in a sandbox that is not dominated by modern technology. Things are fairly simple except for the magic, which is the great mystery and the giver of political and spiritual power. Magic is real in fantasy fiction and deep down everyone wants to believe in magic.



Ultimately, now that I've tried to justify my passion in an intelligent manner, I'll just confess that I like swordfights. I can only write so much fiction before I have to have a swordfight, and you can always have a swordfight in fantasy fiction.



Tracy Falbe is the author of The Rys Chronicles fantasy series. Her fantasy novels have swordfights plus spies, romance, backwoods skirmishes, epic battles, and ambitious heroes. Her first novel Union of Renegades is a free download at
http://www.braveluck.com/.

I want to thank Tracy for agreeing to answer this question and look forward to having her back in the future...both to highlight the subsequent novels in this series and to have her provide further insight into Tracy Falbe the artist.