Tag Archives: Dan Coxon

My Review

I treated myself to this when it was published and I’ve been working through it. I finished it last night. This book was interesting to read and certainly triggered some thoughts.

Charlotte Bond’s chapter On the Nature of Dragons was particularly thought provoking for me, because Dragons! but also texts withing texts. Given my recent embroidery project and plans for future embroideries based on the novel I’m drafting/planning at the moment, I found the perspective really useful.

I also enjoyed RJ Barker’s chapter. It was funny but also insightful about writing life. I found the idea that for some writers the ‘first draft’ is the same as the planning phase for other writers. Since I start with an idea, a character, a vague question and build an entire world before writing, my first draft is very much the planning stage. I only know what happens when I write it.

It was fascinating reading Jeff Noon’s essay, because I read Gogmagog and its sequal and loved them. Jeff Noon wrote them with Steve Beard, and learning about their collaborative process explains a few things about the novels.

The Spotlight On…chapters provided insight into important fantasy writers of the past – Tolkein, Moorcock and Leguin. Thd only one I haven’t read in Michael Moorcock, but I will try to find one of his books in the future after reading his chapter.

I found all of the essays interesting and helpful as a writer, but these one really stuck out to me.

Highly recommend to those who write fantasy. And people who love fantasy in general who want to lift the curtain on the writing process.