THE CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #23

INTRO:  Welcome to the 2013 Summer Scavenger Hunt! This hunt (which begins at noon Mountain Daylight Time and not before) has 32 stops and runs 5/17-5/19/13. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 31 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the Rafflecopter form at Stop #32, you’ll be in the running for an iPad Mini (loaded with all our books), or one of two runner-up prizes—all 31 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn’t hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws. Ready? Here we go…

Anne Elisabeth Stengl

I’m super pleased to share with you readers the amazing Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I love that she doesn’t write your standard fare–Anne is a talented, award-winning author some serious fantasy novels! The night Anne won the Christy for NAMEOFBOOKStarflower, I was there–and was stunned to learn this incredible young woman is the first to win the Debut Author Christy for Starflower and then the following year win her category!

Anne’s Bio

If you haven’t heard of ANNE yet, then here’s a quick peak at her bio:

Anne Elisabeth is the award-winning author of the Tales of Goldstone Wood, a series of fantasy adventure novels told in the classic Fairy Tale style. She is married to the handsome man she met at fencing class and lives with him, a kindle of kitties, and one long-suffering dog in NC.

Today, Anne shares her unique angle on…

NEW FROM OLD:

Turning a Standard Storyline On Its Head

 by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

“I would write a book, but every time I think I’ve got a good idea, I find out that someone else has already done it!”
 
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this same sad plaint from wannabe novelists. But I’m not as sympathetic as I might be. Because you know what? Ultimately, it’s just another excuse.
 
There are no new ideas left in the writing world. Seriously, people! It’s all been done before. I recently taught a creative writing class at a local university in which I shocked my audience by explaining that everybody’s favorite Star Wars: A New Hope movie is just a retelling of Cinderella, packaged up with some new frills. It was actually kind of funny to watch the looks on the boys’ faces as I pieced together the connections for them: Cinderella = Luke Skywalker, Stepmother = Uncle Owen, Royal Ball = Flight School, Obiwan Kenobi = Fairy Godmother, Light-saber = glass slipper . . . and so on and so forth.
 
It’s a been-done story. We’ve seen it before. And then we’ve seen it again.
 
But that’s also why we love it so much!
 

 
When I sat down to write my newest novel, Dragonwitch, I found myself crippled for the first several months of drafting as I struggled to make it completely original. But when that didn’t work, I decided to take a step back and compile a handful of “been-done” storylines. In this case, storylines that I honestly thought were tired, used, and no longer interesting. These included:

1. The Chosen One
2. The arranged marriage
3. The magic sword (and I even went ahead and stuck mine in a stone, à la King Arthur)
4. The mysterious old man with secret knowledge
5. And the . . .

 
Well, actually, I don’t want to tell you about that last one! While it’s a very used theme that we’ve seen a dozen times before in fantasy fiction, it’s also still a surprise, and I’d hate to spoil it! (You’ll know it as soon as you read it though. Trust me.)
 
So I looked at my list of been-done tropes. And I thought to myself, “How could I do these differently?”
 
I didn’t try to come up with “original” storylines. What I did was bring my own perspective on old storylines. And suddenly I found my creativity opening up. After all, we love those old storylines because they truly are fun! They speak to us, to our individual understanding of universal themes. And there is always a new spin to be spun, a new angle to be tried.
 
Ultimately, there aren’t any new stories. But there are always new storytellers. Every writer has personal experiences, tastes, ideas which she/he brings into play. And those new ideas are what give new life to even the most tired storylines.
 
The more of yourself you pour into your work, the more life it will take on. And that’s when something exciting and–if I dare say it–something “original” begins to happen.
 

 
Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s upcoming release, Dragonwitch (Tales of Goldstone Wood)is a riveting fantasy filled with a prince, castles, powerful swords, and even more powerful heroes! It is available at bookstores or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Christian Book Distributors and elsewhere.

AND NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS:

 
Write down this clue: help us
 
Have it written down? Great! Now head on over to Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s blog, Stop #24 for the next clue! Thanks for stopping by!
 

 

 OPTIONAL: BONUS PRIZE!

AN ENTIRE SET of the Discarded Heroes! This is your chance to win FOUR books by yours truly, Ronie Kendig. You MUST comment to enter, and then you can earn extra points/entries by tweeting about this giveaway and if you LIKE the RapidFireFiction page on Facebook!

US entries ONLY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Because of a technical glitch, the above Rafflecopter portal closed, but all who comment will be in the draw!