It's been all of two years since I last posted anything. One word; school. But after those two years I believe I've come back stronger and, finally, I have Focus. My next range of stories shall focus more on description, plot and characterization, rather than only mood. I've found a wellspring of inspiration in four fields, and now, most of my work shall be influenced by Economics andArt, Science and History. Really looking forward to the posting of the first of my new stories.
- Emmanuel K. Quartey
Hi all. So. I'm seventeen, male, native of Ghana, West Africa.
I consider myself fairly open-minded (to a fault, a friend said). I also believe that people, people as individuals, by themselves, are - sensible. But that there are some who work towards behaving otherwise, and, in some terrifying cases, actually succeed. I live for discussion, so please feel free to pester me if you need someone to rant at.
I'm really, really big on fantasy and science-fiction and anything original. Anything! Especially concerning fantasy. It seems everything's been done before, so it really makes my day when I come across something new. I try to let this reflect in my writing. At the moment I've concentrated on writing "old" things in a different way. Mainly by altering style: "Being" is supremely dreamlike, while for "Dance" I strove to add a heated, animal ferocity, while retaining that atmosphere. Soon, I want to move on to totally original plots. I really do believe there are still some out there, without even having to ditch your elves and your dwarves and the occasional assasin/mage/black knight.
My top three writers are:
Diana Wynne Jones: because this woman writes without apology. I normally don't like it when the mages just fling spells left and right with no explanation, but Diana is so "in your face" that you can't help but love her.
Peter S. Beagle: he wrote, in my opinion, the best fantasy books in history : "The Last Unicorn". Talking about this book adequately would require essays,so I'll just ask you, beg you, to go get it. When I began writing seriously, I modelled my style after his.
Terry Pratchett: because he makes the best argument for fantasy, that "just because it's got dwarves in it doesn't mean you can't learn anything". He is, undeniably, a sage of our times.
Of course, after this comes J.K. Rowling, Piers Anthony, Lois McBujold and A host of others I'm equally crazy about. But those three come tops because they are so different!
The following are quotes taken from novels, comics and films which I keep close because they make me laugh, brood or are just interesting, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Sorry the list is so long butI have a book full of the things and I need someone other than me to see them.
Certain words may have been ommitted or added as a result of forgetfulness or simply to heighten the effect. Sacrilege, I know. :
"Sometimes I think the only real evidence that intelligent life exists out there is that it hasn't contacted us yet." - Calvin, 'Calvin and Hobbes' by Bill Watterson.
"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." - 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' by Douglas Adams.
"There is an art, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 'Life, the Universe and Everything' by Douglas Adams.
"...I'll stuff you with misery till it comes out of your eyes. I'll change your heart into green grass and all your love into sheep. I'll turn you into a bad poet with dreams. I'll set all your toenails growing inward. You mess with me." - Schmendrick the Magician, "The Last Unicorn" by Peter S. Beagle.
"Jesus is coming. Look busy." - Legend on the screen of a mobile.
"Amphibians are poikilothermic: their body temperatures adapt automatically to changes in their environment, without their noticing. Theoretically, this means that if you were to put a frog in a pan of cold water, then turn up the heat gradually enough, you could cook the poor creature to death before it realised it was in danger.
NB: The title of this is a metaphor, not a recipe. The author is not in any way advocating or condoning the boiling of frogs. Not if there's a perfectly healthy cat available, anyway." - Author's Note, "Boiling a frog" by Christopher Brookmyre.
"Books will be forsaken by all dwellers upon this globe, and printing will absolutely pass out of use..." - article for Scribner's Magazine (1894) by Octave Uzanne.
"Is there such a thing as a fourth degree burn? Is that where the fire reaches down and hollows out your soul?" - Will James, "Warpath" by Tony Daniel.
"It was the bourbon I'd tried to brain Janey with... Smokey as Chicago after the Great Fire; smooth as the muscles on a thoroughbred." - Will James, "Warpath" by Tony Daniel.
NO. YOU MISUNDERSTAND. YOUR WHOLE LIFE DOES PASS BEFORE YOUR EYES BEFORE YOU DIE. THE PROCESS IS CALLED LIVING. - Death, "The Last Continent" by Terry Prachett.
"You have just given the oldest argument in Christendom for the existence of evil. It exists so that we may fight it and be good." - Gabrielle, "The Vampire Lestat" by Anne Rice.
"It is interesting to me in these moments that our concept of heaven is one of ecstacy. The joys of heaven. The concept of hell is pain. The fires of hell. So we don't think it very good not to *feel* anything, do we?" - Lestat, "The Vampire Lestat" by Anne Rice.
Some sites I've found helpful:
http://www.pantheon.org - this place is for the fantasy writer. Lots of information about mythical beasts and legends.
http://www.epilogue.net - a fantasy and sci-fi art lover's dream. A great source of inspiration.
http://www.wikipedia.org - need I say more?
FictionPress.com - let the words flow
