Part 2 of my interview with Barbara Large, founder of Winchester Writers' Festival as it is now known, is now up on Chandler's Ford Today. Barbara shares what she thinks all writers need and what the common mistakes of new writers are amongst other topics. It is difficult to overestimate just how much wonderful help Barbara has given over the years to writers of all genres.
On my Fairytales With Bite website, I use this post to make me think about the role of fictional interviews. But it also led me to think about the role of teaching and advice in fiction. As well as the fictional schools (Hogwarts, Unseen University and so on), the role of advisor/mentor is often crucial. (I always think of Gandalf as chief amongst these and I know that's not just his only role, far from it, but for Frodo Gandalf is very much his turn-to-for advice person!).
So in your fiction, who does the teaching? Who gives the advice? How much experience do they have and how did they gain this? Are they respected or despised? Is their advice generally heeded or ignored (and what are the consequences of either of these?). Do your teachers/advisors get to have the joy of seeing those they've mentored go on to achieve great things? Or are they killed off to try to stop the person being mentored from carrying on with their quest?
Plenty to muse on there I think! (And I do hope you enjoy the interview with Barbara. I can't think of anyone else who has done so much for writers in the UK).
On my Fairytales With Bite website, I use this post to make me think about the role of fictional interviews. But it also led me to think about the role of teaching and advice in fiction. As well as the fictional schools (Hogwarts, Unseen University and so on), the role of advisor/mentor is often crucial. (I always think of Gandalf as chief amongst these and I know that's not just his only role, far from it, but for Frodo Gandalf is very much his turn-to-for advice person!).
So in your fiction, who does the teaching? Who gives the advice? How much experience do they have and how did they gain this? Are they respected or despised? Is their advice generally heeded or ignored (and what are the consequences of either of these?). Do your teachers/advisors get to have the joy of seeing those they've mentored go on to achieve great things? Or are they killed off to try to stop the person being mentored from carrying on with their quest?
Plenty to muse on there I think! (And I do hope you enjoy the interview with Barbara. I can't think of anyone else who has done so much for writers in the UK).
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