7 Reasons I Enjoy Medieval Novels

Last year I wrote a couple posts on genres I liked and didn’t like. Today I’m here to continue and write about the Middle Ages and the qualities I like that tend to pop up in fiction.

1) The Middle Ages was the time of castles.

One of my favorite parts about living in Europe is visiting all the castles. They’re amazing. The ruined castles are especially amazing because they leave many facts up to the imagination. I like exploring the old towers and along the walls, wondering what they may have been like in their prime. From the River of Time series and The Alliance series to The Lord of the Rings, medieval stories offer just a glimpse of such a time.

2) Old-fashioned methods of transportation were prevalent.

I could do without riding in the seat/back of a wagon. But I completely enjoy horseback riding, which was just about as common in the Middle Ages as walking, if one could afford a horse. It’s not as though I like to show off my equestrian knowledge while writing medieval stories. I just like to able to read a story and get it. And horses are awesome.

Other fascinating modes of transportation include sailing and dragon riding (though the latter is more fantasy-related). Although books with sailing are not limited to the medieval stories, they are certainly interesting.

3) Travel!

Let’s face it, folks in medieval stories tend to travel a lot. While they may not experience jet lag like we do, they know the pains of walking all day and the confusion that comes with meeting people of other cultures. Because I’ve traveled so much in my own life, I can relate a lot with characters who travel. I know what it’s like to experience culture shock and feet so tired I just want to lay down on that uncomfortable hotel mattress and fall asleep. I’ve also gone camping a couple of times, so I know what it’s like to sleep on the ground, much like many characters, especially Frodo and Sam.

Sam: “Everywhere I lie there’s a dirty great root sticking into my back.”
Frodo: “Just shut your eyes, and imagine you’re back in your own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feather pillow.”
Sam: “It’s not working, Mister Frodo. I’m never going to be able to sleep out here.”
Frodo: “Me neither, Sam.”

4) Carrying around weapons is (generally) socially acceptable.

Oh, you just got a new crossbow or ancient sword from your ancestors, feel free to carry it around. After all, who doesn’t want to sport a battle ax or a couple throwing daggers? You never know when you might need it.

Today, on the other hand, you can have concealed and carry weapons in some countries while only the military or the police carry weapons most of the time. Sure, it’s good that we live in times of relative peace (depending on where you live), but swords are awesome. One of my favorite things about the Ritterspiele in Germany is that not only do people dress up in medieval garb, but they also sport their weapons.

5) Books from the Middle Ages are AMAZING!

I’m not just talking about books about the Middle Ages but books that were written in the Middle Ages. The first and second editions of Le Morte Darthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the old Bibles. You name it. And they’re so stinking pretty. Scribes had to study handwriting and use their best when writing on parchment. Some books were even gilded, covered in gold for decorative purposes.

While books today are printed to be distributed to a wide audience, books in the Middle Ages were hand-written for a select few. And they were made to last. Paper may be more convenient (and humane) than animal skins, but they don’t last as long.

One of my favorite days from my postgraduate studies when I got to visit the University of Birmingham and view their special collections. We got to transcribe scripts (handwriting) and see illuminated manuscripts. At one point, I even got to touch the pages of a book from the 18^th century, “adding my fingerprints” to its long history. Parchment doesn’t feel much different from paper. It’s stiff, but it’s also quite leathery. It’s hard to describe unless you get the chance to feel it for yourself.

Generally, though, you would never ever, ever touch a manuscript except with gloves and special training. We received special permission for a select few books.

6) Medieval stories are packed full of information.

Not only do you learn how people dyed their clothes or how markets were run (because that’s so helpful today), but you can also learn about history.

But I’m more interested in the random bits of information. Like…

Did you know that in the Middle Ages, spiral staircases tended to circle up to the left for defensive purposes? Most swordsmen were right-handed, so the defenders would have more room to wield their swords while the attackers struggled to maneuver around the center of the staircase.

7) Medieval stories make me appreciate the present even more.

