Man on the Galleon

Writers Are Like Cows

2011-08-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Now hold on. Just go with me on this for a second. I'm not trying to insult writers. I'm a writer. Or trying to be, at least.

Writers are like cows, and writers' agents are like farmers. Now, as cows, we produce junk that is (hopefully) desirable and able to turn a profit. The farmers are the ones, however, who handle that junk and strike a deal with a company that specializes in junk, a company who takes junk in, processes it, turns out a finished product, and sees it out to the market where the consumers can get at it.

But if us cows don't trust our farmers, we might try to leave the farm and to do the farmers' jobs ourselves. Of course, we won't really know what we're doing. I mean, we're cows. Cows trying to do the work of a farmer while still producing junk that the junk-companies want. Maybe, over time, we might be able to figure it out and mutate into some kind of half-cow, half-farmer of ultimate doom, but certainly in the mean time, we'll discover that doing the work of a person AND a cow is a lot of freaking work. And to presume ahead of time that we can pull off such a feat is just downright arrogant. And we shouldn't be arrogant. We're cows. Cows should be humble. Arrogance makes the junk taste all sour and gross.

But yes, there is a bit of a dilemma for us cows. We need farmers whom we feel are competent and trustworthy. And if you get one bad farmer, you might start to hate all farmers, even though you really could use a good farmer on your side. So it's tough, trying to get yourself a good farmer, especially when you're just a cow who doesn't know any better. I mean, what's a poor cow to do? All we wanna do is produce junk in peace and be able to live on for a little while longer; but certainly, there aren't many things worse than realizing too late that your farmer has been mishandling your junk.

AHAHAHA. K, I'm done.

Freaking Substance

2011-04-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

What the hell does it mean for a story to have "substance"? This freaking word is so freaking common.

For my part, I think substance refers to the extent that a story resonates with the reader. That is, how deeply it affects us.

So, I think, to say that a particular story has substance is to say that the story resonated with you. Which is a rather personal thing to admit to someone, I suppose. But that's merely my opinion.

I can also understand if someone says a story has substance because he or she believes that the story might resonate with other people, even though it didn't really do so with him or her, specifically. I can understand this, but at the same time, I find it rather misleading. It's like saying you love something when you only like it.

But if that's so, then perhaps my opinion here is a bit off. Well. Not too much, of course. I'm too spectacular for that. But a bit, yes.

It is "off," perhaps, in the sense that substance regards someone's like for a story. Instead, perhaps substance regards someone's respect for a story. It's a bit more general in that sense, I think. A bit safer to admit, as well; having a healthy respect for something certainly doesn't mean that you find it personally appealing. You can be less invested in it, I guess is the point, less attached.

Hmm. I still like my first definition better, though. The latter is slightly more encompassing, true, but screw all that. I'd prefer to think of "substance" as a word of tremendous adulation for an author. And not because someone has ever said that about a story I've written. I should be so lucky. Almost as lucky as getting to use the word adulation in a sentence. Mmm. Add-yoooo-lay-shunnnn...

K. Sorry. That was silly.

'n of course, now that I've posted my feelings about the word substance, some jerk'll probably come use it on me out of pity 'r some crap...

...

Well. I'm okay with that, actually. I've totally diluted the meaning that the word has for me, but... OH WELL. ANOTHER DREAM KILLED. BRING ON THE REST.

THE ROAD TO UNDERSTANDING IS RIDDLED WITH DEAD DREAMS. PROBABLY. 'swhat I'm guessing.

Freaking Dreams

2010-10-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Usually, I try to be positive, try to look at the things I enjoy about writing. But on the other hand, one of the things I enjoy about writing is being able to rant about the things I hate about it.

More specifically, I despise including dreams in storywriting when they are used merely to impart symbolism. Dreams involving sleep, that is. Not dreams as in life-long goals 'r anything.

I have a couple of reasons for this, but the primary is thus: symbolism is supposed to be subtle, but dreams are not subtle. Dreams are vague and usually unhelpful, but not subtle, which only makes them even more annoying, in my opinion. They don't advance the story. They don't provide insight or background information. At best, they provide foreshadowing, but they're so obviously TRYING to provide foreshadowing/symbolism that the entire point of doing is rendered moot. It's a writing technique that's meant to make the story appear to have more depth or complexity, without actually adding said depth or said complexity.

