The first short story I’m releasing as part of my Legacy Collection is “Blood for Blood.” It represents a lot of firsts: my first short story for my first fiction writing class, my first time reading my own writing to an audience, my first critique by a group of 30 instead of a mere handful of near-strangers. I was full of terror and hope when I wrote it.

We didn’t have much in the way of guidelines. Size 12 Times New Roman, double-spaced, 8-10 pages long. Professor Williams gave no prompts for subjects, settings, themes, nothing. Total creative freedom—almost.

Professor Williams said he didn’t like genre fiction. We could still write it, he said with a pinched face that made it clear he’d rather we didn’t. The only thing he wanted us to stay far away from was fantasy. I remember he described once receiving a story with dragons and/or unicorns that felt like a drug-induced trip to Candyland, and he never wanted to read anything like that again.

He also went on a tangent about fantasy not being a serious writing field. You couldn’t make a career out of it, he said, and it wasn’t really real writing.

I wasn’t the only one hurt to hear that. Several of my classmates shared the the dream of being a published author, writing the kinds of novels we loved reading. We wanted to write the kind of writing that sparked our love of writing in the first place, but we were told “no.”

But I’m a creature often motivated by spite.

I wanted to write and publish fantasy novels. To do that, I needed to practice writing fantasy. I didn’t want to write slice of life stories about mundane interactions. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of any ideas for that anyway. I figured if I went to college to become a better writer, I should focus on becoming the kind of writer I wanted to be.

“Blood for Blood” was an offshoot of an idea I wanted to try for National Novel Writing Month 2017. I didn’t get far in my 2016 attempt since finals week for fall quarter hit in November, so I thought I could use my short story for class to get a feel for one of the characters I wanted to write in my 2017 novel idea. It was a sort of sci-fi western focusing on a crew of desert pirates. Even though I shelved the novel project, I liked the world I created for it and wanted to come back to it. So I picked some of the side characters and wrote a story for them.

Themes in the Story

From the title, it should be no surprise that revenge plays a role in “Blood for Blood.” I’ve always enjoyed stories that question where the line is between justice and vengeance, and characters torn between external responsibility and internal morals. For my first story, I wanted to explore these themes in a situation where there’s no “right” choice.

Inspiration From Other Works

The big influence behind this story was 2010’s True Grit. Specifically, I thought about the scene when Mattie Ross and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf argue over where Chaney should be hanged for his various crimes. Mattie wants him hanged for the murder of her father while LaBoeuf intends to take Chaney to Texas to hang for murdering a senator. Rooster Cogburn points out they both want to see Chaney punished, to which Mattie says, “I want Tom Chaney to hang for killing my father. It’s little to me how many dogs and senators he killed in Texas.”

It got me thinking about a story where the question wasn’t whether or not someone was guilty or deserving of punishment—or even what that punishment should be. But how important is it who metes out that punishment and how? Does the answer change when you know all the details?

How I Feel Rereading the Story Now

While the opening paragraph of “Blood for Blood” has a rhythmic quality that still makes me smile and pat myself on the shoulder, part of me thinks the prose got a little too purple in setting up the atmosphere.

I remember I used to think a story should work just as well if it was set in the real world as if it was set in a fantasy world. I also thought if I put a woman in a position of power, readers would simply accept that as part of the reality of the story. You can revisit highlights from my critique to see how my classmates proved me wrong on that one.

It was only in the last few years that I learned if a story is going to be fantasy or science fiction, those elements have to influence the story in some way. The same story can’t be possible in the same way if those elements were removed.

I’d like to think I would have tried to do that if I wasn’t worried how it would affect my grade. Then again, this was a pretty ambitious adventure to try to fit into 8-10 pages. Still, I’m glad I tried it.

See you back here Wednesday for the full story.

Set the Mood

If you like creative add-ons to fully immerse yourself in a story, I have some suggestions. While I didn’t have these on hand when I wrote the story, they’ve definitely enhanced my experience rereading them.

Soundtrack

The opening of “Blood for Blood” describes the sound of gathered villagers singing an ominous funeral song with unintelligible lyrics. The sound persists throughout the story. To echo the mysterious, trance-like atmosphere, I recommend pagan folk music to give you goosebumps as you read. Use the links below to listen on Spotify.

• Asja by Heilung
• Geysa by Heldom
• Ragnakamp by Danheim
• Svanrand by Heilung
• Rún by SKÁLD

Scenttrack

I love a good candle to set the mood, but I know it’s weird to say, “Hey, I have a candle that matches the mood of a standoff between a village chief and a bounty hunter at a public execution.” But I do have that candle: Orc Raid from Mythologie Candles.

The official description of the scent is “notes of burning homes and ruined crops, smoke wafting over fields, and scorched leather.”

It’s a surprisingly pleasant combination and one of my favorite fantasy-themed candles to light for reading or writing. The woodsy and musky scents make it feel like you’re outside, but the warm leather makes it feel like you’re definitely not out there alone. Whether you’re surrounded by friends or enemies depends on what you’re reading.

If that sounds like a fantasy candle you want to add to your collection for more immersive writing or reading sessions, you’re in luck. Mythologie’s Halloween line just dropped, including Orc Raid.

Affiliate note: I’m a Mythologie Candles affiliate because I use them all the time—especially for writing and editing. This means I may earn a commission if you purchase through my link. I only share products I personally use and love. Thanks for supporting my writing!