We come to the close of the tour, today, with a greater understanding on what was done, and how it was done, but there remains a question still be discussed: what was the book actually about?
Balor Reborn is a novella that takes an old Irish story into modern day Dublin. Balor of the Evil Eye, a one-eyed giant with a look that kills (literally), breaks free of his confines in death and enters the life of a mourning widower. In the original story, only Balor’s grandson can kill him, leaving the old giant free to cause as much destruction as he pleases in the meantime. The story of Balor has been rewritten for a modern audience, in a modern city, without losing much of the original feel to it.
Today, I want to discuss how you can do that, too. There are so many myths out there. The ancient religions, those that pre-date Christianity, are full of heroes, villains, monsters and magic, gods and fairies roaming free and unleashing great blessings and terrible darkness on whatever country the stories have been told in. In Greece, the Olympians fought the Titans, causing great volcanoes to erupt and shaping the landscape of the country. In England, Camelot staged great battles that decided the future of the monarchy, and set the country free from the dangers of magical beings. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead still occurs to mark the passing of spirits from this world to the next, taking its roots from Aztec traditions.
But how do you decide what to include in your story? Here are some simple tips to take a story from the past and make it into something new.
1. Note the focus of the story. Balor’s single eye was of great significance, and so ignoring it wouldn’t live up to the myth. As well as that, there was a particular focus on the relationship between Balor and his grandson Lugh; only Lugh could kill Balor. That, too, was something I had to focus on for my book.
2. Note the context of the story. The giant was a king, and a tyrant, leader of the Fomorians. He wasn’t just a lone figure deciding to kill people for the heck of it. Balor wanted to take over Ireland, and he had the means to do it. So, we have a war brewing. With that in mind, we now know that there has to be another side to it, someone to try fight Balor. In the story, this was the Tuatha Dé Danann, the old Irish gods.
3. Note the terminology the characters in the story will have used. My beta reader pointed out to me that Fay is a seldom used, and modern, term for fairies, so I went with the Irish equivalent: Aos Sídhe. This allowed me to keep fairies in the books, and stick to the traditional name for them in Irish folklore.
Is that enough? No. Noting down these areas of a story is only the beginning, but let’s review what I had to draw from the story of Balor of the Evil Eye. He had to have one eye, that killed. Only his grandson can kill him. He was a tyrant, and was starting a war: we now have the Fomorians and the Tuatha Dé Danann to consider. He wouldn’t use an English term, so he’ll use Aos Sídhe when talking about fairies. This is the beginning of how I created my story.
From there, I applied some originality. I wanted Balor to come back from the dead, but he doesn’t technically have a corpse in this world. So his spirit had to come through, before he could reconstruct a body. He needed a host, so we have Stephen.
Stephen has two eyes. It would be cruel to suggest that because he lost his eye he was a suitable host for Balor. With that in mind, he needed to have a darker back story, and the eye had to take on a new form. So, I wrote the eye as being made from gold, and growing from within Stephen’s head. Now, I have an innocent character possessed by rage and pain, with a voice in his head. But what about that grandson?
He had to be a father, at some point. That’s part of his story. Now we know more about Stephen.
When we meet Fionn, the young man told he has to save the country, I had to present a risk to him. Not only is Balor alive, we also have the problem of the Fomorians. If the tyrant is here, naturally they’ll have to follow. This adds risk to the story, and incorporates more of the myth. What are we missing, then?
The Tuatha Dé Danann, for a start. This is the first book in a series, so I wanted to bring them in slowly. They’re gods, after all. Something that powerful on the hero’s side of the battle is too much to handle early on. However, I dropped mentions of them throughout the book. And as for the fairies? Well, they get their mentions, too, but they’re a more cowardly bunch than Balor. He’s been trapped for millennia, and he’s annoyed, so it makes sense that he’ll come on the assault more quickly than them.
And with that, we have Balor Reborn. I threw in more twists of my own, too, but they’re not all directly related to the myth. These form the overarching story. Of course, my way isn’t the only way. There have been a number of stories including the Olympians, and the Egyptians, and countless other deities, and they’ve all done something different with the myths. With so many stories out there, some better known than others (Balor not being an especially well known Irish story), we writers are spoiled for choice. All we need to do is look back on everything that’s happened before us, and doing your own Writing Olympics isn’t so difficult a feat anymore.
Bio
Paul Carroll is a writer from Dublin. He is studying to be a teacher of Religion and English at second level, while working in a bookshop at weekends. His 'free time' is divided among assignments, fiction, poetry, articles and blog posts, as well as college Drama and almost weekly trips to the local cinema.
He has been writing since the age of twelve, with a love of words going back further than he can remember. When he isn't reading or writing, he likes to make use of social media, bake, and talk to friends. Often, he'll watch a horror film alone in the dark for the sheer joy of it.
He can be found online at paulcarrollwriter.com.
About Balor Reborn
Old Ireland is returning, as an ancient evil arrives in Dublin. A single glance from his eye is all it takes to kill.
Stephen Fox is haunted by the memory of his wife, and suffers from guilt at abandoning his new-born son. The spirit of the tyrant Balor has come back to take his vengeance on the country. A hero must rise in the unwilling form of Fionn Murray, a university student with a mysterious past.. As a world of wonder unfolds around him, and with no one but his house mate Michael at his side, he’s left with the choice of running, or facing the evil that could consume the world.
Based on the old Irish myth of Balor of the Evil Eye, Balor Reborn is the first in a series that seeks to revive the magic of Ireland. It was written and published in one week.
It's available to buy on PDF, Epub and Mobi through http://paulcarrollwriter.com/balor/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S1FGFW
Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008S1FGFW
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