Influences and categories
by morgan on Oct.15, 2009, under James Enge and Matthew Sturges
James and Matt,
For aspiring fantasy writers out there, would you recommend that they first read broadly within the fantasy category to become an expert, or would you recommend reading the best writers from a diverse mix of genres?
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October 15th, 2009 on 12:57 am
Reading lots of fantasy is certainly good, but it’s kind of a given, too–probably one doesn’t try to write in a field unless one’s read some stuff and liked it. I don’t think you have to become a fantasy historian, though.
I would recommend reading lots of other stuff, too, especially nonfiction. Fantasy has to be made out of something–sub-creation, Tolkien famously called it.
October 15th, 2009 on 8:43 am
I pretty much agree wholeheartedly with James. I’ll add this: the more you know about your chosen niche, the more likely you are to be competent in it, and the less likely you are to make beginner’s mistakes and, worse, inadvertently do something that’s already been done a thousand times.
When I very first started pitching comics, I came up with the brilliant idea of doing a series in which the superheroes decided to band together and take over the world, turning it into a benevolent oligarchy. The problem was that this had already been done at least twice. So it is indeed a good idea to be familiar with what’s going on, and certainly the most recent 20 years or so. And the further you go back, the more likely you are to find things to spark your interest that aren’t currently weighing on the minds of your peers.
And always read history. History is the great storehouse of story ideas, as is Meerkat Manor.
October 15th, 2009 on 2:27 pm
And historical playwrights! One of my best ideas (at least, one of the ideas I like the best) for my fantasy world was partly inspired by Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, and quite a few of the characters are based on lesser-known Greek generals/diplomats/the like. And weven though my world is based partly on a Greekish civilization, I’ve taken ideas from Finnish history and culture (which is badass to the max, by the way) from their origins all the way up to the 30 Years War. Hakkapeliitta ftw!
In short, history is hugely inspirational, and I think anyone who tries to write good fantasy should at least be grounded in SOMETHING historical. There’s a historical situation that resembles anything anyone could ever want to write, even if it’s tough to find and less interesting (no dragons in history, or for-real sea monsters, boo). It’s all there, though, and awesome.
October 15th, 2009 on 8:00 pm
History, yes; ancient writers, very yes. I like the history of science, too–full of weird ideas that can be repurposed for fantasy (e.g. the phlogiston that shows up in “Blood of Ambrose”). And mythology: again, a great repository of things to run off with and call your own. (T.S. Eliot says, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”)
But I don’t think you have to have read everything and been everywhere before you sit down to write. Dreams can’t be researched, and catching someone’s attention is a skill you can only acquire through practice.
October 16th, 2009 on 10:05 am
I am very much surprised, James, that you don’t just plainly recommend a Classical education?
October 19th, 2009 on 5:24 pm
Hey Helena: I would–but not all myth is classical, certainly. Why limit ourselves to Greece and Rome when we can ransack the universal world to furnish our imaginary universes?
December 29th, 2010 on 8:12 pm
Seasoned good