What changes of direction do your characters go through and why?  Are they starting a new job/career?  Are they marrying or divorcing?  Was the change of direction anticipated and looked forward to, or was it forced on them and dreaded?  Who is the overall "puppet master" in the story?  Who is the controller?

If a long cherished dream comes true for your character, does it work out exactly as that character hoped or do they have to revise their plans to take into account things they had not initially known about?  If a long cherished dream turns out to be a disappointment, what does your character do?  Do they embark on trying to fulfil a new cherished dream or do they become bitter at the disappointment?  If the latter, how does it affect their relationships with the other characters in the story?

Changes of direction can be positive and negative, of course.  Usually it's positive for one character, negative for another.  But what happens when a change is completely negative - i.e.  the character has to flee for their life or go on a quest nobody expects them to survive?  Sometimes a document turns up (will usually, sometimes a letter) that can also force changes of direction.  What is the fall out from this and is the change of direction a positive one?

What is your favourite fairytale?  Your favourite collection of fairytales? 

I think my favourite individual tale is Cinderella.  The fact my first published story, A Helping Hand, in Bridge House Publishing's Alternative Renditions collection, is based on this fairytale confirms my bias!  My favourite collection of fairytales is the Reader's Digest two volumes set, which has the original versions of stories as written/collected by Perrault, Andersen, the Brothers Grimm etc.  I also loved the colour illustrations in these volumes.

I like Cinderella because I've always had a soft spot for the rags to riches and justice will out in the end type stories.  Cinderella, of course, has both of these elements to it.  So books then are one of the most glorious of all human inventions.  Think about the joy, entertainment and education books have brought to people over the centuries!

Working out what you like and why can be a very useful way to working out what it is you want to write.  I love reading crime stories and occasionally write some short ones, but my first love has always been the fairytale so this is where I feel most drawn to writing.

So what glorious books encouraged you to want to write and why?  What inspiration is driving you on as you work out your characters and plot?  Is that inspiration strong enough for a novel or would it be best suited for short stories?

And, of course, if we want books to survive, including the ones we hopefully write and get out there, we ought to be buying them, borrowing them from libraries and so on.

I love writing lists for my blog posts, especially humorous ones, hence the posts over the last couple of days or so.  But, as the title says, now for something different.

What is different about the stories you write?  What is different about the worlds in which you set them?  What characteristics would intrigue a reader most and why?  There needs to be enough about a character and the world in which they live with which most of us can identify.  For example, relationship problems happen everywhere so if said issue happens between two alien beings we can identify with the feelings generated at least.  But there should be enough which is different to entice us in as readers so we want to find out more about the world you've created.

I've used geographic features on Earth to help me describe parts of my fictional Fairy Kingdom when I've wanted to flesh that out a bit.  (Naturally I can't use anywhere else, given I've got no immediate plans for space travel!).  I've also used a little bit of history to help flesh out the way my fictional realm is governed.   I've created a world then which is different - how many magical fairy kingdoms do you usually come across in reality?! - but which has features that can be identified with by most readers.

So be different but give us readers the hooks to draw us into that different world.

You'll have gathered by now, given the last couple of posts, I have a theme developing here! So if you really want to annoy a fairytale hero/heroine, you could say something along the lines of:-

1. Sleeping Beauty - Why weren't you suspicious  when you suddenly come across a spinning wheel when, for the rest of your life, you had not?  Did you not think to query where it had come from and why?  Or at least go back to your parents and ask them what this thing was and why you hadn't seen one before?  They could've told you!
   
2. Little Red Riding Hood - I don't care what world it is but talking wolves are definitely not normal, so why did you tell him you were going to grandma's?  Did it not occur to you that said talking wolf might, being a carnivore, eat said grandma?  You did know wolves aren't vegetarian?
   
3. Cinderella - I know I've mentioned this before but you really should have challenged your fairy godmother as to why she hadn't turned up sooner.  There is no explanation for that.  Does she like to see her goddaughter suffer or what?  (I'd really query this given glass slippers would've been hell on the feet to walk in, yet alone to try to dance in).
   
4. The Little Mermaid (the original Andersen version, not the Disney one) - Why were you so restless, wanting something no other mermaid has desired before or since?  Did it not occur to you the sea witch was bound to extract a very heavy price for helping you? 
   
5. Goldilocks - You greedy, selfish mare.  What gave you the right to vandalise someone else's home?
   

Following on from yesterday's post, here is a list of what you should not say to a fairy godmother.   (Well unless you fancy either disappearing goodness knows where in a cloud of smoke or being turned into a frog).

1. You expect me to believe you can do wonders with a pumpkin?  A pumpkin?  
   
2. Where the hell have you been?  I've been slogging my guts out for years for my stepmother and ugly sisters.  I could've done with you here years ago.
   
3. It's very nice but I don't suppose I could have a proper shoe, could I?  The glass slipper looks lovely but it's going to play havoc with my bunions.
   
4. What do you mean you can't undo the spell?  You are a fairy godmother, aren't you?  Yes, yes it is better the princess gets sent to sleep for a 100 years rather than dies, but it tells me you don't have a lot of options with that magic wand of yours.  Frankly, I'm not impressed.
   
5. Why has your spell got a timer option on it?  If I'm having a good time at the royal ball, the last thing I'm going to want to do is leave at midnight.  The evening will barely have started by that point as far as I'm concerned.