I spent way too long today writing an article on fantasy, why it is popular with both the writers who choose to write in this genre, and with the readers, who keep buying those trilogies.
I should have been working on the the first draft of the book I have to put into ROR for critiquing. We plan to have a ROR the week before World Con and I’m really looking forward to the feedback. But first I have to get my book finished (at least the story arc completed, if not polished) and then I have to read everyone else’s books and write reports on them. I’m 360 pages into the new book, but I need to go right through it from the beginning to tie all the loose ends together, then sail past page 360 and give resolution to the story.
So I should not have spent my only day off work writing an article on the fantasy genre. I agonised over what to cover and what to leave out. I had to make it accessible for those who did not read fantasy, while giving it an Australian slant. I emailed writer friends for quotes on why they wrote fantasy and what they thought readers got from fantasy books. And I sourced lots of links for readers to click through. I could not find a definitive list of Australian fantasy writers, categorised by fiction length and sub genre.
I’d like to thank everyone who indulged me and answered my emails. And I’d like to say, if I haven’t mentioned your favourite author it was not because I don’t appreciate them, rather it was due to lack of space. The genre is far too big to cover in one article. The article is here at the Australian Literature Review.
