Photo of The Hobbit set in New Zealand. Image from Unsplash. Photo by Andres Iga.
Rich natural environments and talking (or telepathic) animals in creative narratives, often makes me think with tight introspection. I say this with particular reference to the actual creative process in fantastical literature, which is my preferred subject of persistent and reflective enquiry. [Read more…]
An upcoming medium
Focusing on short stories for my Masters module in advanced writing practice is real fun. It’s been quite liberating to see the difference but yet the similarity all forms of writing share whether is be the short story, novel and even games. Yes games. [Read more…]
Venturing into the natural habitat is in sense an act of escapism for me, especially in seeking tranquility from today’s hectic urban demands. What better way to relay your thoughts and observations of the natural world than by putting these visual notes and experiences down on paper. Nature writing is about the writer as well as about the natural world, and is exploratory as well as reflective. If you try to delve a little deeper, then Don Scheese has a great book called Nature writing: the pastoral impulse in America and in there is some thought provoking information and definitions. He describes the place to which nature writers escape is a problem fraught with ethnocentric implications. He goes on to say that the wild or wilderness is a traditional designation meaning land unaffected by humans. He goes on to say that nature writing in a sense is a descendent from other literary forms, it emphasises natural history for it’s scientific bent (the attempt to explain the workings of the physical universe over time); spatial autobiography, for it’s account of the growth and maturation of the self in interaction with the forces of the world; and travel writing (including the literature of exploration and discovery), for its tracing of a physical movement from place to place and recording of observations of both new and familiar phenomena.
In This Incomperable Lande: A Book of American Nature Writing, Thomas Lyon proposes that nature writing “encompasses a spectrum of different types of works, ranging from those that place primary emphasis on natural history facts (such as field guides) to those in which philosophical interpretations predominate. Some of the subcategories he identifies include natural history essays, rambles, essays of solitude or escape, and travel and adventure writing” (Wikipedia, 2011).
I always get very childlike; the adrenaline rush when I race over to my favourite section in a book shop ‘fantasy.’ Even online when I scroll and type away, I am amazed at the variety of both traditionally published books available by known and unknown authors. Even the every increasing eBook age is encouraging more writers in this field to surface and grace the world with their fantastical tales and unique worlds. It seems the demand is there, and the cultural evolution of the genre is evident.
I was at Stansted airport waiting for a flight to Poland a week ago. I was bored, and with nothing to do except walk around the shops my eyes fleeted back and forth from the digital board hoping our gate would be open sooner rather than later. [Read more…]
Blood Of Elves
Written by Andrzej Sapkowski
Translated by Danusia Stok.
Gollancz hardback and paperback
Released 16th October 2008
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher, but he always stands out from other witchers with his white hair and piercing eyes, as well as his cynicism and lack of respect for authority. Although a magically and genetically mutated monster-slayer for hire he is far more than a striking-looking man. As a witcher [Read more…]