Great question. I could give you a whole list of reasons, but when a stranger at one of my book signings dismissed my fantasy genre and asked me why I didn’t write about my own life, I was speechless while I scrambled to think of a response.
I first encountered this puzzling abhorrence of fantasy while pursuing a creative writing minor at college. To my surprise, professors would often assign writing projects and tell us, “There are no rules…except no fantasy.”
Academic writers have a habit of looking down their nose at fantasy. I haven’t quite figured out why, as writing in sci-fi and fantasy genres requires an extensive amount of world-building and research, not to mention finding creative ways to implement metaphors about ourselves, our society, and our future.
This particular gentleman approached my table at the book signing and asked what my novel was about. “It’s a science-fantasy story about a half-ghost, half-human hybrid,” I began, before he cut me off with a grunt and abruptly set the book back down on the table.
“Oh. I read nonfiction. Is this all you write?”
“Yes. This is my first book, and it’s going to be a series.”
“Why? Why don’t you write about your own life instead?”
Caught off guard and unsure how to answer since he clearly wasn’t interested at all in my novel, I joked, “My life isn’t nearly interesting enough for a book.”
“Who knows? It might be,” he said, turning away.
I thought about the encounter for a long time, well after packing up and leaving the book signing. I was certain the man was wrong. Was I supposed to believe he would have bought and read my autobiography before I’d even made a career for myself? Would he honestly have been more interested in a story about a millennial earning a college degree in a major she didn’t pursue after graduation, then working various jobs in customer service?
Had I been quicker to recover from his surprise attack, I might have answered, “I did write about my own life. Pieces of it, anyway.”
No, I’ve never had superpowers or been held prisoner in a government testing facility. But I’ve felt trapped with nowhere to go. I’ve felt cold, empty, powerless, despite efforts to convince myself I couldn’t be depressed because I had no reason to be. I’ve felt frustration that made my lungs burn with a building scream I couldn’t release appropriately, so I’ve run as hard as I could until I had no breath left to scream. I’ve felt the sting of a mentor’s betrayal and the depthless depression that followed. I’ve cursed at politicians making poor decisions that hurt my community. I’ve wondered where I belong in this life that’s happening all around me and won’t slow down, even for a breath.
In other words, I’ve been locked in a cage. I’ve worn a neutralizer on my arm that drained every bit of warmth and happiness from me. I’ve swallowed a sonic scream that would have had devastating consequences if I’d allowed it to escape. I’ve faced the ultimate betrayal and fallen, hard, in defeat. I’ve stood beside the citizens of Phantom Heights, watching the Agents promise protection even as they quarantined the town and left us to fend for ourselves. I’ve spent long hours wondering who I am, what I’m supposed to be. In which Realm do I belong? The practical one with a tedious but well-paying job—a perfectly normal, human existence? Or the unpredictable one where art knows no bounds, where I can let my power out and hope that creativity and perseverance may deliver success?
I’ve poured so much of myself into my writing that my fantasy stories are my life, maybe just a tad unconventional compared to a standard autobiography. I write the stories in my heart, and they usually manifest in the form of fantasy. I’ve fought monsters and defied enemies. If you take the time to peel back the fantastic metaphors, you’ll find pieces of my life hidden within.
May this post serve as a reminder to be careful what you say to writers! You may end up in a blog or a story!
I'm an award-winning fantasy author, artist, and photographer from La Porte, Indiana. My poetry, short fiction, and memoir works have been featured in various anthologies and journals since 2005, and several of my poems are available in the Indiana Poetry Archives. The first three novels in my Chronicles of Avilésor: War of the Realms series have received awards from Literary Titan.
After some time working as a freelance writer, I was shocked by how many website articles are actually written by paid "ghost writers" but published under the byline of a different author. It was a jolt seeing my articles presented as if they were written by a high-profile CEO or an industry expert with decades of experience. I'll be honest; it felt slimy and dishonest. I had none of the credentials readers assumed the author of the article actually had. Ghost writing is a perfectly legal, astonishingly common practice, and now, AI has entered the playing field to further muddy the waters. It's hard to trust who (or what) actually wrote the content you'll read online these days.
That's not the case here at On The Cobblestone Road. I do not and never will pay a ghost writer, then slap my name on their work as if I'd written it. This website is 100% authentic. No outsourcing. No ghost writing. No AI-generated content. It's just me... as it should be.
If you would like to support my work, check out the Support The Creator page for more information. Thank you for finding my website! 🖤