Helen Lowe's Blog, page 112

Tuesday Poetry: A Haiku by Bashō

Along this road
where no one else travels —
autumn dusk

– Matsuo Bashō, 1644 – 1694

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It’s officially autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere, so I’ve been marking the season with poetry — fittingly since the “winter is coming” rain and wind has finally arrived.

As any poetic celebration of the season would not be complete without haiku, today I bring you an offering from the master, Matsuo Bashō.

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Looking at the Stars: Why Epic Fantasy Keeps “Speaking” To Us

“I live in New Zealand, which although re-cast as Middle Earth by Sir Peter Jackson, is still very much ‘the far side of the world.’ Arguably the only places further away from world hubs such as New York and London, Paris and Beijing, Berlin and Tokyo, would be Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica—which leaves New Zealanders with two fundamental choices: to turn inward, or look outward to the larger world.

It strikes me that part of the enduring appeal of epic fantasy may be because it offers a si...

“The Wall of Night” FB Group

Just in case you missed it on May 11, it’s official — The Wall of Night series now has its own FB discussion group.

Fun, huh!

It’s a hangout for anyone who likes getting together with like-minded fellow readers to discuss such weighty matters as worldbuilding, storyline and characters — in this case ‘mostly’ from The Wall of Night series.

So if this sounds like something you might enjoy, then rock on over to:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/haarth

Rosie C. — + ‘Tardis’ backdrop goodness :)

Nat...

More Pics from Inside Middle Earth

A few weeks back I shared some pics from Inside Middle Earth — Abel Tasman National park to be precise. And promised MOAR very soon.

So I hope two weeks counts as “soon” in your parlance. Even if not, here are a few more pics, all the same.

First, ‘on the beach’ at Awaroa, near where we spent three wonderful days:

And as a friend said on the May 6 post, “My goodness, look at the color of that water- just stunning!” — ‘aka” aquamarine!

However, it wasn’t all just sun, sand, and sea, there w...

Hazards of the Writing Life

Jottings…

To be honest, this could just be a Helen Lowe hazard of the life literaire.

You see, I know I should just have one notebook, preferably a large one, and write down all m’terribly important writerly thoughts in that.

But I don’t.

No, I not only have a variety of notebooks but also loose pages of paper, the backs of envelopes, and/or scraps of paper torn off other envelopes or documents whenever an idea grabs me.

Yet even then what I jot down may not always make much sense later. Part...

My Reflections on “Excalibur”

Yesterday I reposted Rebecca Fisher’s Big Worlds on Small Screens look at the ’80s cult classic, Excalibur. (Reposted because muggins here inadvertently scheduled two posts simultaneously last Wednesday: duh!)

So if you haven’t checked it out already, do so now!

I think of all the films and shows Rebecca has reviewed over several years of Big Worlds on Small Screens, Excalibur is probably the film that was among the most formative for me. I’m not sure how it would stack up on a rewatch but I...

Reprised: Big Worlds On Small Screens & “Fantasy Films From the Eighties That Weren’t That Bad” — Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Excalibur”

~ by Rebecca Fisher

I’m sure that John Boorman’s ambitious attempt to adapt all the Arthurian legends into a single cinematic spectacle did not deliberately include capturing the aesthetic of the Eighties in all its glory – but it totally did.

As such, Excalibur is set in the Eighties version of the Dark Ages, complete with perms for the women, mullets for the men, and lots of massive jewellery and florescent eyeshadow. Because of the sheer volume of material it has to cover (and it covers n...

Tuesday Poetry: “Autumn Fires” by Robert Louis Stevenson

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens
….And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
….See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
….And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
….The gray smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
….Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
….Fires in the fall!

~ Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850 – 1894

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We’re enjoying a prolonged Indian Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, but the leaves are nonetheless turning and it’s officially autumn, so I’m marking the...

All About Structure…

Mary Victoria

Over the weekend I talked about the author’s dilemma that often arises out of research, a train of thought sparked by my recent interview with the insightful Mary Victoria:

Helen Lowe & Mary Victoria in Conversation

Another aspect of storytelling that Mary and I discussed was how sometimes as author you have to backtrack on earlier material to get your story right. Mary used the adjective “painful” to describe this process and she is quite right, it very often is painful: also f...

To Be Reprised: Big Worlds On Small Screens

Usually, Rebecca Fisher’s Big Worlds on Small Screens column posts every second Wednesday, but in a blog editorial oops! & mea culpa! this week, I managed to post two features simultaneously. (Embarrassed, you will be…)

Anyway, so Rebecca and followers of Big Worlds on Small Screens aren’t short-changed, I’ll be re-posting her review of that ’80s classic, Excalibur, this coming Wednesday.

So if you haven’t read the post already, look out for it again then.

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