To be fair, I still enjoy living in the present day. As much fun as it would be to send a message via hawk or pigeon, it could take forever. Not to mention, it could get lost. Then there’s hygiene. I would probably die in the Middle Ages. After all, it was also the time of the black plague, and that’s not even mentioning what they did with chamber pots. And I thought horse droppings were bad. But I still like reading about how men and women survived and made lives for themselves.

It’s fascinating!

***

Related posts: 3 Reasons I Don’t Read Romance Novels and 7 Reasons I Enjoy Fantasy Novels

Literary references: Lisa T. Bergren’s River of Time series, L. Nicodemus Lyons’ The Alliance series, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Fellowship of the Ring (film adaptation), Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Let’s chat! What are some of your favorite qualities of the Middle Ages? What’s your favorite era to read about? 

Scanning Draft 3

There’s a reason writers call plot bunnies, well, plot bunnies. Perhaps they should call them Tribbles. Once you have one, you suddenly have ten and they never go away. Especially when you’re trying to write an essay or trying to sleep. I recently found a black-and-white, dystopian plot bunny wandering about and decided to house it in my little bunny hatch. (Aka my folder of story ideas.) Can you guess what else I found there? A really old bunny that developed into a novel, which I know call Breaking a Thief. I looked back on the original idea and laughed. Wow, had my story taken completely different turns than I had originally planned!

Pfeffer: my writing/editing buddy this summer.
She's not cuddly unless she's hiding from the wind.
Photo credit: Lori Klein

What had started out as historical fiction changed to medieval fiction with my own countries and towns. Characters came and went and others developed. Major plot points changed. Earlier this year, I posted my experiences rewriting giant portions of my novel (You can read about it here: Wrestling with Draft 2.) But the work didn’t stop there. After I set the novel aside for another month so I could take part in Camp NaNoWriMo, I dove right back into editing.

After a whole month dedicated to Visionary, a story with no plot, I was excited to get back to some structure in Breaking a Thief. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the plot, all of which is vital to working on a story. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have stuck with it so long. In my third round of edits, I decided to try two new techniques to help me catch as many mistakes as I could.

First, I enlisted the help of several beta readers. (Thanks again, you lovely people!) I did this in cycles. After Draft 2, I got feedback from my first beta reader, then got feedback from another reader after Draft 3. Though these readers didn’t edit for me, they told me what they thought of the story and if there were any inconsistencies.

 

Perhaps the three most valuable things I learned from them was that some of my characters needed rounding out, whether or not a plot twist was obvious/plausible, and that my ending needed some serious work. And by serious work, I mean I rewrote it four different times. Though the extra comments meant a bunch of extra work, it was worth it to receive honest, critical feedback from my peers.

Then I read through the whole story again by reading each chapter twice in a row. In no way would I ever recommend this as a way to read a novel for fun, but two readings helped. First, I reacquainted myself with the chapter, getting to know what the story was trying to say. Then I would reread the chapter to analyze each sentence and see what the story was actually saying. Because of this long process, I would get through two or three chapters on a good day (that’s about 20-35 pages a day).

By the time I got to the midway point of my novel, I was sick of reading it. It was tedious, but I managed to look beyond the story and at the grammar and wording. Once I finished this process, I set the book aside and didn’t touch it for three weeks (During that time I worked on another project until my classes started. More on that story later! J)

Then I sent the story off to my editor. I recently got it back, and have been working on more edits throughout the week. Once I’m done editing, I’ll be off to sending out query letters to agents! Until that happens, I’ll keep writing, reading, editing. You name it. Talking about stories and ideas is fun too.
 

In fact, whenever I tell people I’ve written a novel, I get the age old question: “What’s it about?”

After my initial annoyance at this difficult question, I’ve learned to enjoy telling people about my story, which is easier now that I know the story inside-out. So now I say, “It’s about a thief.”

 

“Cool,” People typically say. “What does he do?”

 

I smile. “She seeks to become the greatest of all thieves by challenging a superior.”

 

Then I sit back and watch the shock on their faces as I defy stereotypes one character at a time. Silly readers. Whoever said all thieves had to be guys?

 

Writers, what does your editing process look like? Have you ever employed the help of beta readers?  Readers, what’s your favorite genre? I’m torn between several new ideas for my next story.

