Will the magic work for me?
So I had a dream the other night, about some chick being chased by demons through my grandmother's house, that triggered in my waking mind a desire to write an original story, one far superior to the crap I tried my hand at years ago. It would be fantasy, with demons and magic and prophecies, but I'm sad to say that my skill might not be up to the challenge.
So I'm going back and reading some of my favorite authors in the genre to see if I can pick up some pointers, as well as reading some things I remember from high school, though I had to do a little research and unearthing to find them in this area.
Currently, I'm reading Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover series, my interest recently sparked by his foray back into this series this year after more than ten years of writing elsewhere. (I love his Shannara series, as well as his Knight of the Word series, which he recently joined together in Armageddon's Children, so I'm super excited about the Landover series.)
After that, I'll be rereading The Serpent's Tooth by Diana L. Paxson, and possibly some other books have hers that have gotten good reviews (because I remember liking ST). Then I'm thinking of rereading Illusion by Paula Volsky, as well as others that seem to have been received favorably.
And then I shall make a grand re-entrance into the world of Xanth, the series by Piers Anthony, and hopefully I'll be able to finish it this time (last time, my library ran out of books in the series, and I just never got back into it).
All this reading will hopefully get me into the mindset and skill level to create my own. I think the plot, however small it is at the moment, is solid, but I want it to be one of those stories that gives attention to detail and draws you in until all you can think about is how much you want to turn the page and find out what happens next. I may just be setting my goals too high, but it's something I want to do, no matter how long it takes.
Btw, if you're interested at all in fantasy, you should give these authors a read. Terry Brooks would be the highest recommendation I can give. His many Shannara books are pure genius.
So I'm going back and reading some of my favorite authors in the genre to see if I can pick up some pointers, as well as reading some things I remember from high school, though I had to do a little research and unearthing to find them in this area.
Currently, I'm reading Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom of Landover series, my interest recently sparked by his foray back into this series this year after more than ten years of writing elsewhere. (I love his Shannara series, as well as his Knight of the Word series, which he recently joined together in Armageddon's Children, so I'm super excited about the Landover series.)
After that, I'll be rereading The Serpent's Tooth by Diana L. Paxson, and possibly some other books have hers that have gotten good reviews (because I remember liking ST). Then I'm thinking of rereading Illusion by Paula Volsky, as well as others that seem to have been received favorably.
And then I shall make a grand re-entrance into the world of Xanth, the series by Piers Anthony, and hopefully I'll be able to finish it this time (last time, my library ran out of books in the series, and I just never got back into it).
All this reading will hopefully get me into the mindset and skill level to create my own. I think the plot, however small it is at the moment, is solid, but I want it to be one of those stories that gives attention to detail and draws you in until all you can think about is how much you want to turn the page and find out what happens next. I may just be setting my goals too high, but it's something I want to do, no matter how long it takes.
Btw, if you're interested at all in fantasy, you should give these authors a read. Terry Brooks would be the highest recommendation I can give. His many Shannara books are pure genius.