Dragons in the Metcalfe - #ra2011 – part nine (last but not least)

Finally we finished the day with Garth Nix. Such a superb storyteller! He really brought the day full-circle, having started with Brent Weeks that’ morning.

Garth Nix reads everything – Rosemary Sutcliffe, Arthur Ransom, Georgette Heyer even rated a mention as an adventure story! For him, fantasy writing and reading is about myth, legend and superstition.

After weaving his magic on a spell-bound audience Garth reminded us that writing fantasy is about taking pieces of reality and adding in elements of the fantastic (or mythic) so that readers know it’s not true but will happily go along with the tale. And we certainly did that!

For him, finishing novels is one of the most important things a writer should do – regardless of whether or not that novel is ever published. As a writer it is important that you don’t quit, just keep going and when done move on to the next book. Write the books you want to read – Garth does.


Okay, so what is fantasy?
Often lumped together with Science Fiction
Plot; character; narrative; structure; emotion
Ask, what if…..?

Taking ordinary things you know well and making some small change


What advice does Garth have for writers?

Read Locus magazine – especially, the year in review (www.locusmag.com)

Pursue how-to-write literature: Ursula le Guin – “steering the craft”, books on writing

Exercise:
3 lines – beginning, middle, end
3 paragraphs – beginning, middle, end
Keep expanding on that

Plan / plot
Eg. Keys to the Kingdom series
Knew the 7 titles
Knew the big story, but not the smaller stories
Knew how the story would end, etc

Editors – very useful



Garth Nix’s first book was The Ragwitch, he has this beautiful cover fold-out of all his book covers which has he unfolds more covers makes you realise just how many books he has written and how diverse they have been – but all Fantasy, and all popular with audiences.


When the day finally ended it was with such a positive vibe in the room. Yet again the RA working group had put together an excellent seminar. I’m sure we all look forward to next year’s seminar and whichever theme it explores.
Well done!