My [Faire] Lady: Tips and Tricks for Navigating a Renaissance Faire

I went to my first Renaissance Faire this year, crossing a pretty important item off my bucket list. To the surprise of absolutely no one, I had the BEST time. So much so that I plan to be back at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival next year.

My elf ears!

Oh, hi!

First turkey leg.

So, having been to a Ren Fest now, I want to share what I learned/some advice for you guys if you plan on attending a renaissance festival in the future.

1. BRING WATER.

Or, if your state's festival does not allow full water bottles, bring empty ones that you can store easily (I like this roll-up one from Amazon). Otherwise, water is available for purchase at the festival. If the festival you're attending is in the summer, water is crucial. Staying hydrated is a great idea anyway, but if it's brutally hot and humid, you'll need the hydration if you plan to stay at the festival awhile.

2. Plan ahead.

Buy tickets in advance. Look at your festival's schedule online and pick out the events and shows you want to see. Want to watch a joust? Make sure you get there early for good seats. In general, if you go earlier with pre-purchased tickets and a game plan, you'll be good to go, and you should be able to do and see all the stuff you want.

3. Bring bug spray.

As someone who has a really, REALLY bad phobia of wasps, this would have been helpful had I remembered to bring some. Same goes for mosquitos or other pests; if this is a concern for your festival location, please put some on prior heading to the festival.

4. Costumes are encouraged, but you can go as minimal as you want.

To my surprise, there weren't as many costumed attendees. Nor were there as many flower crowns as I expected (I only saw three, including my own). I'd recommend a flower crown or a piece you've picked up from a festival previously (i.e. elf ears, a crown/diadem/circlet, etc.) and "civillian" clothes to start with. I got my flower crown here, and it was the BEST. You'll still feel plenty immersed in the medieval fun and action (a friendly pirate called my turkey leg a "leg of squaw" and my friend's stroller for her baby daughter "the smallest pirate ship [he'd] ever seen"). You can always add to your outfit when you're there. I did; I got some elf ears made of gold wire and tiny white metal flowers to match my crown.

5. Get that turkey leg.

Turkey legs are a Renaissance Faire staple. If you want to eat some kind of meat there, I'd recommend this over chicken salad or a Caesar wrap. I mean, it's a Renaissance festival; gotta be immersed in another time, right?

Have you ever attended a Renaissance Festival before? Let me know down in the comments!

Disclaimer: Links in this post are Affiliate Links, which means that I will gain a small commission if you buy any of the items I've mentioned through the links I've placed in this post. Clicking, browsing, and buying come at no extra cost through the links. All opinions are my own, and they are unbiased. If you do use the links, thank you!

I Self-Published a Novella!

First, let's get this out of the way: My novella, "Do Life", is now out online and available for you to purchase for Kindle (devices or the app) and Paperback!

YAY!

Now, the details.

This particular novella was the project I drafted for the very first Camp NaNoWriMo I ever participated in. Camp NaNoWriMo is a version of NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) that takes place twice a year during April and July. I wrote "Do Life" during the April 2018 session; I drafted 25,000 words in 30 days. To see this first novella I ever wrote out in the world now is pretty surreal and exciting for obvious reasons.

Here's the synopsis:

Jessica Smith has a fresh start: new town, new house, new job, new neighbors. What more could a bright-eyed twenty-something want?

With the rush of these new changes in her life, Jessica still feels like she's moving at breakneck speed through her new career and potential relationships.

But when a tall stranger barges through her door and tells her she's in danger...what will it take for Jessica to risk it all and leave her new life behind?

In this heart-pounding sci-fi thriller novella by Savannah Cottrell, join Jessica as she learns what it means to be human, and what it means to have free will in a world where it feels like all control is lost.

Now, I will say this, too: "Do Life" is very much inspired by one of my favorite video games. I would tell you which one...but you should read it to see if you can guess. ;)

Want to buy and read "Do Life?"

For the Kindle version (readable on Kindle devices, phones, tablets, and your computer), click here.
For the Paperback version (my personal favorite!), click here.

(For some reason, these are two separate listings. I've been looking into having them be combined into one listing, so please pardon this little bit of dust.)

If you read my book, please let me know through an Amazon review!

Y'all have been with me through my writing journey for years now. As always, thank you so, SO much for following along with me. You're the best. And stay tuned for more writing over the course of this year!

Brief disclaimer: the links above are Affiliate Links, so I will make a small commission if you buy my book through the links above. This is ONLY if you buy the book, though, and it's at no additional cost to you. If you use these links, thank you!