By the time this post appears, I should be at the 2016 Swanwick Summer School, which is held at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire.  I’ve been meaning to attend the school for some time but this year has been the first opportunity to actually attend.  I have been away on writing retreats/courses before when I used to go to the Isle of Wight Writers’ Weekends but this week will be the longest period of time in one go I’ve been away for.  

The best thing about getting away from it all is the chance to refresh yourself and to come back home re-energized and raring to go.  So how do your characters do this?  What breaks do they take?  Does the getting away from it all prove to be vital to them?  What happens to those who can’t get away from it all?

The obvious place for revenge/justice themes is in crime stories but the subject does come up in other genres.  With regard to a magical setting, the capacity for revenge is that much greater.  Just what can be done with a curse spell after all?  (Harry Potter was very good here.  I was always much moved by the plight of Neville Longbottom's parents and I think the sacrifice Hermione made to protect her parents is often overlooked). 

How would justice in your fictional setting (magical or otherwise) be carried out?  Who has the power to enforce justice and how did they get that power?  What happens when justice is corrupted?  If characters feel they should take the law into their own hands what drove them to this, are they successful and what do they actually do?

Revenge should have its repercussions shown clearly I think and this is where Shakespeare wrote so wonderfully with regard to Romeo and Juliet.  This is the theme of my post tonight on Chandler's Ford Today.  The Bard was right to show the stupidity of a relentless thirst for revenge.  And it should be brought home it is the innocent (Juliet) who suffer most. 

So how do you go about this in your stories?  I'm not just thinking of novels here.  A short sharp story about the theme of revenge/justice will find a home if written well enough.  The universal themes never date after all.

I've always had a soft spot for the story of Cinderella, partly I think because if there is one thing I have always loathed it is bullying.  Therefore the story of someone who overcomes ill treatment and goes on to have their new life well away from that has great appeal.

So what fairytale character would you be if you had the chance and why?  Am not sure I would actually want to be Cinderella (though I am a dab hand at doing the housework!).  I think I would actually prefer to be the fairy godmother.  Going around trying to make someone else's life better would suit me I think.  Certainly it appeals far more than having to put up with the wicked stepmother and ugly sisters for so long!

If there was a fairytale you could change, which would it be and why?  I would prefer a much happier ending to The Little Match Girl and The Little Mermaid but can see why the endings are the way they are.  (Much stronger impact, Hans Christen Andersen wanted to get a serious point about the evils of poverty across and so on).

Overall, I am glad I don't live in the fairytale world.  For every happy ever after, there is an awful lot of unhappiness and ill treatment before it.  Whilst that is true for life on Earth, we at least know we don't have magic, which might improve things.  In the fairytale world, that excuse is not there.  I guess it proves even with magic, life is not perfect.

Who runs your fairytale world or other magical realm?  How did they obtain power and, perhaps more importantly, how are they keeping it? 

In my Fairy Kingdom, the government is led by the monarchy in the shape of the Queen (and here it is traditional for the ruler to be female).  She has a Council and this system of government is loosely based on what Queen Elizabeth Tudor would have had.  My L'Evallier is roughly the equivalent of her William Cecil, later Lord Burghley. 

My fairy royals came to power by sweeping aside the "wicked witches" though naturally the latter don't see themselves as that.  They do accept there were rotten apples and recognize that gave the fairy royals the chance to clamp down on all of them.  Hmm.... there are parallels there!

But whatever the rights and wrongs of your ruling parties/authorities, they will need a kind of Civil Service to help them run the realm.  So what form does this take?  What opportunities are there for "ordinary" beings to join government service?  What are the conditions?  (Fall foul of the authorities and instead of facing a disciplinary committee, you are automatically transformed into a frog, perhaps?!).

I've never been one for screaming "damsels in distress" and the like.  I've always found this/them irritating in the extreme (which probably says a lot about me!).  My early heroines were Jo from Little Women, Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds and Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who. (Sarah Jane could, in fairness, scream with the best of them but she always had a good reason to scream and she could fight her way out of a situation, either directly or with guile, so that was okay).  So what traits am I looking for in a fairytale hero/heroine?

1. Honesty.  Unless the con artist concerned is out to tackle someone worse than them.  SeeGoing Postal by Terry Pratchett for more on this theme.  I also think this novel has one of the best beginnings ever.
   
2. Courage.  Not going to get far without this quality, of course, but I also like to see moral courage (especially when all around the character concerned are falling apart.  It takes guts to be different then).
   
3. Compassion.  Nobody's a hero in my book without this quality.  Said hero/heroine has to be driven to act the way they are and compassion can be a very powerful motivator.
   
4. A Sense of Humour.  They're going to need it (as we all do to get through life).
   
5. Adjusting well to reversals of fortune.  Nothing goes right all the time for any hero/heroine so they must ensure they are not sunk completely when everything goes wrong.  They have to be able to find a way out so the ability to adjust is crucial.