Blog
Gandalf & The Fairy Godmother Archetype
About the time Disney released its live-action Cinderella I became fascinated with the archetype of the fairy godmother. Soon she joined the “pantheon”, if you will, of my most beloved Disney characters. I even bought a Funko Pop! Disney Fairy Godmother and placed...
Parallel worlds in the opening of The Hobbit and Harry Potter
In order to improve my writing, I copied out first The Return of the King, then the first two books of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. That task completed last month, I went back again to the beginning and started copying out The Hobbit. No sooner had I turned to...
What Samwise Gamgee Set Out to Do
As I have been copying The Lord of the Rings out by hand to improve my own writing, I better appreciate the genius of its author, J.R.R. Tolkien, the man I call the master. And, when, yesterday on the 132nd anniversary of the master's birth, I copied out the scene...
The Writer’s Great Fear
I have neglected this blog for too long. I had set this up so that I might share my thoughts on the writing process, the books I was reading, and perhaps even random thoughts on culture, history, and mythology. But every time I think about sharing my thoughts, I worry...
Ursula LeGuin and the Challenge of Determining which Book is “Best”
“Different stories resonate differently with different individuals. If three women judging a hundred books find that the best of those were written by women, then we should trust their judgment and not assume their prejudice.”
The Power of Medieval Glamour
Every now and again, someone gives you the gift of a word. It can be a friend saying something in conversation, a bit of dialogue in a movie, or even the title of a book. And when you find the meaning behind that word, in the context of the conversation, the story of...
On the stories we tell ourselves–and the stories which tell us about ourselves
Some books tell us stories which enchant us, filling us with wonder. Others, while enchanting us, remind us of the things that are truly important to us. And then there are those few which teach us a bit about story and why stories--and storytelling--matter. Kevin...
Finding the Truth of Tolkien’s Heart in his Lost Tales
A window into Tolkien’s genius before he found the voice that made him the first great grand master of fantasy.
Sarah Hoyt’s A Few Good Men & the Hidden Hero in (Most) Gay Men
Good old-fashioned space opera, but with a twist, a gay protagonist who changes his outlook on life–and gets the guy.