So, earlier this morning I was working on some writing/world-building and was doing some research on snowy mountain villages. I had remembered some shots of the Swiss Alpine village from the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and thought I’d find out where the movie was filmed. Such googling brought me to learn that the evil-guy base in that film lies on the top of the Schilthorn, which overlooks the Lauterbrunnen valley and its collection of villages.
I had recognized this name and the image of the valley from earlier searches about the origins of Tolkien’s works. It has long been posited that Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland was the inspiration for Rivendell in Middle-Earth. He had traveled there in 1911, and wrote years later in a letter to his son Michael:
“I am… delighted that you have made the acquaintance of Switzerland, and of the very part that I once knew best and which had the deepest effect on me. The hobbit’s journey from Rivendell to the other side of the Misty Mountains, including the glissade down the slithering stones into the pine woods, is based on my adventures in 1911… Our wanderings mainly on foot in a party of 12 are not now clear in sequence, but leave many vivid pictures as clear as yesterday.”
To further drive this home, here is Tolkein’s rendition of Rivendell next to an image of Lauterbrunnen:
But just in case we needed more proof, I have some linguistics to back up this claim!
Lauterbrunnen is made up of two German words. “Laut”, which means “loud” and “brunnen”, which means “fountain”, “well”, or “spring”. So Lauterbrunnen means “loud-fountain”, “loud-well”, or “loud-spring”. I couldn’t help but notice that “brunnen” sounded an awful lot like “Bruinen”, the river that hugs right up close to Rivendell in Middle-Earth. It is in fact the fords of the River Bruinen where the Black Riders are washed away by those horse-shaped rushes of water.
As depicted here on a few paperback versions of FOTR
Going deeper, I couldn’t help but wonder what “Bruinen” meant in Tolkien’s works. Surely, it would have some sort of translation from one of his languages. After some research and reviewing the text, whattya know, “Bruinen” it means “Loudwater”. Extremely similar to the translation for “Lauterbrunnen.” What a linguistic homage!
Doing a Control+F of “Loudwater” on the text of The Fellowship of the Ring shows that it is mentioned five times in the text. Here is the clearest indication they are the same river:
“What is that other river we can see far away there?’ asked Merry.
”That is Loudwater, the Bruinen of Rivendell,” answered Strider. “The Road runs along the edge of the hills for many miles from the Bridge to the Ford of Bruinen. But I have not yet thought how we shall cross that water.”
“Nen” can be found in other water-based Middle-Earth locations, like the lakes Nen Hithoel and Sea of Núrnen? As to whether this “nen” meaning “water” came first, and it was a happy coincidence that “Brunnen” had “nen” in there already, or if that came first and Tolkien decided to use “nen” for multiple water locations, who can say? Maybe a Tolkien linguist could help me out here!
Either way, couldn’t ignore this little linguistic homage and thought I would share. Happy reading!
You might not have ever heard of Jim Butcher, but he came out with a book last Tuesday. Well, he came out with another book. The fifteenth, in fact, of his wildly popular urban-fantasy series, The Dresden Files. Despite not being a huge fan of urban fantasy, I found myself at the launch party for Skin Game at Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach, California. While all the talk of Odin, and Bigfoots, and Wizard councils was over my head, I could glean a bit of writing advice when the breakneck Q & A went into that territory. No matter what you feel about Mr. Butcher (some love him , some do not) he had some interesting things to say about all things writing (from tips on how to make a good scene, to sharing some of his idiosyncrasies) that are totally worth listening to. Here we go!
6. He gets his most of his writing done between 2 am and 7 am.
I’ve heard from numerous writers that they like to write mornings, but I doubt they mean this early. When asked why he writes before the break of dawn, he said it’s for two reasons. First, it’s quiet. He stated that he needs it to be absolutely silent for him to write (Patrick Rothfuss has said this about his writing process, too), and, unless you’re living in a college dorm, 2 am – 7 am are pretty quiet hours.
In addition to having the world silenced for a few hours, he said it was also the only time he’s guaranteed not to be bothered by anyone or anything. While that might come off as stand-offish, he explained it like so: “it’s the only time when I don’t have to answer a phone, or someone e-mails me and says ‘hey, we need your answer on this right away.'” Being a bestselling of author of over twenty books (he has another series, too), he’s bound to have heaps of calls and e-mails getting in the way of his writing time. When one girl asked why he couldn’t write amidst all the requests for his time, he said. . .
5. His writing brain is not connected to his talking brain (or brain for anything else)
Not only does Jim Butcher need interrupted quiet when he’s writing, but he also stated that he can’t even write after having talked to people. “After I talk to someone, I can’t even get a word down for like an hour.” To him, his brain for talking to people, doing things, and his brain for creating his stories are completely separate areas. Perhaps it takes a literal removal from others for him to enter in that world of creativity, like it’s some other world, only accessible by a certain amount of time of isolation. Interesting.
4. He will totally steal any idea he thinks is cool (and thinks we all should too!)
During the Q & A, someone asked him if he’s taken any ideas he thought were cool and integrated them into his stories. Without hesitation, he said “Absolutely”. If he thinks something is cool, he will stick it in his story and, with much conviction, said he “will make it work.” He referenced Harry Dresden’s ride on a T-Rex as being one of the harder ones to work in, but he eventually got it to work. He then went on to say that famous Picasso quote: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
If only he’d gone into the arts. . .
3. He has a selected team of devoted beta readers
Before he sends his books off to his editors, he will first have a group of highly-selected betas read it. Editors are of course essential to the book-writing and book-publishing process, but for first impressions, he goes to his betas. When a hopeful fan asked him what he looked for in his beta readers, Butcher responded with “complete enthusiasm for the story and product”. Editors might read every book, sure, but they might not be the people who’ll be at the bookstore at 9AM to get the next installment as soon as they can. He went on further to say that after his betas have scoured through the text, there is really nothing left to fix once he passes it off to his editors (which the editors like!).
2. How to write a kick-ass action scene
For a lot of aspiring wordsmiths, action scenes are tough ones to crack. So when a fan asked him how to make a good one, Jim Butcher told her to watch football. While we were all confused at first, he went onto say “and listen to the announcer. Their job is describe what is happening for the people who can’t see it. And if you really listen to what they’re saying, their main objective is to tell you where the ball is. And the ball, in your scene, is whatever your character is trying to do or where they’re trying to go. So, focus on your ball, and give a vague idea of what’s happening other places.”
Very insightful. In a large action scene, we might assume we have to tell everything that is happening. I mean, there’s thousands of troops battling, and a score dragons breathing fire, and a swarm of bewitched Franzia boxes flying around! However, we really only need to focus on our characters because, well, we don’t really care all that much about troop #5,678, or Orc #3,471, do we? (I care about the Franzia.)
This line of thinking reminds me of what Peter Jackson said in terms of the editing the Battle of Helm’s Deep for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Of all the versions of that battle, he noticed that the battle got boring when you weren’t focusing on one of the main characters. Sure, show a couple of nameless elves and Orcs fighting, but then GET RIGHT BACK to one of the people we care about. And what was the result? One of the coolest battles in recent cinematic remembrance!
Don’t act like you don’t like it
1. Write the book you think you can just barely pull off (if you do at all)
The evening’s most inspiring quote is the one above. Shoot for the book that is just above your skill level, the one that you think you can just maybe pull off. The novel that is that crossbeam you think you’re maybe able to jump up and touch, the novel that is that 5k you think you can run, the novel that is that triple-burger and fries combo you think you can finish (after the 5k, of course. . .). He said he reaches for the top for every book he writes. “If I write books that are easy for me to write, I think that would get boring for me very quickly. I wouldn’t be into it as much, and I think the fans wouldn’t be into as much either.” You should always be striving for that next level, because, not only will you and your fans lose gusto (which is probably the most important thing to have while writing), but you will never improve your craft (which is what we’re all here to do!). Even hardcover bestsellers can keep improving, and so can we!