And that is hack writing.

Though, that's not to say a story which employs this technique cannot have depth. A story can, of course, succeed in other ways; but it seems like a lotta folks mistake this freaking mechanism as one of those ways.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention the fact that I, too, have used dreams like this in my writing. There's at least one instance I can remember, though there are probably others. So, yes, that's one of the reasons I dislike it so much. 's an old shame of mine, 'n I hate to see the same mistake made elsewhere.

Do not, however, confuse this idea with the notion that "dreams = bad writing." Dreams can be utilized in other, more effective ways. For instance, you can use dreams as a means of addressing conflicts within characters. Perhaps your protagonist is very worried about something, and that worry manifests itself in nightmares. Personally, I don't care for this technique much, either, 'cuz it's a tad cliche, but it's also at least understandable for a character to experience such things. Or, as another example, dreams could be a focal point of the story. Perhaps the concept of "dreaming" is a theme, in which case, all my hatred here doesn't really apply.

It's only when "dreaming for the sake of symbolism" comes into play that I find myself becoming irritated. "Dreaming for the sake of prophecy" also bothers me, but that's more attributed to my hatred of prophecy than of dreams. Though, combining the two certainly doesn't make anything better, I think.

And hmm. Maybe I'll do another post about the use of prophecy in fiction. But I'm not promising anything. I don't make promises. It's against my nature. And by nature, I mean laziness. And by laziness, I mean shut up.

The Zombie Knight, Again

2010-10-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

So I finished the first chapter of The Zombie Knight. I like to call it "TZK." Not sure why. It's published in its own blog, which can be found by clicking on the title of this post or the link on the right side of this blog.

I'll refrain from telling you of my own feelings regarding the story so far. Seems like there's no winning scenario, if I do. 'n besides, I'd rather just let folks arrive at their own conclusions without input from me. As the writer, I thoroughly believe that I should be able to say everything I want within the story itself. If I'm unable to accomplish that, then well, that's my shortcoming as an author, and it's something I'll have to continue working on. But c'mon. Telling people what my work supposedly means is just plain cheating. Unless I'm lying. Then it's hilarious. And annoying. And thus, more hilarious.

But I digress. But you should expect me to do that. Seriously, I'd like to do that, one day. Like, if my work ever becomes popular enough to warrant some sort of big press conference, filled with eager readers who want to know what will happen in my next book, I'll just start spouting total crap, and then at the end of the conference, tell everyone I was lying and wasted everyone's time. Then laugh my way out of the building, perhaps running, if my fans are particularly surly folks.

And yes, I've thought about this before. Probably more than a few times, actually. Daydreaming is a rather troublesome habit of mine, occasionally productive, though usually counter so.

But okay, I'm digressing too much. Fair enough. Back to TZK, then.

I plan on publishing a new chapter each month, and over time, the chapters will probably grow longer and more... well, longer, anyway. Shouldn't make any crazy promises, I guess. Crazy promises are annoying.

Ideally, I'd like to reach a point where I can publish, perhaps, two chapters a month, but we'll see how things go, first. I'll only start doing that if I manage to get REALLY far ahead with the writing. It'd be cool, though.

And damn. Lately, I've felt so sluggish and unproductive, so it sure feels good to get something tangible written and out there for anyone to read. I mean, I have my doubts that I'll even have any readers, but still. Who cares about little things like building a fanbase, getting constructive criticism, or making money? I'll be my own fan, and I'll give criticism and money to myself. It's all about personal happiness, dammit.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to end this post here, but it's definitely not because I need to go sit in the corner and cry.

Hmm.

2010-09-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

Feeling jaded. Not sure why. This post might not make much sense, but then again, I don't really care. No one reads this blog, anyway.

See? I told you. Jaded.

Hmm... Oh. In case you're wondering, this is just sorta my process. My creative - oftentimes unproductive - process. I ramble into a page until something relevant pops up. Sometimes, though, I drift into strange tangents that may or may not have anything to do with what I was originally aiming for.

