Wednesday, March 16, 2011

On Writing Fantasy

So I've been reading Tolkien lately (It's been splendid reading!), and I've come to the realization as to why Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are so amazing. Or at least this is why I think they are. Tolkien really seems to believe in the world he created. I don't think he wrote it for the reader but for himself. It just happens to be an amazing work. I think that's what makes them so great. By writing them for himself, he made them come alive on the page just for his own pleasure and as result Middle-Earth became real to readers like you and me. It's so amazing!

I know you're probably wondering why I find this so fascinating. Well, I have dabbled in some fantasy writing and honestly I don't think it's that amazing. It's fun but I don't think it'll ever compare to LotR. Then again, what can? Anyway, I think my problem is that it's not real for me. Or at least not as real as it can be. I need to write for myself. Make it real for me and not worry about the reader's opinion. Because I'm the writer and it doesn't really matter what anyone else says. Sure it's nice to be praised but in the end you are the only person that really needs to be happy with the end product. It is your baby after all.

So, I'm going to keep this in mind as I plunge back into my writing. Hopefully, it will go much better with this mindset. : )

Happy readings,
Heather

1 comment:

  1. What surprised me most about Tolkien was that when I went back and read it as an adult, right before the movies came out, I found the language very readable - it didn't feel antiquated or dated. Which makes sense considering it was written in 1954, but I thought it would be more stilted than it was. Who knew?

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