Words by: R.E. Joyce — Where Do Stories Come From?
- R.E. Joyce
- Apr 23
- 6 min read
Hi everyone. Today I am giving the blog over to one of our "Beyond the Realms," authors. Check out this exclusive guest post from the mind of R.E. Joyce.
Words by: R.E. Joyce
to write is to place love in the hands of generations to come
Where Do Stories Come From?
The Finding is tucked neatly into the cover of Beyond the Realms and is now available for Pre-Order! I am eager to share this epic journey of my special friends as they embark on a quest to save the world from darkness. But this article is about something different. It is about where this and other fantasy adventures came from.
A moment in time...
Stephanie skinned her knee, and it was a bad one, attested to by the tears flowing down the cheeks of my precious three-year-old. “If you let me fix your boo-boo, Girty- I called her Girty- I will write you a story about a unicorn.”
I did not start life with a desire to write, but the train ride to and from work gave me plenty of time to read. One night, after finishing a David Eddings epic adventure, the thought popped into my mind. I could do this... I could write a fantasy...
Stories often come from the most unexpected places if you are open to discovering them.
Muse or Inner child...
Creativity never stands alone. It is a unique gift that we writers gain from the sum total of our experiences. In writing, we draw on all that is within us to shape the words of a new story, making it both unique and rich in history.
I suppose this is a good place to state a truth. The writer’s inner voice is not a malady to be poked at by psychiatrists. It is the connected area between the conscious and subconscious self that is gifted with recall and adaptation.
The Finding started as a promise but became so much more. To this day, I cannot read the first chapter of this novel aloud. It is the coming of age of my daughter, and every time I hear these words, it opens up that part of my fatherly soul, reminding me of all that I witnessed.
Letting my muse take control or allowing my inner child to explore became the joy of the writing journey as the words found their way onto the pages. It was exciting, invigorating, and rather empowering.
I raced from page to page, creating more and more characters as we adventured into a world yet to be explored. If nothing else came of the endeavor, the joy of meeting characters and adventuring filled my heart and soul.
Characters Are Us
There is little doubt that the character Furor holds a part of me.
A great silver wolf gazed in her direction in the path to the east, sitting motionless on its haunches. It seemed completely confident in its next meal. Ariah’s only thought was why it waited until she awoke. A journey of a thousand dreams and a hundred lives had ended in her first feeble steps. Ariah bowed her head and accepted fate. The wolf stood and took one step forward.
I always wanted to be the alpha male, and I certainly had the ego to be one.
“Stand still, you big mutt,” the voice, strong but filled with music, broke the wolf’s stride. “I will not allow you to touch this creature.”
From the trees above, a slight girl dressed in what looked like an outfit that could have been leather or leaves lightly jumped down to land between Ariah and the wolf. The girl, no more than five foot three inches, and so slight a small wind would carry her away, stood her ground. “You dare to enter my forest, beast. You had better have a good reason, or you will not see the full dawn.”
I also knew when to obey my superiors... So much for the alpha male nonsense. Or as Aria put it when she named the wolf:
“Great Wolf, mocker of protocol and blasphemer of propriety—you will be allowed to tag along. I shall name you Furor, for that is the feeling I have when your mouth opens.” She bowed and added, “I accept your humility lesson, silver one.”
The fact is, as we write, we put ourselves and our experiences into the characters we create. This is what makes our writing stand out from others. A thousand people with tell a tale about a fiery dragon, but no two dragons will be the same.
By the by... This is where AI falls short. It cannot create; it can only repeat. It will force all creative efforts to the mundane.
To the new writers
I know that you want to share the joy, sadness, excitement, or horror of the moment just passed, but give your muse a bit of time to embrace and understand the event before rushing to the page. Life’s events, once filtered through the mind, heart, and soul, become wonderful impetus for storylines, characters, and tales you can tell.
Just allow time to be part of the process. It has been more than a quarter century since a great tragedy shook my life. At the moment of the event, my writing would have been filled with the bile of emotional torment and uncontrolled desires. Time filtered out the reactionary movements and allowed both my conscious and unconscious to embrace reality and accept change as a part of my story.
So where does a story come from
From anywhere and everywhere—once you allow your inner self to help create them. Let me tell you about Seeking Love’s Vision.
This adventure brings together four remarkable women from vastly different backgrounds to reveal the true nature of love. The men who quest for their lost loves join forces with Bluster and some interesting characters, restoring the world to its true vision of love.
It took one name to spark a fantastic tale. My bank teller is named Neola, a name given to her by her grandmother, embracing her Cherokee heritage. Thus, Neola Catori was born, a guardian from before the time of the Ranger Guardian, Corbayne the Great. Neola Catori—from the ancient people of the land. Neola is a Cherokee combination of new and people (neos and laos), and Catori is a holy Cherokee name meaning spirit.
Isn’t writing the hoot!
Drop me a line, and I will get you the ALPHA Copy of Seeking Love’s Vision for your reading enjoyment!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R.E. Joyce
We were approached by a rather dusty old gentleman who stated flatly in a West Texas drawl that he “found the scrolls while looking for gold.” His only requirement was to be left alone, and any reward could be left at the Western Union station for his eventual return to civilization.
They were parchments dating far back in history, and they told fantastic tales that filled our staff with excitement. Our happiness was so great that we chose to pen a name commensurate to the event. These are the transcriptions of the works we have been given under the name of r.e.joyce. We hope you rejoice too!
ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY
Beyond the Realms
A Limited Edition Box Set
Collection of YA Epic Fantasy Authors
In lands far beyond our world heroes step forward to take on epic journeys into the unknown. They must face the thrill of adventure, love, and magic to find themselves as they go. But when fate plays with their destiny, they find they are on a path they never saw coming. From SwordMasters to Fae creatures you will find a mix of fantasy creatures that will keep you reading until the very end. Grab this limited-edition box set before time runs out.
Written by authors of Fantasy Romance and Epic Quests, this boxset is sure to take you on an epic journey. Featuring tales by Christina Wallace, debut author Joli Campbell, International Bestselling author K.M. Jenkins, Megan Charlie, and R.E. Joyce fill these pages.
Twisting tales of battle, magic, intrigue, love, and tragedy. Perfect for those looking for light romance with epic adventures to enjoy.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, One Bed, She saves herself, Strong female lead, Fae, Task-based quest/epic journey, Epic Quest, Magical Test, Facing ones fears, Hero's journey, The mentor, and Love triangle turned inside out
Pre-Order your Copy Today for 99¢!
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