But that's how rambles work, I guess. Scatter shot. Spray 'n pray, as they say. Hmm. How quaint. And yet unsettling. Oh well.

Why did I even start writing this post? 'Cuz I felt jaded. That's right. Cynical. Worried. About what, exactly? My work? I'm worried about my work? Why? 'Cuz it sucks? Nuh-uh. It doesn't suck. I'm a fantastic writer. You shut up. You're just a passing feeling of self-loathing. Go away, already.

And that sounded vaguely arrogant. More than vaguely, actually. Do I really have that much confidence in my abilities? Judging by all the questions I'm asking myself, apparently not. Unless this is all some kind of freaky coping mechanism. Bah. I don't even wanna think about that. It'll just get messy. Probably end with me going in logical circles for three days.

And dammit. It's three in the morning, already. The hell's wrong with me...?

But I should end on a positive note, I guess. But I can't. But why? Because I'm jaded, that's why. And because there are too many buts in this paragraph. But oh well.

If you're still reading this, then I'd like to apologize for wasting your time. That is, unless you managed to garner some kind of amusement out of my brain fumbles. If that's so, then I retract my apology, and in its place, offer a very appropriate, "You're welcome."

'n hey. I don't feel so jaded, now. Maybe I can do something productive now. And maybe there was something truly meaningful in this post. Why else would I bother to post it in this blog? Because I'm an idiot? Bah. That wouldn't be very good for my reputation as a writer. Well, maybe I'm a crappy writer. And the jadedness is back. Hello, old friend.

Wow, that sucked. Hmm.

So where is all this going? I dunno. Where is anything going? Bah. Don't get existential all of a sudden. That crap's annoying. Be positive, dammit. Optimistic.

If you're STILL reading this, then I actually have to congratulate you. I'd actually like to shake your hand, if I could. Talk about patience. You rock.

Hey. I'm being positive. I rock, too.

This post is getting too long, dammit. Aw, and there goes the positive. Well, anyway. My negativity is right. Post is getting long. You should stop reading. No, seriously. Stop reading. Hey. I told you to stop. C'mon. Listen to me. Stop, dammit. You're starting to piss me off. More negativity. Rrgh. If you don't stop reading, I'm just gonna stop writing. I'm not kidding. I'll cut it off. Right in the middle of sentence. I don't care. This is a ramble. There are no rules. I can do whatever I want. I could end it right here. I'm not going to. But I could. And hmm. Sentences are getting shorter. More concise. Fragmentary. Kinda weird. It's like. Stylish. Kinda.

Well, anyway. You deserve a trophy, my faithful reader. But I'm not gonna give you one. In fact, I think I'll just-

The Zombie Knight

2010-09-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

I had an idea, a little while ago, and at first, it seemed kinda dumb, but then, after a bit of thought, it started to seem less dumb. God help me, it probably is a stupid idea, for various reasons, but I still wanna do it, dammit.

See, I decided to start writing a new story, a story which I like to think of as "a re-imagining of the zombie." However, I know myself well enough to realize with miserable certainty that, under normal circumstances, I would never get around to actually finishing a new story. That is, unless I tried something different, something new. So I decided to serialize the story, rather than try to turn it into some kind of independent book, because after all, I'm already doing that with The World Barrier series, which tends to eat all of my story ideas or otherwise squash them in my mind.

The Zombie Knight, however, is something different to me. I consider it "a serial fantasy novel" in its own right, as I intend to treat it with the same care and complexity as anything I would try to get published, but I've placed it into its own blog, which makes it completely free for anyone to read.

And since this is my own original work, which I of course love, you might be wondering why I'm not worried about some assnugget coming in and stealing it. But well, I am kind of worried about plagiarism, actually, but I don't want that to stop me from doing this, because really, this serialization strategy is something to keep me motivated, something to keep me writing for a very long time, hopefully. And besides, the way I see it, if some turdburger tries to steal my work, then, well, I guess that's fine, because you see, my work is a continuing series. A new chapter will be published on the first of each month, so... the person would be stealing something that is perpetually incomplete.

