Helen Lowe's Blog, page 17

A Writing Quote To Start The Week — from Jeanette Winterson

“I think every work of art is an act of faith…It is a message in a bottle, a shout in the dark. It’s saying, ‘I’m here and I believe that you are somewhere and that you will answer if necessary across time, not necessarily in my lifetime.’” – Jeanette Winterson

I spotted this quote from UK author, Jeanette Winterson, last week and really liked it, hence sharing it with you today.

 

I believe the reasons I liked (and like!) it, include the notion of every work as both an act of faith and shout,...

Q&A Thursdays #17: Jane’s Question

For some time now, I’ve been reprising a Daughter of Blood (and by extension The Wall Of Night) Q&A series that featured in 2019. As noted in the most recent instalment on January 18, we are nearing the end — but I aim to enjoy it while it lasts.

Today I’m refeaturing Jane’s Question, which is about the female characters’ exercise of “hard” and “soft” power. I thought it was an interesting question and one that remains very relevant. And would have been awesome on March 8, International Women’s...

Recently on Supernatural Underground — A Perfect Storm, Plus More…

KimFalconer

If you enjoyed Kim Falconer’s Weapons in Fantasy post last month, you’ll love her next instalment, which has just posted and focuses on weatherworking as a magical—and potent—weapon in the genre arsenal.

Kim features some great examples, from Disney’s 1940 Fantasia, to the Callers in her own Amassia series, and the Bowl of Winds in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time epic. And yes, weatherworking in Daughter of Blood, and Faro in particular, do get a mention.

Click here for a perfect we...

About The Characters: Meet The Minor Players In “The Wall Of Night” Series — Meet Nindorith

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical...

“What Is Your MC’s Style If They’re Dressing Up?” — Part 2

On February 22 (not so very long ago), I posted on “What Is Your MC’s Style If They’re Dressing Up?” with a particular focus on Malian. She is, after all, the main character…

Styling Malian…

As noted in the intro, the post title is based on a tweet I spotted in the wild, wild, world of Twitter aka X. Once spotted, it prompted recall of Kim Falconer’s Styling Characters: More Than Meets The Eye post on the Supernatural Underground last year, which in turn sparked four spinoff posts from yours tru...

What I’m Watching — Avatar: The Last Airbender

Long before Rebecca Fisher penned her wonderful Big Worlds On Small Screens series here, she convinced me that I Absolutely Must watch the Nickleodenon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. She even loaned me her own treasured DVDs of the series to ensure I did so.

Avatar, Season One

Initially, I was not 100% convinced because it was very much a kids’ series. But I had promised Rebecca that I would persist and by the end of the first season I and the rest of the household were hooked. By...

New On Supernatural Underground Now: The Year of the Villain #2 & Earthsea

Yep, it really is that time again, despite the bonus of a leap day. So-o on March 1, I posted the second in my The Year of the Villain in Fantasy series on Supernatural Underground.

Last month, I delved into the pantheon of villains in JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Seminal stuff, I know — but so, too, (imho) is the treatment of evil and villainy in Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea.

As noted in the post, I regard “both as hugely influential on the genre, but also profoundly different in terms of...

ICYMI: The Author’s Tale — Conversations From The Writing Life

ICYMI, I’ve recently posted links to a series of four podcast interviews, undertaken as part of The Author’s Tale series, in which I’m interviewed by podcaster Stephanie Frewen.

The Author’s Tale series comprises “casual conversations …between Stephanie… and prominent and influential New Zealand authors”, centered on inspiration, influences, and other aspects of their writing lives.

To recap, the four podcasts comprise:

Part 1: Influences, my early writing journey, and poetry

Part 2: Thornspell...

“What Is Your MC’s Style If They’re Dressing Up?”

This captures a sense of Malian’s style — but only when dressed for action.

I spotted the title question — “What Is Your MC’s Style If They’re Dressing Up?” — on Twitter last week and thought, “I’m sure I’ve posted on this relatively recently…”

Only a very small amount of grey-matter cudgelling was required to prompt recollection of Kim Falconer’s Styling Characters: More Than Meets The Eye post on the Supernatural Underground last year. A post that’s well worth reading, by the way, if you have...

A Quote After My Own Heart from Robert Louis Stevenson

“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in…when I sat by the roadside, I would either read or a pencil and a penny version-book would be in my hand, to note the features of the scene or commemorate some halting stanzas. Thus I lived with words.”

~ Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850 – 1894

~*~

Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, really needs no further introduction, but I do love this quot...