Wednesday 15 July 2009

The Perils Of Writing Fantasy

Last night my wife woke me in the middle of the night. I had been sitting up in bed yelling in terror. Even after she woke me, it took a long time for me to understand where I was and to be convinced that I really wasn’t in any danger. I sat there, trying not to hyperventilate while she told me over and over again in the voice one might use to calm a bewildered infant that it was all right, that I’d just been dreaming.

When I tried to describe my dream it sounded comical, ridiculous; but to me it had been simply horrific. I had dreamed that a demon had come into the room and was standing beside my bed. It was bottle green in colour and its skin was leathery, like a lizard’s. It wasn’t a conventional devil with horns and tail. It looked more or less like a man though it was smaller, but not as small as a child, and it radiated malice. I had no doubt that it had come to kill me or worse. I also knew that it was my fault that it was there. Somehow or other I had summoned it.

I wish my mind was not so leaky. Then all this stuff would stay in the part of my imagination that is reserved for writing books.

4 comments:

Paul Lamb said...

Hey, have you been reading the manuscript of my novel-in-progress?

Brian Keaney said...

God help you if that's what you're writing about.

Jarucia said...

You should stick to lighter fantasy fluff like motorcycle riding elves and ninja fairy godmothers...much less threatening :)

Chris Warren said...

Hi Brian

I am also a fantasy author - my recent book, Randolph's Challenge, Book One-The Pendulum Swings, has just been published and I'm working on book two at the moment (so I have some way to go to match your record). I also wake with the horrors, but it isn't about the content, it's about marketing the thing.

Chris Warren