Class Reflection

While taking Blogging for Journalists at the University of Northern Colorado, I learned the networking side of blogging: blogging is a useful tool for journalists to share their thoughts with their target audience as well as build a portfolio outside of published clips. I also learned that designing a blog visually is almost as important as the content, and without pictures and an attractive layout, few people are likely to read a blog. One of the most important things I learned from the class, however, is that a blog is a tool for discussion. It's not just about putting my own thoughts out there and that's the end of it. I can really start a forum for conversation on a topic.

 

I think that I managed to make my blog attractive and at least a little interesting, as I dealt with topics in pop culture as well as things that a niche audience would appreciate. However, I think I could do a little better in making my post read a little less like essays and more like calls for discussion.

 

The biggest surprise of the semester came when all my classmate comments were on certain posts. I found it very interesting that the first week, all comments were on my one post with pictures, while in following weeks all comments were on my most recent posts.

 

Before beginning the blog, I wish I had known more about how to use Blogger, since I have always used WordPress. It's very different and I struggled a little bit with formatting, even though Blogger's platform is simpler.

 

I will definitely continue blogging in the future, as I've had a personal blog on a similar topic for a little over a year. However, I think I will be working harder to make my posts more conversational and relatable to readers. I might also expand to blogging about literature as a whole, instead of just fantasy.

 

I have a bit of advice for future student bloggers: don't be afraid to pick what you're interested in. Your thoughts are boring if you're just rambling about a random topic you don't care about, but when you have a passion for something, it's obvious. While reading your thoughts about something you really care for, I learn more, I want to know more. Suck people in with your passion. Be you.

Religion in Fantasy: Part 2, Impact

Whether fictional, historical or a little bit of both, every well-built fantasy world and detailed fictional society is in some way affected by religion.

I discussed in an earlier post the rampant presence of Norse mythology in fantasy - something about that cold north, man - but plenty of fantasy encompasses ideas from other cultures and even "modern" religion, some of my favorites being Haitian Vodou, Egyptian mythology and Hinduism.

While it might be my go-to for all posts, I think A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the best examples of fictional religion. George R.R. Martin put extreme effort into creating his religions, some of the most notable being the "Old Ways," in which gods take the form of twisted, white Weirwood trees; the Faith of the Seven, in which one god takes on seven faces that offer followers different blessings; and that of the red priests of R'hllor, where one true god, the lord of light, commands all followers. All of them have bases in real, historical religions, and just my descriptions should allude to those connections.

While creating religion to use as a story driver is common to all fantasy, some writers take it a step farther and make it the center of their world.

One of my favorite fantasy series of all time, perhaps the whole reason I enjoy reading and writing fantasy, is the Shadowmarch quartet by Tad Williams. It starts like other epic fantasy, with royalty and castles and mythical beings that threaten them. However, as the quartet progresses, the mythology of the world becomes the driving force behind the story. It eventually culminates in one thought: Are the gods powerful because they are gods, or are they gods because they are powerful?

In Shadowmarch, like many other high fantasy series, an organized society subscribes to a polytheistic system of beliefs. Multiple gods represent various things: the sun, the moon, life, death. It's the most common form of fantastical religion, because it's so interesting to assign a name, a face and a history to a concept as wide as life or death.

It's also a fascinating part of history. Greek and Roman myths are probably the most famous of this representative system. For instance, Athena is not just a goddess, but the goddess of wisdom. While Aphrodite is also a goddess, she is the goddess of love, so their roles in Greek society are incredibly different.

No society can exist without some type of belief system, even if that belief is athiesm, and it plays a crucial but varying role in each. No matter if that society is real or fictional, religion is part of the foundation that any society's tower would topple without.

I highly recommend Tad Williams' books to anyone who is interested. He really knows how to create a good story and relatable characters. Also, his series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn inspired George R.R. Martin to write A Song of Ice and Fire in the first place. No big deal.

Religion in Fantasy: Part 1, Why Faith?

If there's one topic I could study forever without getting bored or running out of subject matter, it's how people react to religion.

On a psychology level, humans are, to varying degrees, spiritual beings. Faith and worship are an integral part of every society. Every society in history has some type of mythology. Creation myths, anyone? Everyone needs a place to go when they can't find answers. The instinctive solution is to look to higher power. Something that makes certain that no matter how chaotic your own life is, things will be okay.