I'm also placing some ads on that blog, as well, so maybe if enough folks like the story, it'll earn me a few pennies 'r something. I'm under no illusion that it'll bag me tons of money, but rather, I see The Zombie Knight as something that I can work on for a really long time, something to help hone my craft, because as a writer, I never want to stop improving. The day I stop getting better at what I do is the day I stop doing it. And who knows? Maybe this'll help me build a reputation as a fantasy writer. Again, under no delusions, here, but hey, I'm allowed to dream a little, right? Credibility is always a nice thing to have.

You can find a link to The Zombie Knight on the top right side of this blog, but there's nothing to see there, yet. I'll post the first chapter on October 1st, so please look forward to it. I'll probably post in this blog again when I do, though, just 'cuz I'm excitable and lame about these sortsa things, I guess. I apologize in advance.

From Reader, With Love

2010-05-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

There once was a hopeful novelist. He was very passionate about writing. He wanted to create a masterpiece, something that people would one day look upon and consider a truly magnificent work. And so, each day, he poured the sum of all his combined knowledge, skill, and heart into a manuscript, believing that it could one day be published and thus realize his dream. Some days, his progress was minimal, even counterproductive, and some days, he wished his dream didn't take so damn long, but eventually, after years of struggling with his work, finally, it was done.

For longer than he cared to remember, he had been living for this day, hoping his little hopeful heart out. And now, he could relax a little. The hardest part was over. And then he went to get it published.

Now, he had never been one to believe that this would be easy. He was certain he would encounter plenty of difficulty along the way, and he was prepared to accept the fact that his story was, as of yet, imperfect. He had steeled his heart and was now prepared to make any gut-wrenching edits that he might need to.

So he did that, too. He found a publisher and met the demands made of him. He fought against changes he didn't want to make, conceded to ones he could agree with, and maintained the integrity of his work. All for the sake of seeing it in printed form, in completed form.

And then, that too was done. His book was truly finished. It was out in the world for all to see, just as he had hoped. Now, he could relax completely.

As time passed, his book began to gain popularity. It wasn't the famed masterpiece of his dream quite yet, but there was still time for that. His dream was coming true. It was happening. Just as he had hoped.

Then, one day, he encountered a friend of his, a friend who was in the very midst reading his book.

At first, he wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't told this friend about the book. His friend couldn't have known that he was the author. It was pure coincidence.

This could be a great opportunity, he realized. Truly honest criticism was so hard to come by. Maybe this was a chance to gain insight into what his readers were thinking, and hopefully, make his next book even better. So he carefully began the conversation.

"Hi..."

"Hey."

"What're you reading...?"

"Oh, just some shitty kids’ novel."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"...I hope you die."

And then he walked away.

Freaking Motivation

2010-05-05T00:34:00.000-07:00

Personally, I find the most difficult aspect of writing a novel is simply to keep myself writing on a regular basis. Which is strange, because I think about my book all the damn time. I daydream about it. All the damn time. It's kind of annoying, sometimes, actually. But when it comes time to actually write the words out, I'll often find myself suddenly lacking the motivation, suddenly wanting to put it off until later.

I'd like to believe that the story will come out eventually, that I couldn't stop it from doing so even if I wanted to. And I think, all things considered, that's probably true. The desire to keep writing never quite stops nagging me... But it's taking too long, is the problem.

I'm all for letting ideas flow freely and allowing lots of time for creativity 'n all that other crap, but c'mon. There comes a point when it's just getting ridiculous. I mean, at my current pace, I won't finish this book for another nine years. I actually did the math. It really would take me nine years. It's taken almost two, already.

And I'm not okay with that. Especially 'cuz I've got sequels planned, and there's a good chance I'll die of old age before finishing the entire story.

So it's time to pick up the pace, dammit. I probably shouldn't even be spending time posting this, but hopefully, it'll help me focus my energies 'r some crap.

At the end of the day, past all the fancy advice and ideals and philosophies, the most important thing is still just writing the freaking thing.

Realistic Dialogue

2010-02-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Trying to make your dialogue realistic seems like an admirable goal, right? It would, hopefully, make the whole of your text more believable and genuine, help bring the reader into your world. But what do we call "realistic" dialogue? When does dialogue begin to feel "unrealistic"?

