Tagged with patrick rothfuss …

May 14 2012
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Entertainment, gergia, impulsive pastimes, life, The Writing Life, Writing

On Being a Public Figure Before Peforming

This post is one of my unicorns.

What I mean is I have inched toward this post without warning of its approach for years. In Southern Illinois, as is the case in other parts of the world where they don’t junk cars but “let ‘em rust down,” high school morons hill hop. Hill hopping fits onto the roster of hick track and field, those games that need “don’t try this at home” stickers. Young sixteen-year old men (and women on the coasts) rev up their car engines and catapult over hilltops on country roads, daring other cars to meet them head-on. Thing is, not all other cars are chicken–some just play chicken. Another dozen teens will die this year meeting unseen cars while hopping hills.

Somewhere between hill hopping and unicorns lies this post. No one can catch a unicorn. Unicorns find you. No one expects to die hopping a hill in a Pontiac, but it happens. I’m blindsided by this post because for the last seven years, in the midst of all of my other writing, I have worked on my world of Gergia. No other novel existed–only Gergian books and notes and maps. If Rowling and Rothfuss can work on one series, win a writer’s contest and instantly publish a best seller, anyone can, right? That’s what I thought anyway, and so I pushed off all other projects — twenty novel ideas, dozens of short story ideas, screenplays, journalistic things — for THE SERIES.

The last few weeks, my writing slowed and stalled. I… Was… Crawling… Through… Sentences. It was block in the proper sense of the word–my discipline was trying to force words like water through a clogged toilet. I stalled at the 52,000th word. I would rework scenes, attack the story from another angle and stop at the same place. Another angle, more resistance. It was like trying to chop down a cherry tree with a brand new axe WHILE circling the tree like a foe from some spaghetti western. Only the tree was no bringer of cherries. It was this colossal inbred monster of its cedar mother and redwood father. My axe also turned out to be a cheap camp hatchet.

Something happened this weekend that changed all of that. This week I was armed with an axe and a maul…

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Jan 24 2012
11 Comments
Alchemy, Kingkiller Trilogy, literary interpretation, Writing

Kingkiller Alchemy Reread: Disclaimers & Housekeeping Before We Start

Before I go on a posting rampage and dig into the nigreddo-gritty of The Name of the Wind, let’s lay out my assumptions:

1. Rothfuss mentioned in his bio that he dabbles with Alchemy in his basement. That means one of three things. He could mean that he often attempts to turn Pb into Au through metallurgy. If so, he’s avoiding the question – much like the witty “I stand exactly 10,000 feet tall” – as the grammar of chemistry does not translate into the grammar of Alchemy.

He could also mean he practices neo-gnostic esoteric alchemy in hopes to purify his soul and reach enlightenment. Though that crops up in cities like Seattle and New Orleans, I doubt Rothfuss cares much since he’s a staunch ethical relativist, inconsistent as that may seem with his more-than-relative stances and statements.

The third “dabble in Alchemy” nods toward literary alchemy. I say “nods” because, like many other PoMo writers, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. If he mentions his alchemy dabbling literarily, then alchemical symbols do not hide under ever rock and draccus cave. I write with that assumption FOR EVERY SINGLE POST. I have no clue which symbols he intended, but the beauty of writing shows up when author exposes a theme and reader applies insight in myriad ways. Interpretation looks neither like reader’s response or author’s intent, but a dance between their telepathic bond. That said, we’re searching for alchemical potentials and their potential implications, nothing more, nothing less.

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Dec 27 2011
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ask the experts, censored opinions, fantastic points of ignorance

Worldbuilders 2011

Fundraiser ThermometerAs a team, we’ve already raised over $96,000 for world poverty relief!

Every year, hyper-nerds ban together with Patrick Rothfuss to provide better solutions to worldwide poverty, lifting people above the poverty bracket and giving them a chance for a future.

Pat matches 50% of whatever we donate AND creates a sort of lottery by which donors win many many prizes – prizes like complete firefly seasons, signed copies of the guild, HUNDREDS of books, readings by Neil Gaiman, etc. All that at his site.

We here at literating talk about more than fantastic worlds. We try and work through issues in our own world like generosity, greed and poverty. Well here’s the chance to shine, people. I set us a goal with the Worldbuilders team of $500. Having never hosted this before, I have no idea if that’s too small or big, so let’s just meet the goal and then I’ll raise the bar! Tweet, retweet, whatever – but get the word out and donate! Let’s give a Happy New Year to people in need.

We partner with Heifer international. Here’s the basics:

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Aug 10 2011
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book review, fantastic points of ignorance

Dragonflight by Anne McCafferey

At Patrick Rothfuss’ suggestion, I started reading the The Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonflight  is the first in the series, and surprised me with its entertainment value and intelligence.

Pern is the smaller satellite of a planet that was settled a long time ago by the people of Earth (thus the scifi). Every so often, one of the other planets in the system inaccurately known as “The Red Star” spins off spores known as “Thread.” These spores sear through flesh, scale and foilage, spreading like a parasite that threatens to consume the planet. However, the ancients bred a race of reptiles called “dragons” after the ancient terran-based creatures of mythology. These dragons can consume a phosphite rock which, in gas form, combusts mid-air. Belching fire, these dragons sear Thread from the sky and defend Pern from its ancient foe.

Book one, however, starts at the end of a four-hundred year lull in Thread activity, which means the planet is two-thousand dragons understaffed and lead by a fool who thinks that Thread stopped falling for good. But Thread begins to fall despite his denial. The Pernese need a miracle, and young Lessa thinks she can help.

I was pleasantly surprised at this series for how it blurred the lines of science fiction and fantasy. Again, I’m only on the third book, but Dragonflight certainly caught my attention early on. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 on my Goodreads account for its wit, its delicate blend of children/adult literature, it unique perspective and its place alongside Narnia and Lord of the Rings. I now understand why Rothfuss dedicated The Name of the Wind to his mother for introducing him to Narnia, Middle Earth and Pern. Go read it.

Words I Learned:

  • spasmodically – occurring or done in brief, irregular bursts
  • indolence – wanting to avoid exertion or activity; lazy
  • diurnal – of or during the day
Since the book’s an oldie, but a goodie, here’s a video to compliment it:
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