Category Archives: Creative Writing

A Preview of my 2013 Three Day Novel Contest Story

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

Once again I am getting ready for the 3 Day Novel Contest. I’ve reblogged my thoughts on the contest from last year (see below), and as I reread what I wrote, I’m a little surprised that I am going in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Reviews | Tagged 3 Day Novel Contest, 3DNC, Dayshift Werewolf, fantasy, literature, loser lit, myth of sisyphus, writing | 14 Comments

The Land Where Oz is North of Middle-earth: Reflections of a Speculative Cosmographer

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

If I were to print a business card for what I do as a fantasy writer, in the section called “title” I would put, “Speculative Cosmographer.” Fancy title, eh? Well, broken down, it really just means fictional world-builder. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds | Tagged C.S. Lewis, children's literature, fantasy, Fictional Universes, Harry Potter, Holly Black, imagination, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, madeleine l engle, Madeleine L'Engle, maps, Middle Earth, Narnia, The Hobbit, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Winnie the Pooh | 149 Comments

The Peculiar Inspiration of Hilliard Graves

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I have in my office a secret writing shrine. It isn’t much really—just some notes from editors, some acceptance and rejection letters, some writing notes from projects, a few photocopies of first lines from novels or inspirational art, and some … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, fantasy, Hilliard Graves, hockey, inspiration, J.K. Rowling, literature, national hockey league, Vancouver Canucks, writing | 11 Comments

The Effect of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Mythopoeia

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I am often asked what brought me into the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. While I do love the books, it wasn’t Narnia that first captured my imagination as a thinker. It wasn’t even the world of Middle … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Lewis Biography, Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, fantasy, heroic couplet, Hugo Dyson, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Middle Earth, mythmaking, Mythopoie, writing | 104 Comments

WIP Wednesday: Hildamay at the Market

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I thought I would add my piece to the growing Work In Progress Wednesday digital tradition. This is an excerpt from Hildamay Humphrey’s Incredibly Boring Life, a children’s story that I am editing in preparation to pitch this summer. The … Continue reading →