Tough questions.

Realism in a story is left to the judgment of the reader, just like everything else, but for dialogue, it seems an even more tenuous relationship, perhaps because everyone tends to have their own talking habits. Some people stutter a lot. Some people use the same words a lot. Some people are very polite and formal. Some people tend to ramble incessantly about certain things even though there's not really any reason to and it really annoys the people who are trying to listen to them. And so on. But this idea, this sense of incredible variety, is where we can find our best answers to those tough questions, I think.

Obviously, not everyone talks the same way. Therefore, our characters shouldn't all talk the same way, either. Dialects and speech tendencies are the main keys, I think, especially if the characters are traveling a lot.

These sorts of things add significant complexity to your writing, so much so, in fact, that you might find yourself getting bogged down with trying to keep all your talking ducks in a row. I suppose it just depends on what you're comfortable with, really, how much variety you want. Not every character has to sound completely different, of course; in fact, it'd probably be just fine if most characters sounded about the same. I just think that a bit of subtle differentiation between characters - especially major ones - will make for a more interesting and engaging read. Plus, it's just more fun to write.

Conceited Ramblings

2009-12-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm working on a fantasy novel. A series of fantasy novels, actually. And at this point, it feels like I've been working on it forever. It's difficult to even remember a time when I didn't think about this damn story every day.

I suppose this is very typical of us amateur writers, though. Wanting to tell people about our stories before they're anywhere near completion, that is. And that notion kind of spoils most of my enthusiasm.

But I also suppose that I should be doing more to promote my work on this blog, since well, I am hoping to one day get it published and make actual, tangible, real world, non-fantasy money. Audacious of me, I know, but it's the truth. How much money, exactly? A few trillion US dollars, I'm thinking. Well, fantasy authors have to be able to dream big, right? Just consider me one hell of a fantasy author, then. Seems like a win-win scenario.

My story is called The World Barrier series. I hope it sounds as interesting to you as it does to me, because well, I'm hopelessly in love with the thing. So much so, in fact, that it's somewhat unhealthy. But that's love, right? What're you gonna do? Haha... *sigh*

I'd tell you more about the actual story itself, but that'd be sorta anti-climactic, I think. I'd rather let the gist of it remain largely unknown until it's being read. That, and I always find that plot summaries or promotional summaries (like the kind they always put on the back cover of a novel) make the story sound really terrible, which isn't all that surprising, really, since those summaries are essentially trying to capture the heart of a story in a few small sentences, a story which is likely hundreds of pages long. And that has got me wondering what I would want printed on the back of my book, should it ever actually reach the light of publication day.

Not the easiest of problems, I've discovered.

I gave up on trying to think of something that "captures the essence of my story" or anything so romantic, because though a romantic I may sometimes be, that notion seems largely impossible, even assuming I did manage to prevent it from being corny as heck. Instead, I think something more like "a glimpse into the world of my story" might be more worthwhile. Hopefully, anyway. Trying to be optimistic, here.

But then, what does that entail, exactly? I don't want to just throw up an excerpt from my story, either, because that just seems like laziness, unless perhaps, I was just trying to be witty in some disgustingly obtuse fashion. And besides, a few sentences from my manuscript isn't enough to give the reader a glimpse of my story or its world; it would merely be a showcase for my writing style, which strikes me as a bit pretentious. But that's what this blog is for. To prevent such notions from seeping into my text, that is. Not to be pretentious. Well. Okay, that too.

In short, the passage would ideally be something that shows any potential readers that this story is actually something worthwhile, something not merely of flair, but also of substance. Ideally. In all honesty, I doubt that's possible. It's certainly not something I can realistically hope for. I think, at best, I can only hope to have something that allows readers to reserve judgment until they've at least gotten into the story. If I can accomplish that much with this passage, then I am quite content.

Here's what I've come up with. Comments are most welcome.