I see religion as sort of a parent. When you're little and it feels like your world is falling apart, you're always confused and you're scared out of your mind half the time, you go to mom and dad and they can reassure you that everything is okay. And you have complete faith that it will be, because it came from mom and dad. Well, the same thing applies when someone goes to their God (in whatever form God comes) to look for those answers. While mom and dad might not really know or can't really guarantee perfection, it gives you comfort. Faith gives you comfort.

Religion takes hold of people, gets so deep within them it can cause fear as much as comfort. Entire wars have been waged over whose religion is correct: an unanswerable question. And the unknown causes fear. Having your one sanctuary from unanswerable questions come crashing down would unravel everything, for most. And if you've ever studied history (especially European history), you'll know that the motivation behind almost everything leading up to today - politics, societal organization - has something to do with religion.

In summary, it's a building block of civilization. Which is why it also has a presence in almost all fantasy.

Nerd Mecca

Nerd culture is alive and growing. Each year, many of these nerds make a holy pilgrimage to the convention of all conventions, and it happened this weekend. San Diego Comic-Con, the ultimate destination for geeks and nerds everywhere, took place from July 24 to 27 in the San Diego Convention Center.

Sure, there are Comic-Cons all around the country - we have a good-sized one in Denver - but San Diego brings international attention with panelists and attendees from across the world. Naturally, that means tickets are a hot commodity. This year, every last pass sold out in just 72 minutes. (Source)

With hundreds of exhibits and panels featuring writers like Patrick Rothfuss and Joe Abercrombie, cast and crew of world-famous television programs like Orphan Black and Game of Thrones, comic book creators and more, it's hardly a wonder that it draws such a crowd. It is, however, a staggering number. In 2014, the Con saw over 125,000 attendees. That's more than 12 times as many as there are students at UNC, and it doesn't include panelists, press or special guests.

Some con-goers dress up in elaborate costumes of their favorite superheroes, movie characters or video game faces to win contests and generally impress everyone else. It's pretty extensive: people spend months or even years building their costumes and sometimes create them completely from scratch.

Tickets for all four days of the Con plus the Preview Night cost a whopping $200. Add in the cost of travel a trip to SDCC is a serious investment, yet thousands obviously do it every year. So if you'd like to donate to the "Send Awnna to SDCC 2015" fund, you can visit my Kickstarter...

Just kidding! But I wouldn't say no...

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus

Never tickle a sleeping dragon, or so says the Latin motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The dragon is perhaps one of the most intriguing mythological creatures of all time. It has a presence in the history of nearly every culture, inspiring countless stories of fantasy and mystery, documentaries and searches by cryptozoologists and other legend-chasers. Aside from perhaps the unicorn and the Grim Reaper (or some physical embodiment of death), the dragon is the most universal concept of unreal creatures.

The name "dragon" originates from the Latin draconem, loosely translating to "large serpent."

In western culture we have come to accept the dragon as a fierce, fire-breathing, lizard-like creature with scaly wings and a full body resembling some dinosaurs: an interpretation stemming from the Slavic dragon legend known to the Vikings that I briefly discussed in an earlier post. These depictions have seeped into pop culture through Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, The Elder Scrolls games and countless other books, movies, games and paintings.

In contrast, eastern culture, specifically China and surrounding parts of east Asia, have a much different interpretation of the beast that is perhaps more true to its name. The typical eastern dragon is more snake-like with elements of a cat in the face (like whiskers or mustaches). Asian dragons are often seen as less dangerous and potentially good omens, and are depicted as such in The Never-Ending Story, among other places.

Even Native American culture had its own version of a dragon, a bird and lizard hybrid creature.

It's clear to see that the dragon must have some basis in reality as nearly every society has some kind of dragon legend. Archaeology in ancient times was hardly an exact science. When someone discovered a fossil from a dinosaur next to a fossil of a bird, it would be easy to mistake them for one creature - a reptile with wings.

Travelers' accounts of creatures like crocodiles and spitting cobras would have been difficult to interpret for those who had never seen the animals and could be easily misinterpreted. There are countless examples of living species with elements that might suggest a dragon.

