Recent content by joshua mcdermott

I always wear glasses. but don't FB

hey: i realized the thread title and had a question: this summer I was up at my brother's place and he had an old long bow. providence unknown, but it felt maybe 70 lbs? I'd used it several times before but this time, I pulled it... perhaps too far? as I am used to asian bows and am happy...

nicely shot. (gong back a page or two I know). I am not an expert but I do shoot quite a bit. went to the range 3 times in the last week. much has already been said but that would certainly pull me out of the story to have an arrow somehow only penetrate a few inches - like this was a...

because its not on here and it should be: Gene Wolfe all his stuff is mind bending- and sometimes a bit tough to grok- but if you had to pick ONE: The Fifth Head of Cerberus. trust me and give it a shot. then you can read the rest. Zelazny: I'd go with Jack of Shadows (1971). maybe not...

sorry to be slow: there is absolutely no reason not to start at the beginning with Jhereg.

got another that I love: Lawrence Watt-Evens. his books often (like terry pratchett..but I prefer Watt-Evens even though he is far less well known) take on fantasy as not just a great story- but using comedy and farce to get something real. there was a time that whatever LWE was publishing...

everyone has a different process. and what works for some, or even during a specific time, may not work for others in a different period of their lives. what works for me: 1. Decide that writing is your job, and you do your job even if you are not "inspired" or "in the mood" if your job...

The Last Unicorn is a seminal work. top 5 for me. Pern also. I am going back in time to think on those that really hit me hard. Keeping to the more fantasy leaning, though it blurs- perhaps more then than now as I am not sure they were so concerned at that point. Pern was sci-fi...

Ok. I love Brust and have read pretty much everything he has written. (but get the point that this can be general). For him it depends upon what you are looking for: obviously his Dragaera stuff is the best known and realized, but he changes styles and points of view throughout- for some...

I assume you have already read all the classics? so you are looking for something new/maybe obscure? for classics- like Narnia- its a series but I'd probably have you read "The Horse and His Boy" if you could only read one as it stands alone the best.

I think its objective vs subjective sometimes. "sternly" is objective.. but boring- very much narration. Scolded, is subjective but more textured- and evokes a feeling. so you could say: "Absolutely not," he scolded. which gives me a stronger image than "sternly" So again, the rule to...

"She breathed deeply" makes me think.. "of what?" :) so its actually not as clear as you might think. since adverbs can be used in conjunction with a prepositional phrase.. it feels left out and lonely when you stop there. "She breathed deeply of the dark vapors" or easier example...

This is one of those "Yes, And" situations. One place to also look of course is science fiction- similar to a fantasy character who is not human, you can have alien life forms, which can take on being a character even while perhaps being nearly complete in their inhuman characteristics. Now...

Or maybe what opportunities a fantasy brings to character exploration that cannot( or is much harder) to do in a non-fantasy setting. So what types of characters are best served by a fantasy setting? Its not that you can't have them in other areas- but perhaps there are areas where fantasy...

I think the danger is how can you make a character that is not 'just' an archetype? Lkie "assassin" is an archetype.. not a character. Its a job.. like any other job. You can have very different characters that do the same job. which is to say your 'skills and types' are part of, but not...