Translated from the journal of Dominique V. Richter
~~May 36th,1422 F.D.~~
“...It was the first time in my life that I had seen the World Barrier up close, where that sky-bending cliff face meets the ground. And I remember, at first, I was simply overcome with awe. I knew not what to think. It seemed a thing impossible. It still does, all these years later. But more than that awe, more even than that bewilderment, I remember what I felt after finally turning away from it and continuing my young journey: I felt as though I would never be able to understand the world around me with any true sense of ‘completeness.’ I felt, in a way both saddening and exhilarating, that my desire to learn could never be fully sated, for I then understood that I had been born into a world much greater than myself, a world of such wonder that surely, this meager life of mine would long be extinguished before I could ever discover a sense of contentment in accumulated knowledge or wisdom. Now, I look back at that time as something of a turning point in my life. Perhaps I lost of bit of innocence that day. But it seems odd to think of it in such a manner, as it is quite a pleasant memory...”

What the Heck is "Good" Dialogue?

2009-09-10T06:06:00.001-07:00

Dialogue is hard.

I usually try to let the dialogue flow naturally out of my brain and onto the page, but sometimes, I'll try this and suddenly find that my dialogue is flowing naturally into the middle of nowhere. Perhaps you've encountered something similar.

So I've begun to wonder, what exactly is "good" dialogue, anyway?

And I think I've come up with a decent answer: dialogue is "good" whenever it achieves the purpose for which it was written.

Pretty vague, I know. I said it was a decent answer, not an amazing one. Cut me some slack.

But that brings up an important point: dialogue should always have a purpose. I don't usually deal in absolutes like "always" when it comes to story writing, but in this case, I honestly can't think of one legitimate exception. Dialogue needs to accomplish some task, and as the writer, you should be aware of what that task is.

And of course, you might use dialogue for any number of purposes, some more dramatic than others. For instance, I think the typical purpose for dialogue is simply to convey information to the reader. Certainly, all dialogue does this to some degree, but sometimes it's much more important than others. You might be explaining the way some key aspect of your story works (the distinction between different social classes, the reason why certain people can use magic, etc.), in which case, the information you're providing is probably the most important feature of your dialogue. So you would want to make sure to explain things clearly, rather than try to make it all sound terribly witty. Contrast that with a different purpose for dialogue, like say to flesh out a relationship between two characters, and we have ourselves a bit of a conflict. Obviously, not every piece of dialogue is meant to be very enlightening for the reader; a lot of the time, dialogue is merely meant to portray some minor emotion that a character feels and nothing else, in which case, I would say that dialogue is still "good," because it accomplished its goal.

I would consider dialogue to be "bad" if it serves no purpose whatsoever. Of course, you might be able to argue in some vague, grasping fashion that some piece of dialogue does, in fact, serve some purpose, but the point is to be completely honest with oneself about this sort of thing, so if you can't rightly pinpoint a specific purpose for your dialogue, then there's a decent chance that hunk of dialogue should be done away with.

However, perhaps the most difficult aspect of distinguishing "good" from "bad," in this case, is the fact that, sometimes, the purpose for which we employ our dialogue is itself a bad idea, a bad purpose. Take, for instance, the two examples I mentioned before. If you're merely trying to "convey information" when your characters are sharing their hopes and desires, then you're probably not doing your dialogue justice. Likewise, if you're trying to "flesh out your characters" when you're telling the reader all about the inner workings of society, then you'll likely encounter a similar problem. It might not always be so easy to spot, but hopefully you get the basic idea.

So what then? Perhaps you do accomplish your "goal," insofar that your dialogue does achieve some semblance of conveying your desired information, but maybe your goal isn't the right one to be striving for at the time. In that case, you'd need to focus on rethinking the entire premise of your dialogue - not just what your characters are saying, but actually where and why and how the dialogue takes place. Sounds like a pain in the ass, I guess, but sometimes the best course of action really is a pain in the ass.

Personally, I absolutely hate throwing out large chunks of text, and sometimes, I'd rather try to chisel away at something that doesn't work for nine weeks, instead of starting over from scratch like I should. And of course, if I do actually throw something out, then I don't just delete it, but tuck it away in some other place, where I can go back later and be appalled at how bad it is, because somewhere in the back of my head, I think it still might be of some value.

