Helen Lowe's Blog, page 185

A Writing Quote For Sunday from Toni Morrison

“I can’t explain inspiration. A writer is either compelled to write or not.”

~ Toni Morrison

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Succinct — but very much to the point, as always.

Inside Middle Earth: Gibbston Valley

Personally, I think this photo of Gibbston Valley near Queenstown has everything: a landscape carved from ‘the mountain and the flood’, vineyards, a tinge of autumn colour… but most importantly, who can place this river in the Lord Of The Rings movies?

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A Geography Of Haarth: Secret Isle

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing the full range of locales and places from The Wall of Night world of Haarth. Each locale is accompanied by a quote from either The Heir Of Night, The Gathering Of The Lost, or both.

This post continues our exploration of places beginning with “S.”

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Secret Isle: an island of Ij, home of the School of Assassins

“Jehane Mor stared up at the timeworn plinth, noting the goddess’s compassionate...

What I’m Doing Right Now…

Amongst other things, I’m re-reading m’own books… Which can feel decidedly weird at times, given I know exactly what is going to happen—but it’s all for a worthy cause, making sure that plot threads sown in the earlier books are being picked up as required in WALL3, or being set up for WALL4. Not to mention a general continuity check back through the earlier books.

It’s still weird though, even if continuity-wise it’s a case of “so far, so good.”

My natural instinct is not to re-read, I must ad...

Big Worlds On Small Screens Features Miyazaki May: Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind”

by Rebecca Fisher

Introduction:

I’m taking advantage of this month’s alliterative opportunity and calling this next segment of Big Worlds on Small Screens… Miyazaki May. That has a nice ring to it. You may have heard of Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, but you probably don’t know the full extent of his influence on the animation industry. This is a man who has been called the Walt Disney of Japan, whose 2001 film Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and who is credit...

The Tuesday Poem: Refeaturing Johanna Aitchison’s “is anybody in there?”

is anybody in there?

The sun hits the tips of waves in Lyall Bay, the big wing, your

sunglasses as you fly into Wellington again. The blow of water,

the salt salt water, would taste like lips after chips & chips.

In the last two years you’ve taken to tearing out pages of your

diary and sending them off in screwtop white wine bottles.

You drop them in rivers, the names of which you forget almost

immediately on hearing the splash.

Your mother says, ‘you should brush your hair.’ You say, ‘I’m

33.’ She ru...

Vladimir Nabokov On The Three Aspects Of A Major Writer

“There are three points of view from which a writer can be considered: he may be considered as a storyteller, as a teacher, and as an enchanter. A major writer combines these three — storyteller, teacher, enchanter — but it is the enchanter in him that predominates and makes him a major writer.

To the storyteller we turn for entertainment, for mental excitement of the simplest kind, for emotional participation, for the pleasure of traveling in some remote region in space or time. A slightly di...

Comment Of The Week: From Bree (Australia)

“…have just caught on to your series and fallen in love. It’s truly a fabulous tale with a good blend of magic, lore and grit.”

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Bree’s comment came in via webmail — and speaks for itself, really.

In the relatively unlikely event of blog readers who may not know, the series is The Wall Of Night.

A Quote for Saturday…

“Don’t wish your problems were smaller, wish you were bigger.”

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My friend Jaya, of Extreme Patagonia, has this as the tagline on her emails — and I have to say, it strikes quite a chord…So much so that I decided to share it with you.

Enjoy!

A Geography Of Haarth: Sea Keep

The Wall of Night Series map; design by Peter Fitzpatrick

The A Geography of Haarth post series is traversing the full range of locales and places from The Wall of Night world of Haarth. Each locale is accompanied by a quote from either The Heir Of Night, The Gathering Of The Lost, or both.

This week, it’s onwards into “S.” (And slowly, inexorably, closing on “Z.”)

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Sea Keep: stronghold of the Derai Alliance’s Sea House

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‘Even so, there were stories… Kalan had heard that there were weather worker...