Free Will: Real or Illusion?
“I am a determinist. As such, I do not believe in free will…I am, nevertheless, compelled to act as if freedom of the will existed. If I wish to live in a civilized community, I must act as if man is a responsible being.” – Albert Einstein Free will is a central theme in both…Read More
New Cover and Series Title for Graëlfire
With the release of Graëlfire’s sequel coming up, I’m excited to share with you the updated book cover for Graëlfire, which also features a new series title. Throughout history, the Holy Grail has been a prize sought by kings, knights, and adventurers. Myths about the Grail are many. Some claim it’s the cup Christ drank from at…Read More
Mythmaking
“I love playing with myths. A lot of it has to do with that they’re the basic places stories come from. They’re the clay that you make the bricks out of.” – Neil Gaiman Role of Mythmaking Mythmaking bears witness to the human spirit’s quest for knowledge. From the dawn of intelligence, humanity sought to…Read More
World Building
“World building has two parts. One is the actual creation. The other is bringing the world into your story. Everything you create should not be in your story.” – Patrick Rothfuss In my blog post about the suspension of disbelief, I describe how writers of speculative fiction must persuade readers to let go of reality…Read More
Imagery in Story Dialogue
“The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton Evolution of Imagery Storytelling began with visual stories such as rock art and cave paintings. Later, oral and written traditions emerged with the progress of language. Today, language plays a vital role in storytelling. It can be plain and succinct,…Read More
Why Write a Novel
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” —Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird. What motivates someone to write novel-length fiction? It’s a solitary activity, and not for the faint-hearted. It means hundreds of hours tapping…Read More
Mad March Weather
“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s early March. Daylight hours are stretching, and some daring primroses have opened yellow rosettes in more sheltered spots of my garden. Northern Switzerland experiences four defined seasons that are typified by long, cold winters and humid summers that can…Read More
Food in Fantasy Fiction
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” — Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin February has brought a cold snap to Switzerland, and my winter stomach has been craving meals that are hearty and comforting. Food is like that: it’s an essential part of life, and it provides more than mere nourishment. Food…Read More
Liminal Characters
“Then I shan’t be exactly a human?” Peter asked. “No.” “Nor exactly a bird?” “No.” “What shall I be?” “You will be a Betwixt-and-Between,” Solomon said. — J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens Betwixt-and-between It’s December, the season of midwinter. Christmas is just round the corner, and soon we will stand on the…Read More
Orphan Heroes in Fiction
An orphaned calf licks its own back – Kenyan Proverb When I began plotting my Grail-quest novel, Graëlfire, my main protagonist, Lena Dubois, was a young university student whose parents worked overseas. This was fine for the character arc I’d invented, but as I progressed with my plotting, I gave Lena a secret identity unknown…Read More