And I just started rambling about my bad writing habits for no reason. I apologize for that. I should probably cut that out of this post, but I really don't feel like it for some reason. Maybe it'll make this post seem more endearing. OR MAYBE I'M JUST BEING TERRIBLY IRONIC. BAHAHA.

More importantly, when it comes to dialogue, the most essential thing to remember is that it should serve some purpose, and being aware of that purpose is the first step in turning that dialogue into something really worthwhile. Otherwise, we're just kinda guessing. And I dunno about you, but I have awful luck, so I'd rather not depend on that.

Do fantasy books send a bad message?

2009-09-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

Not many people wish to even to humor the notion that fantasy books may, in fact, be bringing harm to their readers, especially not fans of the fantasy genre like myself. The idea that something we love may actually be detrimental to society is a rather horrible thought, to be sure, comparable perhaps to wondering if a beloved friend is secretly a murderous psychopath.

But as an aspiring writer of fantasy, I feel it is a necessary question to ask myself. Do these creations of mine have the potential to hurt my readers?

Perhaps so.

It is difficult to deny that fantasy books, more often than not, perpetuate escapist philosophies, whether through the texts themselves or simply through the act of reading them. And while escapism is not necessarily always a bad thing, neither is it necessarily always a good thing. There is a fair amount of gray area here.

Fantasy also has the tendency to oversimplify the world in which it takes place. Classic fantasy stories are often deeply rooted in the concept of "Good vs. Evil," that there are inherently evil creatures in the world who deserve nothing less than annihilation for their inhumanity, as if to imply that the world in which we live should be viewed like this as well. Granted, the oversimplification of society is not a trait specific to only the fantasy genre, but it is a terribly common thing, at the very least.

However, none of this indicates that fantasy books are bad as a whole. Fantasy encourages the creative and the imaginative, and the basic virtues of "right and wrong" are difficult to ignore. More complex fantasy tales may also reflect aspects of the real world in a way that would be much more difficult within other genres, and surely, the potential for education - academic or otherwise - is of some value, as well.

But when it comes down to it, the real responsibility here falls into the laps of fantasy authors, not the genre in which they write, because they are the ones who communicate with the reader, who try to convey a sense of believability and reality among the mythic and the fantastic. Ultimately, any "message" gleaned from a book of fantasy is the triumph or failure of the person who wrote it. To not acknowledge this truth is to not acknowledge the writer's responsibility, regardless of genre.

The Point of this Freaking Blog

2009-07-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

Bah. I don't want to spend too much time on an introduction here, so let me just get to the point. I am a person who very much enjoys story writing. It is perhaps the thing I am most passionate about, so this blog is a place for me to talk about my ideas on the subject, a place to archive my thoughts for everyone to see, because I also want to help other folks out, as well.

Perhaps it's a bit arrogant of me to think that this rambling little brain of mine actually has any knowledge that could help other aspiring writers out there, but at this point, I don't much care. I'm trying to learn, and in the process, help others learn as well, so I won't let a piddly little thing like arrogance stand in my way.

And while I'm on the topic of arrogance, let me tell you a bit about myself, because you might be wondering why you should even bother listening to an anonymous persona like me. The truth is, I cannot offer you much in the way of credibility. Really, the only things I can offer are critiques and ideas. Not very promising, I know, but honestly... those are the only two things that story writers actually need, aren't they? Critiques, whether they come from yourself or someone else, are what allow you to develop your writing skills, and ideas, whether they're simple musings or grand inspiration, are the heart of what you're writing, the actual content of your story.

I know, I know. Writing as a whole is incredibly complex, and you could make plenty of arguments about other things writers should have, like experience or a friggin' conscience, but in order to be a writer, all you really need is your brain, something to write with, and something to write on; and in a lot of cases, people even get away without that first one, so if we can get away with sharing a bit of knowledge 'n whatnot, then all the better, I say.

But I dunno. Maybe that's not enough for you. If so, then alright, I understand. Perhaps you may yet be convinced by the actual content of this blog.

Anyway, I s'pose I should at least put a greeting in this first post.

So, welcome. Welcome to my gigantic brainstorm. May it continue raging even after I am gone.