Wrestling with Draft 2

I realize I’m late with my blog post this month (sorry about that), but I can honestly say I had a good excuse (other than visiting Ireland). Yesterday, I sat down at my computer and finished editing the last chapter of my latest novel, Breaking a Thief. This accomplishment marked my first time ever completing a second draft of a novel-length story.


It was like assembling a puzzle without knowing what the picture was or where any of the pieces went. It was exhausting. Frustrating. Dangerous. It wasn’t just red ink that ended up on my manuscript (silly paper cuts!). But it is finally complete, and I shall temporary set aside the story (again) so I can write my next novel, Visionary, for Camp NaNoWriMo next month.



All 272 pages of draft 1.



So, you might ask, what was my process for editing my novel? Well, it was very similar to editing a short story, except 100x longer. After finishing my rough draft, I set the story aside for three whole months. It was painful not to touch the story, and I felt lost as to what to do next. But by the time I came back to the story, I was eager to pick it up again. I printed out the first draft, read it over, and made notes in the margarines and on the back. I also used a ton of sticky notes to indicate the types of editing needed (cut/add scenes or research).

Then I started the second draft, focusing mainly on major plot issues, so there will be many more drafts yet come! I scrapped and rewrote the beginning and the end and reworked plot twists and character involvement. I can honestly say I am (currently) proud of my progress, though I still have many doubts and will probably look back on draft 2 with horror in August.



I went through a whole red pen marking up this draft.

Then the process will begin all over again. Except there will probably be less rewriting chapters and more cutting words and personalizing actions. So there you have it! Draft 2 is finally complete, and I honestly could not have made it without prayer, coffee, and encouragement from friends (You know who you are. Thank you!). 

 

Now my mind is exhausted. It’s time for a break before I start hectically pounding away at my keyboard trying to write a novel in only 31 days. 

 

Before you go, here’s the premise to the novel I edited, Breaking a Thief:

One lie can change much, but the truth can change everything. Lorne has learned the fine skills of thievery since childhood, but when she steals an item forbidden to the thieves, she is torn between living a double life: one of thievery and another of knowledge. With the help of a young pickpocket, Thane, Lorne crosses boundaries where even her influential father cannot protect her. 

 What are some milestones that you’ve accomplished lately? Want to read more about Lorne? Stay tuned for updates on later drafts or comment below!

Book Review: "In the Palace of Rygia" by L. Nicodemus Lyons

Book: In the Palace of Rygia (The Alliance, book 1) by L. Nicodemus Lyons

Genre: Christian fiction, medieval fiction

My rating: 5/5 stars

One word description: Compelling

L. Nicodemus Lyons creates an enthralling tale set in two warring countries: Rygia and Teman. I read the first book in two days and completed the rest of the series within two weeks (during midterms; yes, I still passed my classes). I couldn’t put the books down, and I would definitely reread them (I have read book 1 twice now).

In the Palace of Rygia captured my attention with the opening line and never let it go. The book had me intrigued, and I and liked the characters within the first few chapters—the conflicted General Corden, the sophisticated and pure Mari, and even the young and determined Paulus. I especially enjoyed how the characters develop throughout the book (and the series).

I also appreciate the design and symmetry of these books.

Lyon’s writing style is easily comprehendible and does not focus on unnecessary details, but it was still easy for me to image everything. Both the dialogue and settings are believable, and the cultures between the two countries Rygia and Teman are distinct. Because I enjoyed this series so much, book 4, In the Eyes of the King, is among my most Treasured Books.

  

The second book in the series, On the Isle of Caledron, continues the story of Rygia and Teman and develops both the plot and the characters. You can read my review for this book here.

In the Palace of Rygia is fairly clean with little blood/gore, but because of some of the darker themes throughout later books, I would not recommend this series to anybody under age 13. I gave this book 5/5 stars for its memorable characters, well-developed plot, and excellent plot twist. I would definitely recommend In the Palace of Rygia and The Alliance series to those who enjoy medieval fiction, adventure, and romance (and I don’t even like romance!).

Which books would you like to see me review next? Comment below or vote for a genre in the poll on the right-hand bar (it only takes 2 seconds!).