The Archeology of a Story

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Brothers Grimm, Fairytales, Literary Fairy Tales, Mythology, Storytelling, Writing

 

In a recent craft discussion at the GLVWG monthly meeting, professional storyteller Charles Kiernan discussed the evolvement of literary storytelling.  Before the invention of the Guttenberg Press, or handwritten accounts by trained scribes, legends, folktales, and mythology were passed down through generations by word of mouth. The following are notes from Charles’ seminar.

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 Mythology, legends, folktales, and fairytales can be lumped together as pre-literary.

Mythology: Myths are the creation stories of a given culture, replete with characters representing fundamental aspects of that culture. And yet those characters have personality traits that appear to be individual. These gods and goddesses are both universal and unique. We, as individuals, tend to identify with one or another of these divine beings. Each of us has our primary myth.

Legend: This form of storytelling deals with maybe/historical heroes and heroines, again associated with a given culture. King Arthur, Sigurd, and Roland come to mind. They touch on and converse with mythological figures. The distinction between the two is not always clear.

Folktales: More often stories of the common people, although not always. Legendary figures like the indomitable Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill can appear as Fin McCool, a downgraded, buffoonish giant in the folktale.

Fairy Tales: These are a sub-category of folktales. The distinction between the two is that fairy tales have the element of magic. It hurts me to say “sub-category.” Fairy tales are superior to folktales and perhaps the origins of myth.

There is the argument among folklorist about whether fairy tales come out of myths, or if myths come out of fairy tales. I suggest the answer is “yes.”

 Literary Fairy Tales: These are, of course, fairy tales written down with an eye on the literate reader, one use to literary conventions. His name is Hans Christian Andersen.

Ok, maybe that is not fair, but he does exemplify the literary treatment of fairy tales.

Meet Author/Editor Patti Giordani

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Editing, Libra Editorial Services, Writing, Writing Conferences, Writing Magazine Articles

GLVWG author, Mitzi Flye, took the time to interview Patti Giordani, one of our presenters at the The Write Stuff Writers Conference™ on Saturday, March 25, 2017.  Patti has been a long member of GLVWG, as well as a Copy Editor for the annual GLVWG Write Stuff Anthology.

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MF:  For some reason, the GLVWG Conference Committee thought I should interview Pattie Giordani. Maybe it’s because I’ve known her all of her life (and dumped her out of her baby carriage). Thank you for allowing me to interview you (she’s touching me!). I will be nicer to you than I was when you were 8 and I was 12.

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  MF: You have quite a varied background in editing, including being an editor of a nonprofit organization’s magazine and assistant features editor at The Express-Times daily newspaper. But you’re also a writer. Which do you find most rewarding?

PG:Thank you for doing this interview with me! (No one made me say that. LOL) As for editing vs. writing—I find both rewarding. As you know, I’m a Libra so I tend to look at both sides of a question. As an editor, I enjoy helping other writers shape and improve their work. And the most rewarding part is when an author says I made the work better. But I do think my scale is tipped toward writing, because I’m nosy! I’m interested in people, what they do, what they love, their backgrounds, their aspirations—you get the idea. I’m also interested in businesses, places, things, history, and many other topics. Researching and writing articles helps me delve into subjects I might never otherwise have the chance to learn about.

Kathryn Craft – Maximizing The Emotional Potential of Your Novel

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Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Conferences

Kathryn Craft

 

Kathryn Craft will be conducting one of the Friday half-day workshops to explore MAXIMIZING THE EMOTIONAL POTENTIAL OF YOUR NOVEL, and two additional working sessions on Saturday at the GLVWG WriteStuff Writers Conference™ , March 24 and 25, 2017. Kathryn writes stories that seek beauty and meaning at the edge of darkness. Rich with material for further thought or discussion, her novels make a great choice for book clubs.

Long a leader in the southeastern Pennsylvania writing scene, Kathryn served for more than a decade in a variety of positions on the boards of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference, and volunteers as time allows with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Kathryn also hosts writing retreats for women and speaks often about writing. She writes a monthly series, “Turning Whine into Gold,” at the Writers in the Storm blog, and freelances as a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppies Writers, a marketing cooperative of women’s fiction writers.

Kathryn states a novel is, above all else, an emotional experience. From the safety of their armchairs, readers want the protagonist to take them along on a journey that will help them benefit from the process we humans fear most: change. The last thing you want is for your reader to slide your manuscript back across the desk and say, “Hmm. I remained curiously unmoved.” Part story structure, part narrative arcs, and part sentence-level examination, this three-hour class will explore craft that will help you create—within any genre—the kind of heart-thumping tension, heart-breaking consequence, and heart-warming resolution readers crave.