Michael’s answer to “What inspires you to write?” > Likes and Comments
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Sylvia Keep sticking with it! Please. At some level, we are all stumbling around in a drafty, dark world, with our flawed selves & only our flickering inner light to show the way. It's terrific when a writer knows how to handle that tricky dynamic in a story. I can't speak for others, but it is why I keep re-reading & coming back for your next book. And a great quote, as well. That one goes on my computer dashboard. Thanks! And kudos to Karen for the question
I am writing a fantasy novel now and am in the same line of thinking as you. Maybe that's why I read all of your books. I was grounded to Fantasy at a young age with The Hobbit and the early Shanara books etc. My take on the grimdark you mention is that it is easier to write peril and drama into the story if there is a darker overtone to the plot, setting and characters. I have found, in my own writing, that making characters more likable, sympathetic and romantic while keeping the reader engaged is far more difficult. As an example, I have found that it is way easier to portray a character as an antagonist or villain if there is cursing in their language. Making a character who doesn't use foul language a villian is quite difficult for me. Michael, in the end, you're clearly doing something right :)
And as I like to point out to the people who claim that something like ASoIF is realistic and nothing else is, how do you explain that the vast, vast bulk of people live their lives with no hint of incestuous murder, baking babies into pies, being eaten alive by dogs, or being mutilated and tortured? This implies that somehow only *horrible* experiences are real and that common happy ones aren't: old people who have been happily married for 40 years or high school football teams winning the championship or the kid *not* drowning because his dad pulled him out of the lake in time. In the end, our lives are equal parts hardship and happiness and grimdark is just as "unrealistic" as some happily ever after Disney fairy tale. It is in fact, going forward towards the good things convinced that they can still happen despite the bad things that makes life worth living.
It's amazing to find an author with whom I seem to have so much in common. I think we could have been good friends. :)
I also liked the comments here.
In my opinion, both the quote from Robert de Niro and what we are talking here comes down to one thing: hope.
If you kill hope, then things loose interest, whatever they are, even life itself.
Why do we work hard sometimes and at other times we just can’t? Because of motivation and that comes with the hope of being able to attain our own goals, whatever they are.
For me, a good story must be able to be reasonable, plausible in order to make it more believable but also one that solves problems or at least brings hope in the way of solving them.
I just finished reading one such book yesterday, Mythago Wood, and the intelligent way Robert Holdstock finished it was wonderful. He did not close the story, but gave a hint on how it should develop. If you want to know more you can read the 2nd book in the series, otherwise you are still “closed” enough. Brilliant.
I only ready the first book in Ryrya series, but I’ve seen that too and that’s what I liked. I also loved that Michael J. Sullivan always (or almost always) had a plausible and realistic reason for the things that happened. That is good. And he left the door open to the next books through the mystical and ancient magician. ;-) I haven’t read it yet, but I’m convinced he will play a major part in some of the books. eheh
And that’s what I enjoy: foreseeable happiness and good-willingness in spite of hardships.
And I take my hat off to you for writing everything first and only then publishing when you are 100% certain that everything will happen as your readers wish for. That is one of the problems of so many authors nowadays and I’m afraid no one is giving you the due credit for that, but I think you deserve it.
So, Michael J. Sullivan, I'd like you to know that, in my opinion, you're on the right track. Please keep on going like that. :-)
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Sylvia
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Aug 22, 2018 08:34AM
Sylvia Keep sticking with it! Please. At some level, we are all stumbling around in a drafty, dark world, with our flawed selves & only our flickering inner light to show the way. It's terrific when a writer knows how to handle that tricky dynamic in a story. I can't speak for others, but it is why I keep re-reading & coming back for your next book. And a great quote, as well. That one goes on my computer dashboard. Thanks! And kudos to Karen for the question
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I am writing a fantasy novel now and am in the same line of thinking as you. Maybe that's why I read all of your books. I was grounded to Fantasy at a young age with The Hobbit and the early Shanara books etc. My take on the grimdark you mention is that it is easier to write peril and drama into the story if there is a darker overtone to the plot, setting and characters. I have found, in my own writing, that making characters more likable, sympathetic and romantic while keeping the reader engaged is far more difficult. As an example, I have found that it is way easier to portray a character as an antagonist or villain if there is cursing in their language. Making a character who doesn't use foul language a villian is quite difficult for me. Michael, in the end, you're clearly doing something right :)
And as I like to point out to the people who claim that something like ASoIF is realistic and nothing else is, how do you explain that the vast, vast bulk of people live their lives with no hint of incestuous murder, baking babies into pies, being eaten alive by dogs, or being mutilated and tortured? This implies that somehow only *horrible* experiences are real and that common happy ones aren't: old people who have been happily married for 40 years or high school football teams winning the championship or the kid *not* drowning because his dad pulled him out of the lake in time. In the end, our lives are equal parts hardship and happiness and grimdark is just as "unrealistic" as some happily ever after Disney fairy tale. It is in fact, going forward towards the good things convinced that they can still happen despite the bad things that makes life worth living.
It's amazing to find an author with whom I seem to have so much in common. I think we could have been good friends. :)I also liked the comments here.
In my opinion, both the quote from Robert de Niro and what we are talking here comes down to one thing: hope.
If you kill hope, then things loose interest, whatever they are, even life itself.
Why do we work hard sometimes and at other times we just can’t? Because of motivation and that comes with the hope of being able to attain our own goals, whatever they are.
For me, a good story must be able to be reasonable, plausible in order to make it more believable but also one that solves problems or at least brings hope in the way of solving them.
I just finished reading one such book yesterday, Mythago Wood, and the intelligent way Robert Holdstock finished it was wonderful. He did not close the story, but gave a hint on how it should develop. If you want to know more you can read the 2nd book in the series, otherwise you are still “closed” enough. Brilliant.
I only ready the first book in Ryrya series, but I’ve seen that too and that’s what I liked. I also loved that Michael J. Sullivan always (or almost always) had a plausible and realistic reason for the things that happened. That is good. And he left the door open to the next books through the mystical and ancient magician. ;-) I haven’t read it yet, but I’m convinced he will play a major part in some of the books. eheh
And that’s what I enjoy: foreseeable happiness and good-willingness in spite of hardships.
And I take my hat off to you for writing everything first and only then publishing when you are 100% certain that everything will happen as your readers wish for. That is one of the problems of so many authors nowadays and I’m afraid no one is giving you the due credit for that, but I think you deserve it.
So, Michael J. Sullivan, I'd like you to know that, in my opinion, you're on the right track. Please keep on going like that. :-)
