“Unicorn symbols are a reminder to be gentle. Anything permanent will come from softness and gentleness, not force. Trust that gentleness will overcome all boundaries.”
When I decided to write The Kelpie's Kiss (which as at first just a short story for a contest), I realized that while I knew a lot about the mythology of unicorns, I hadn't compiled all of my research in one place; and that is a mistake no writer should make. You see, there aren't any unicorns in Andumon, so any research I'd done on these creatures was purely for my own enjoyment.
I find author research fascinating. Everyone has a different method and they all work. I like to research on the computer, but write my findings in a notebook. I find the physical act of writing helps it stick in my memory better than typing. Since I an a huge fantasy nerd (no surprise there), I was all too eager to dive into the various myth surrounding the unicorn and also add a few ideas of my own.
Once I've compiled my research, I like to type it out so I can always have it with me in text form. While I'm putting it into the computer, I also add my own notes and thoughts in, usually in a different color. I'm sharing some of my unicorn research that I did for The Kelpie's Kiss so that you can get a behind the scenes look into how I structure some of my research.
Did anything surprise you about the unicorn legends? Did you find something you rather enjoyed?
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