Writerly Sound Bites, Number 8: Character Progression – How Characters Broken by Trauma Recover and Rebuild, Part 3

Brunhilde (Marvel Comics) Thus far we have looked at how children and men are broken and remade in abusive situations. It is not a pleasant picture and the road back is rough even for the strongest members of each demographic. Manipulation cannot be overcome in an hour, perhaps not even a year; it takes time, …

Telepathy in Fiction – A Lesson from Pacific Rim

By now this author’s record of interest with telepathy as a story device is well-documented. Andre Norton’s* work with this trope is the primary inspiration, in part because she described it so well as both magic and native talent. Her heroes and heroines of the Witch World have an ability not only to communicate with …

Shades and Shadows: The “Pulp” Aspects of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings

There are writers who dislike how Professor Tolkien’s magnum opus is considered the last word in modern fantasy. Most of their argument revolves around how present authors in the field of fantasy ignore shorter action/adventure tales in the “pulp” format of fantasy for epics that practically copy and paste from The Lord of the Rings.* …

Odd American Ruins

Those who have read Andre Norton’s Witch World novels* may well recognize the parallels between some of the ruins described below and the “places of the Old Ones” in the Dales of High Hallack. A land to the west of Estcarp, High Hallack was based on the United States, albeit with plenty of Medieval culture …

A Unique Conceit (or Three) from Western Television

Gargoyles Retrospective | Disney's Dark Horse https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=hc7yQ4nX_8k Along with others in the Superversive movement, this author tends to highlight various writing techniques which are popularly seen in Japanese anime. Since writers in the Orient frequently make use of practices forgotten here in the West, this is only sensible. If one wishes to learn a craft, …

Lost in Translation: Communicating Past Language Barriers and Maneuvering Amidst Different Cultures

This author has little problem with the practice of reading fanfic. Her review of Richard Paolinelli’s ongoing Star Trek* fan fiction story (check it out, it is good) is proof of this. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that last year, this writer ran across a very intriguing fan fiction tale written by Crossover Queen (also …

Sneaky, Sandy Felines….

Have you ever heard of the Sand Cat? If not, this link will tell you more about this beautiful little desert feline. And if you are wondering how this information could possibly apply to fiction, check out Andre Norton’s novel Beast Master*. There is a very big sand cat in that story. One who is …

Is the Sky Really the Limit?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlTTz_INxMg While listening to Thundercats, Ho! – Creating a Pop Culture Phenomenon, something said by one of the interviewees caught this author’s ear. For those who may not recognize the title of the linked video, Thundercats* was a 1980s animated television series for children. It focused on a race of humanoid cats or feline humanoids …

Children in Fiction, Part 3: Are Heroes and Heroines Interchangeable in Fiction?

Thus far we have discussed what a lack of children means in terms of world-building, along with fictional children and teens’ (often outrageous) adult-style behavior. Both these items were mentioned in Ms. R.J. Sheffler’s article here. Today’s subject, however, is not among the issues that writers encounter listed therein. Many writers, particularly in the Young …

Children in Fiction, Part 1: What Happens When There Aren’t Enough?

In her perceptive article “Stop Pretending Children Don’t Exist in Your Story World,” R.J. Sheffler covers several reasons why putting children in fiction is a necessary element for good world-building. As she herself states, youngsters do not have to be in the thick of the fighting or be involved in the action to make the …