1. Hwaigon

    Hwaigon Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2012
    Messages:
    704
    Likes Received:
    184
    Location:
    Second to the right, and straight on till morning.

    Two kinds of authors

    Discussion in 'Fantasy' started by Hwaigon, Dec 18, 2015.

    For quite a long time I've been haunted by the idea of classification of authors.
    Here's what I think:

    There are three types of authors: The first type of author writes mostly about stuff he or she has experienced and even though his writing is not fully autobiographical, it nevertheless draws heavily on how they view the world and what they have taken from it. Let's have Toni Morisson, Fredderick Douglass and Amy Tan as an example. Or Fitzgerald.

    The second type writes about the things they haven't experienced and will most probably never experience, like fighting a dragon, researching on Mars etc. This type relies very much on imagination. These authors are like Dostoevsky in a sense; they make up a character completely different to themselves and their experience and they put them in a completely improbable situations in a fictitious world, like meeting Door in London Bellow in Neverwhere and they portray the char's behavior with all possible implications and consequences.

    Then there's a crossover type. This author draws heavily on his life experience but at the same time imbues their writing with themes and symbols so imaginative and surreal it sometimes borders on the fantasy genre, sometimes on plain fiction. Kafka and Murakami are a great example of this. Carol Berge's Transformation is Fredderick Douglass meets magic, demons and combat.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2015
  2. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2008
    Messages:
    7,851
    Likes Received:
    3,339
    Location:
    Boston
    A lot of it just has to do with the nature of speculative fiction. No one has experienced life on distant planets or going to a school for wizards, so there must be some speculation involved.
     
  3. AASmith

    AASmith Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2015
    Messages:
    293
    Likes Received:
    124
    For this story I'm writing I would be all three or at least the first two. There characters are all based on people I know, set partly in a fantasy world that I would never be able to see or do things I will never be able to do.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice