Author Rachel Wiley Bard: Word Vomit, Magical McGuffins, Orphans, & the Chosen One-Ep.23

This week author Rachel Wiley Bard talks with us about fantasy. Together we dig into tropes, pet peeves, and ponderings. Rachel talks about the history of fantasy and where she hopes it will go from here. We discuss the importance of speculative fiction. Don’t miss as Rachel recommends the one books she believes every writer should read, and discusses her own writing process.

Welcome to Read.Write.Repeat.

This month we will be giving away The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown. We will be doing a special episode on The Unlikely Ones toward the end of January. To enter, simply follow us on social media and then interact with us or leave us a review! We explain more about how the giveaway works toward the end of the show notes.

Rachel’s Talking Points

• Fantasy as a lense for examining our world and the change we want to see.
• Great fantasy authors: Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold, Octavia Butler, David Eddings, and about a zillion others that aren’t coming to mind right now.
• Tropes–You can’t write without them, just be careful not to be lazy about them or unaware that they exist. Be intentional and imaginative with them.
• The history of Fantasy–It all starts with the Odyssey.
• Genres of Fantasy
• The book every writer should read: On Moral Fiction by John Gardner
• A brief discussion of Eastern vs Western Fantasy
• Rachel recommends a book for Kelsey: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Authors, Books, & Media Mentioned in this Episode:

• Terry Pratchett
• Neil Gaiman
  • American Gods
• Octavia Butler
• Lois McMaster Bujold
  • The Curse of Chalion
  • The Vorkosigan Series
• David Eddings
• Terry Brooks
  • Sword of Shannara
• J.R.R. Tolkien
• George R.R. Martin
  • A Game of Thrones
• Kieron Gillen & Jamie Mckelvie
  • The Wicked and the Divine
• Laurell K. Hamilton
• New movie, Bright, starring Will Smith
• John Gardner
  • On Moral Fiction
• Nnedi Okorafor
  • Who Fears Death
• Piers Anthony
• Kristen Britain
  • The Green Rider
• Naomi Novik
  • Uprooted
• Kelly Link
• Archive of Our Own
• C.S. Lewis
  • Chronicles of Narnia
• Robert Heinlein
• Mary Shelley
  • Frankenstein
• Ursula Le Guin
  • A Wizard of Earthsea
• Neal Stephenson
  • Snow Crash

Writing Prompt:

• You get this magic item that is supposed to save the day and it just does not work, or it works in some really bad, unanticipated ways.

Don’t forget to share your writing with us. You can submit your writing to be featured through the Submit Your Writing tab at tibetanlemon.com or post it as a comment on our show notes!

Listeners weigh in:

• What are your favorite fantasy novels?

Let us know in the comments section below, or by tagging us on social media! Your response might be featured in an upcoming show and you will be entered into our monthly giveaway!

Connect and Win!!

• Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for December. This month we will be giving away The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown. To enter, simply follow us on social media and then interact with us or leave us a review!
• You can find other Giveaways on the giveaways tab and in the Give us a Shout tab on our website. Be sure to check those out. We ship worldwide, so don’t hesitate to enter our giveaway.
• If anything sparked an idea for you, or you have thoughts or ideas about what we should discuss next. Let us know. Fill out our survey for a chance to win cool prizes!

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Thanks for listening to Read.Write.Repeat! Talk with you next time!