All three of my children are avid readers. The day I was inspired to write this little essay, my oldest daughter, Kristine (on the left in the featured photo), was sitting in the living room reading Lord of the Rings with a stack of history books and Jane Austen-related material next to her chair. She once …
In a prior ”confession,” I talked about the qualities of a hero in context with a book I was writing for a client I code-named Murphy. My pointing out that a master of strong and intelligent followers would be more impressive than a master of weak, incompetent ones prompted Murphy to tell me that toning …
Confessions of a Ghostwriter: A Dish Best Served Cool Read More »
A ghostwriting client (hereafter, ”Murphy”) hired me to write a coming-of-age fantasy. He’d written a proposed opening scene in which the reader meets a heroic character Murphy described as a combination of Gandalf the Grey and Obi-Wan Kenobi, both of which were appropriate to the role he was to play in the book—wise mentor to …
A client for my ghostwriting and editing services—I shall call him Rocky—once asked me what essential things a writer must do to lay the foundations for a writing career. He wasn’t asking about the writing itself, he explained, but about the things that separated those who break in from those who don’t. What and who …
Confessions of a Ghost (Writer): Writing Essentials (Rocky 1) Read More »
This is a true story. The names and titles have been changed to protect the guilty. A longtime collaborator whose movie script I was novelizing referred a client to me. ”He approached me to do this,” he said, “but I just don’t have time with shooting schedules and all. I thought you might be willing …
Confessions of a Ghost (Writer): I Dodge a Bullet Read More »
I used to think I was a jinx. If I loved a series of books, it would go out of print and the author would disappear. If I loved a TV show, it would be taken off the air (I still miss Brisco County Jr. and Pushing Daisies) when we are finished with our tivoed …
This article features my answers to several questions from the Catholic Writers’ Conference Online that I participated in for several years. They deal with the pitfalls of using religion in fantasy, how I deal with diverse points of view and schism in my work. Q: What are the pitfalls of religion in fantasy and how …
WORLD-BUILDING & RELIGION: Pitfalls, Religious Diversity, Schism & Pluralism Read More »
I found this question from an attendee of the Catholic Writers Conference I spoke at for several years an interesting one with a number of possible answers. Q: When should you check your work with a religious authority? If I were presenting a piece I expected to be read as representative of my Faith, or …
WORLD-BUILDING & RELIGION: Checking with Religious Authority Read More »
This question from the Catholic Writers Conference dealt with how I handled the complicated subject of heresy. Q: Have you ever had a story dictate you portray heresy or sin sympathetically? How did you handle it? The protagonists of The Mer Cycle trilogy were considered heretics by the religious institutions they challenged. Both the orthodox …
Q: Do you agree that religion influences culture? Does culture influence religion? If so, how much do or should you take that into consideration while preparing your book? I think religion is at the heart of what we call culture. Our world culture is so steeped in religious principle that there’s no way to separate it …
Greetings, World-builders! Here is another question from a group of Catholic writers at an online conference I spoke at several times as a non-Catholic guest. Today’s question deals with common elements in religion. Q: What are the common elements of all religions, and how do you decide what to keep and what to discard when …
With religious and cultural turmoil at the center of four of my fantasy novels (the Meri Trilogy and The Spirit Gate), I was pleased to have reviewers comment on how real and essential the religion in the books felt as opposed to just being a patina, a prop, or a piece of background scenery. I …
WORLD-BUILDING & RELIGION: DIY Religions in Fiction Read More »
The question I fielded about literary license in a Q&A in a Catholic Writers Conference I participated in as a non-Catholic guest, (I’m a Baha’i) led to this follow-up question about projecting the flaws of a religion. Q: How can you project the flaws, conflicts, or other “warts” of a religion (particularly your religion) without …
