May 15, 2019 | Allegory in fantasy, Book five, New releases, Philosophy, The Sixth Strand, Themes |
As I write this, one of my daughters is blasting a symphonic version of “The Amazing Spiderman” from her room upstairs. It makes me very proud, both as a musician and a fantasy fan. You try to educate your children in life areas of critical importance—Star Wars, LOTR,...
Sep 4, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Artists, Character Development, fantasy, Imagination & Creativity, Inspiration, Kingdom Blades, Writer's Block, writing |
Inspiration is one of those elusive words, like “muse” and “success.” It evades us, confounds and confuses us, bewitches when it visits and devastates upon its departure. It’s that girl glimpsed across the subway terminal, or that place in a dream that you just can’t...
Jun 23, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Artists, Imagination & Creativity, Integrity, Philosophy, writing |
Most people think of the word integrity as ‘adherence to moral and ethical principles,’ but there is another definition equally important to understanding the word: ‘the state of being whole, entire or undiminished.’ The two meanings of integrity are integral to each...
Jun 5, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Book Three, fantasy, Fantasy tropes, Paths of Alir, Philosophy, Series mythology |
Destiny versus choice, fate versus free will—these are core concepts in fantasy. Whether addressed indirectly (“You were born to save the world”) or as a subject of the character’s growth (“Accept this role and take up your sword”), the concepts often form the woof...
Apr 21, 2015 | Allegory in fantasy, Character Development, fantasy, Kingdom Blades, Paths of Alir, Philosophy, Story Concepts |
A reader wrote in to me recently and mentioned that while she didn’t have the same visceral reaction to a particular scene (no spoilers) as many other readers had, she didn’t like that one of the characters had to use sex as part of the resolution of the...
