Do you believe in spirits?
Have you ever suffered an indefinable disquiet in the still of the night, ears straining as you pull the covers tight about your shoulders?
I have. I’ve heard the whispers.
They echo. They reverberate down the years.
I didn’t understand their murmurings at first, but in my youth I don’t think I needed to. To hear was enough – comprehension would come later.
And eventually it did. It took time to decrypt and collate, but I heeded the message.
Recently a feud of sorts has developed between George R.R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones, and Damon Lindelof, the mastermind behind Lost. When Martin was asked if he felt nervous about ending his series, he answered that he feared “pulling a Lost.” When Lindelof learned of this interview, he lashed out on Twitter, understandably miffed that his show has become synonymous with disappointing endings.
This exchange prompted me to consider a point of crucial importance to all writers. Specifically, how much do endings really matter? If a story is otherwise excellent, can a poor ending bring the whole thing to ruin? Conversely, can an outstanding ending elevate a mediocre story to greatness?
This is a question I’ve thrown around in my mind like a ping-pong ball ever since I was old enough to understand what fantasy actually is (the literary genre, that is – I doubt anyone under the age of twelve needs any lectures on the power of the imagination and the hours of fun that can be garnered from a muddy ditch, an old branch, and a raggedy piece of cloth: PIRATES AHOY!).
There was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a writer…or, more specifically, that I wanted to write. But as to why I chose the fantastic as my canvas, who can say? The Lord of the Rings no doubt played a part, as did Fahrenheit 451, A Wrinkle In Time, and numerous other novels which wriggled their way into my brain and nestled in the darkness, content in the knowledge that sooner or later the gouges they made on my psyche would become apparent.
This article is by Laura Jorgensen.
What is the impetus that gets a writer writing? Why do people even start writing? And after they’ve decided to make that plunge, how do they keep coming up with new ideas?
For me, I love stories. I studied English Literature in college so that I would be able to read books and have it count for something. I started writing because I felt like I had my own stories that needed to be shared. It’s fun to make and meet new characters, build worlds, and live a life that you probably couldn’t otherwise. When an idea comes easily (i.e. not forced) it is referred to as inspiration, and it can strike anywhere. I’ve gotten ideas while driving (little scary writing them down), in the middle of church, in the shower. My writing journal is packed with little one or two sentence, or even word, reminders of ideas that I tried to preserve to use in my story later, or even start a new story.
Since Mythic Scribes is going to be live tweeting during each episode of Game of Thrones, starting on April 17th at 9:00pm, I decided that I would read the book. At first, it was slow going. In fact, I was a little concerned that it wouldn’t keep my interest. After all, how can I tweet about something that bores me? The prologue was great because it had the mysterious mythology that always attracts me. However, after it I was starting to think that Game of Thrones was a soap opera in a fantasy setting. In full disclosure, I sometimes watch DVRed Days of Our Lives episodes while I eat supper with my wife. So, I have some domain expertise on the subject.
With this concern in the back of my head, I struggled on. However, as I went I struggled less and less. Eventually, I looked forward to opportunities to read it.
Like many writers of my generation, my first exposure to the fantasy genre was through films. I’ve previously told the story of how my father took me to see Conan the Barbarian when I was underage, and how this brought about an epiphany in my life. Ever since that first encounter, fantasy movies have helped to shape my imagination. When reflecting on the major milestones of my life, I often remember them in relation to the films that captured my attention during those years.
I recently asked our community members to compile a list of their favorite fantasy films. And as usual, our members provided inspired and sometimes provocative responses. This prompted me to consider which fantasy films have had the greatest impact on my writing, and why they are so meaningful.
So without further ado, here is my personal list.
This article is by Sean Keefer, author of The Trust.
I’m really happy I can say my first book, The Trust, is done. People can buy it and hopefully some are even reading it.
So now it is on to book two. Well, at least when I can find time to write.
There are authors who earn a comfortable living working only as writers. However I venture to say if you have 100 writers and create two groups – the first, writers who ply their craft fulltime and the second, those who have to write when they can find the time. I believe the second group will be exponentially larger than the first.
Why is this?
This review is by Megan Kayne.
The lights were dim. Chinese food had arrived. Friends had been told that unless there was an emergency of epic proportion to not bother calling me for the next week. Dragon Age 2: The Rise to Power had come out and I fully intended to dedicate my time to the game. I had already picked up my Signature copy during lunch and had downloaded all the extra content available to me, so that when I got off of work for the day – I would be ready to play without pause. The gentle hum of the Xbox increased my anticipation. I settled in for what would be one of the longest weeks of my gaming life. And Bioware didn’t fail to deliver another epic story.