Tag Archives: fictional worlds

O Foolish Writer: The Living Reality of an Author’s Work, with C.S. Lewis, Stephen King, and Ursula K. Le Guin (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Throwback Thursdays are where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own blog-hoard or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be an idea or book that is now relevant again, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes, Throwback Thursdays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

You’ll Never Know What’s Inside this Wardrobe Until You Peek

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Anyone who has read the right books growing up will know that Wardrobes are magical places. Of the portkeys that transport us from our everyday little world into the unknown world of worlds beyond, the Wardrobe is the most famous. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The Shocking Reason Tolkien Finished The Lord of the Rings

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

J.R.R. Tolkien was a notoriously difficult writer to get to print. That The Hobbit found its way to store shelves was something of a publishing miracle, and it took Tolkien 15 years to write part two, “the new Hobbit,” which we … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, On Writing, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 56 Comments

What if C.S. Lewis Wrote Dante’s Inferno? by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Undoubtedly, one of the 20th century’s most inventive world-builders was Larry Niven. He is perhaps most famous for Known Space, the universe where Ringworld (1970) and another 11 books are set. Niven’s inventions are now scattered in the background of much of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

A Sarcasta-Review of the Ransom Trilogy by J.B.S. Haldane

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

J.B.S. Haldane was one of the last renaissance men. A polymath, writer, and public intellectual, his Possible Worlds helped give C.S. Lewis a model for writing theological fiction. While Lewis relished in the model–science fiction as a platform for thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Farewell Terry Pratchett

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

To say that I’m a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is an understatement. Among the humorous fantasy writers, Terry Pratchett has pride of place. At his right and left hand are Douglas Adams in sheer satiric glory, and Neil Gaiman, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

O Foolish Writer: The Living Reality of an Author’s Work #WritingWednesdays

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

This post is part of an ongoing series Called Writing Wednesdays. This is repost of an earlier blog for those of us foolish enough to walk down this path. Previous blogs include: The Writer’s Spidey Sense False Starts and Missteps: … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

O Foolish Writer: The Living Reality of an Author’s Work

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I think some people think writers, as they build their fictional worlds, simply sit down and invent the details, putting together characters and places and storylines like someone puts together IKEA furniture. We’ll call that the Allen Key Approach to … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments