A sense of place plays a critical role in determining whether a reader “gets into” a story or not. Good place names can lend an aura of reality to even the most fictional of places. Conversely, an obviously made up place name in a story that pretends at reality can make a location that seems perfectly real to the author seem perfectly ridiculous to the reader.
Continue readingTag Archives: Lord of the Rings
I’ve had several conversations with fiction writers lately on what we should be doing about climate change, the election, and other important concerns of the day. My immediate response was that now, more than ever, they should write. They dismissed … Continue reading
By Brenda Clough Oh happy day, the second Hobbit movie is out! Perhaps you, like I, cannot get to the theater this weekend. So to tide you over, here is another LOTR song parody for the occasion, dug out from … Continue reading
The fear of witchcraft led to a church adding a couple of Harry Potter books to their annual purifying bonfire. The event got out of hand — and that’s how The Lord of the Rings became a burned book.
Continue readingEach of us has our own story about how we discovered Middle Earth. For me, it was a radio version of The Hobbit, produced by my friend Dan Rubin (who turned out to be a distant cousin, but that’s another … Continue reading
In celebration of Tolkien’s twelfty birthday this year, the publisher Little Brain and Miffed is bringing out a heavily revised version of Lord of the Rings which they say is, ‘more resonant with today’s sensibilities.’ So, what have they changed? … Continue reading
Not quite up to the Old Took yet, at 120 today, but well on his way to immortality. In honor of the day, please feel free to leave messages in the comments. And have second breakfast, and a lunch or … Continue reading