Regardless of historical origin, dragons are a permanent part of fantasy literature, and every fantasy author is allowed their own interpretation of the beasts. Some hoard gold and speak perfect English like Smaug. Some are fierce and bestial like Drogon or the Hungarian Horntail. No matter what they look like or act like in the mind of a writer, it's undeniable that dragons are engrained in our imaginations forever.

Empathizing the Unreal in Grimdark

When reading a story about magical spells and alien creatures, the one thing you're always aware of is that none of it is real. Fantasy is just that: the unreal in literature. Yet somehow, it's easier to feel the world and the story in fantasy than it often is in stories with real-world settings.

Feeling empathy for a character - even a non-human one - is a universal in fantasy, and while it may be related to the type of person that often enjoys such reading, there's no denying that the genre gives authors certain freedom to mess with the reader's emotions.

The sense of touch is often lost in literature. Authors describe what something looks like, sounds like, tastes like or smells like. That drops you into the setting in a more immersive way. However, it's rare that touch and how someone actually feels is given the same attention. It's mentioned in passing with texture or temperature or pain, but rarely is it presented in a way that allows the reader to truly feel what the character is feeling.

Remember Game of Thrones and the definition of "grimdark?" The author of The First Law Trilogy, Joe Abercrombie, recently did a Reddit AMA ("Ask Me Anything") about his two heavily grimdark series and new young adult novel that deviates from his usual writing. One of the defining characteristics of First Law is the extensive detail he gives about feeling, both physical and emotional.

One Redditor in particular was intrigued by his presentation of a character's pain.

akiaki007: "The First Law trilogy is…one of the few series where I could actually feel my entire body (especially that one when you feel real fear), tightening up when reading through the torture scenes. The nails.... How did you come up with that stuff? Did you read excerpts of what soldiers have gone through?"
JA: "I sometimes felt the epic fantasy I read as a kid was a bit detached, a bit formal, a sense of seeing things from a distance. I wanted to write in a way that felt visceral, involved, uncomfortably close to the action, that put the reader in the skin of the characters. That was really the approach to the violence, the sex, the torture, to everything."

 

Abercrombie's writing is a particularly good example of how grimdark is often more effective at presenting feelings. I mean, the guy's Twitter handle is @LordGrimdark, so it's clear he knows the genre a little bit.

 

You can find an abridged summary of Abercrombie's AMA via Tor.com here.

Wand Waving Weirdos

Let's just talk about what a genius J.K. Rowling is.

Since the release of the first book in 1997, Harry Potter has become a complete classic and has defined many of our childhoods, mine included. I remember lying in bed every night while my dad read me the books and did funny voices for all the characters. I was five, maybe six when it started, and I hardly remember a time that I didn't want to jump into Harry's world, ride my own broom and read by the light of a wand.

The book took off before it became a movie, which is so rare these days that alone deserves recognition. Perhaps it was the controversy the book raised among some parents. (Magic? For our kids? No way! The only magic they need is God.) Controversy surrounding books and books that are even banned tend to collect more readers than they would have. Any publicity is good publicity, right?

However, it takes a mature eye to notice the nuance Rowling put into her novels while writing. It may seem obvious that she would use other languages to come up with many made-up words necessary for the series, but the extent to which she does is impressive. Every single spell and many of her names are variations and mashups of ancient languages, modern words and archetypal names, all of which are directly related to what the spells do or who the people are. It's so extensive, there's a page on the Harry Potter fansite dedicated to decoding her personal lexicon.

It's not just the words that make Rowling an effective writer, though. In essence, the story grew up with the readers, and not just because Harry and his friends grew up over the course of the seven novels. The early novels begin as middle-grade fiction, or fiction dedicated to children between the ages of eight and twelve or thirteen. As the novels progressed, they could be classified as young adult novels, aimed at kids thirteen to eighteen or so. It's not just the age of the protagonists, though that plays a part. The content grows darker, too, and it's all relevant to the age of the reader. At thirteen, what child didn't feel lost and a little bit unhappy, like Harry facing the Dementors? At fourteen, who didn't feel just a little too young for what they wanted to do, like Ron being unable to enter the Triwizard Tournament?

J.K. Rowling certainly knows how to write for an audience, and by doing so she created an empire out of her mind. I mean, you have to have some sort of storytelling prowess to get a theme park based on your books. Even without magic, the characters speak to readers, and that's a rare talent.