More broth from the Writing Festival I went to for you starving fantasy writers:
Words don't come from heaven or originate in people or events; words do not descend, they ascend from the deep well of the soul.
Try writing the same section over again (after the plot and characters are described) and write in terms of each one of the five senses in turn. We tend to write for the eyes; now try writing for the ears; now for the nose; now for touch; and now, for taste.
Writing from the soul includes but is not limited to my own experience.
Write not just what I know but to learn.
As you spin your stories, pay attention to your own senses by:
- noticing your dreams
- getting acquainted with your fears and desires
- exploring your beliefs - tease them out (my beliefs hang onto me, not the other way around)
- being honest with myself about my life
- giving up my illusions of control
- trusting the creative process
- being at home with your own sexuality
What, you may ask, does any of the above have to do with Tolkien? Well, regarding the last item above, consider the stories of Faramir and Eowyn; Beren and Luthien; Aragorn and Arwen. Tolkien was more comfortable with sexuality than most of the 20th century Edmund Wilson types who obsessed on it. Dream plays a prominent role in LotR. Fear and Desire are at the heart of fantasy, certainly at the very core of LotR. Gandalf helped Frodo to be honest about his own attitude toward Gollum - to the eventual benefit of all the Free Peoples.
Trust your creative process. I am convinced that in every serious writer (of fantasy or anything else) there is a seed of genius worthy of being exposed to the sun of the written page. Take courage. Be bold. Reach down deep inside and bring out what's there. Mold it and shape it. Be surprised. Enjoy it.
[ May 02, 2002: Message edited by: littlemanpoet ]
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