Do ewe like secrets?
Sharon has given me the honor of writing a piece for you so I may share my love of secrets with you.
It was the concept of hiding things within a story that hooked me on storytelling. I want to surprise you, to blow your mind with my secrets. I want you to have a revelation about a character or event that changes how you perceive that character or even the larger world. I want you to be shocked by an ending only to go back and see that all the signs were there.
Number 3: Foreshadowing
This can come in many forms, many of which I know you are familiar with, but when done in subtly can be fun to implement. Patterns, for example, are a real joy to play with, but risky. If the reader catches on, it could ruin a huge reveal, and if used to frequently can become repetitive.
Number 2: Symbolism
I appreciate this one for its mixture of in your face blatancy and for it's subtly. It's a really great literary device, as long as it isn't too vague or too obvious.
Honorary Mention: Easter Eggs
This one is fun and is easy to execute. Although not truly a secret, I feel compelled to include it because if you don't catch the reference or don't know what the reference is from it could be considered somewhat secret.
Number 1: Storyception
The story hidden within a story. I love this concept and was the inspiration behind my Moira Ashe series of books. Secretly weaving a story into another story and revealing it through clues takes the cake for me.
Thank you to Sharon for hosting me on ismellsheep.com and thank you for letting me share my passion with you. If you are looking to share in more of my passion, you can find me at brendonbertram.com. I will be posting all of my news there, and a series of flash fiction and short stories.
It was the concept of hiding things within a story that hooked me on storytelling. I want to surprise you, to blow your mind with my secrets. I want you to have a revelation about a character or event that changes how you perceive that character or even the larger world. I want you to be shocked by an ending only to go back and see that all the signs were there.
Today I want to share with you a top 3 of my most favorite types of secrets.
This can come in many forms, many of which I know you are familiar with, but when done in subtly can be fun to implement. Patterns, for example, are a real joy to play with, but risky. If the reader catches on, it could ruin a huge reveal, and if used to frequently can become repetitive.
Number 2: Symbolism
I appreciate this one for its mixture of in your face blatancy and for it's subtly. It's a really great literary device, as long as it isn't too vague or too obvious.
Honorary Mention: Easter Eggs
This one is fun and is easy to execute. Although not truly a secret, I feel compelled to include it because if you don't catch the reference or don't know what the reference is from it could be considered somewhat secret.
Number 1: Storyception
The story hidden within a story. I love this concept and was the inspiration behind my Moira Ashe series of books. Secretly weaving a story into another story and revealing it through clues takes the cake for me.
Thank you to Sharon for hosting me on ismellsheep.com and thank you for letting me share my passion with you. If you are looking to share in more of my passion, you can find me at brendonbertram.com. I will be posting all of my news there, and a series of flash fiction and short stories.
by Brendon Bertram
August 23, 2018
200 pages
Exposed, Moira Ashe flees to the city of Trident Bay seeking passage out of the city. Denied by every ship in port, her salvation comes from Caspian, hero, chieftain and business leader. He promises to get her out of the country, but only if she can slay the legendary Terror of Trident Bay.
Moira's hunt goes awry as she is caught in the city's power struggle, a peasant uprising and romance, all while she races to leaves Fotland's shores before word reaches the city about her identity.
by Brendon Bertram
March 27, 2018
162 pages
A blood moon is rising above Abalon. Werewolves, once heard of only in whispers around the borderlands, have been spotted in villages and towns mere miles from the capital, and the king is worried – worried enough to send Lincoln Clarke to find help.
But hunters this far from Abalon aren’t exactly keen. Lincoln’s gone through half a dozen leads before he finds Moira Ashe lurking in the corner of a tavern, her dark eyes glinting in the candlelight. It takes a bag of gold for Moira to agree even to tell Lincoln what she knows, and more still for her to allow him along on a hunt.
But what should have been a simple job turns out to be anything but. With a suspect Moira can’t pin down and a string of bodies piling up in the beast’s wake, Lincoln finds himself doubting Moira’s skill. And with time running out and the full moon approaching, failure is not an option.
But Moira has her own secrets to protect, and the beast she and Lincoln are hunting may not be the biggest threat after all…
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Brendon Charles Bertram was born on May 28, 1994. Working on the family farm on PEI, it wasn’t until March 27, 2015, after the death of his father that he began pursuing writing. He continues to live on PEI, but now occupies his time with travelling the globe, reading texts on philosophy and psychology, and exploring a deep fascination and passion for storytelling.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dani,
DeleteI'm glad you liked it.
Thanks for having me, I had a lot of fun writing this post and would love to post again sometime.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Brendon