En conclusión
So that’s all of it, or at least all he had to share that night. Looking at his extensive bibliography, I’m sure he has a bunch more tips to tackle all certain types of scenes. Alas, these are the ones he shared with us, and now I am sharing them with you. Hopefully this helped you learn a bit more about how you write, whether you’re someone who has to type in complete silence, or one who prefers a noisy coffee shop (like Harlan Coben does!), or someone who needs ten doughnuts before they can put their fingers on the keyboard.
Until next time, keep writing! I’m going to take a break and practice that Legolas shield-move down my apartment complex’s stairs. (Keep a look-out for my subsequent medical-bills-focused Kickstarter.)
I am completely knackered while writing this, but thought I would drop in. Last week, I told you all about how I worked at the Los Angeles Times Fesitval of Books (which was awesome) and, going on the next loop of the independent-bookseller-event roller coaster, I worked WonderCon this last weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with WonderCon, it’s a three-day convention for comics, science fiction, fantasy, video games, movies, television shows, and everything geeky! Think San Diego’s massive Comic Con, just a little smaller.
On the first day, I totally got to geek out at Amy Talkington (yes, geek out at her) about her debut book, Liv, Forever, which I was in the middle of (right in the depth of all the mysteries and intrigue and wondering WHAT IS HAPPENING AT WICKHAM HALL?!) If you guys haven’t read it, you should seriously totally go to your independent book shop and GET THE FUCK ON IT (blurb by Casey Poma). I have since finished it, and will now write her a lengthy e-mail of what I thought about the ending (as she requested!).
Seriously, ppl! It has mystery AND ghosts!
When I wasn’t freaking out at authors, I was stationed at our bookselling booth and was deemed the line-management dude (official title, for sure). This meant that I could stand right by the table with the authors and moderate the line, which also meant that I could totally chat with the authors and and pick their brains about the business, creativity, or just anything in general. I learned tips and tricks from all types of writers, from the those who write urban fantasy, to middle-grade stuff, to funny books with lots of sex in them. Some of them were also bloggers, others animators, and musicians, and everyone had something cool to say, and was supportive when I told them of my own writing goals (which is pretty damn great).
When I wasn’t curating knowledge (and bznz cards!), I wandered around and experienced just some of the things there was to do (seriously, there was so much stuff). Tommy Wiseau was there at his booth for The Room. A minute later, I nearly had to be resuscitated when I saw a Jurassic Park booth with ORIGINAL concept art drawings. The man who obviously didn’t see how faded my shirt and shoes were was trying to sell them all to me for 100 bucks. I had to politely decline, but opted for a classic JP logo shirt. Fuck yea. On my way back, I stumbled upon Larry Thomas, aka the Soup Nazi, and scored a picture (and made sure not to ask for any extra bread).
No hoverhand for the Soup Nazi
All around, WonderCon was a pretty amazing experience, and if anything, solidified that yes, this nerd world is a world in which I could continue to work. Last week, I mentioned how Rome wasn’t built in a day, and how my empire of Creative Career won’t be either. I also mentioned that I am starting to feel like I am laying bricks, and have now realized that business cards kind of look like bricks, don’t they? Let’s build this city!
What about you? Share your WonderCon experience!
Until later,
Casey of Obsessed-With-Books-Land
More pictures!
Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!
The Schwartz is with them.
Awesomely, these people did not know each other, but found each other in the crowd.
I was going to publish an article about writing today, but thought why not be topical and write about the biggest book fair in the country, the Los Angeles Times festival of Books! For those of you that have not yet heard about this wonderful thing (I didn’t hear about it until my second year of living in Los Angeles), it’s a huge festival that takes place at the University of Southern California campus. It’s a weekend full of books, authors, panels, signings, booksellers, and fans!
Oh, and tents!
I would to tell you about all things I saw, but have to be honest and say that I spent the majority of the time looking at the Physical Education building, working at a Special Seller’s booth. Yes, you heard that right. I wasn’t only there. I was working at it, which means I got to lift heavy boxes of books all weekend get there before everyone else. Yay!
In addition to selling some books, I got lost looking getting people food and stumbled upon the John Green line, or should I say the John Green mob. This I found to be a pleasant surprise because I didn’t even know that he was going to be there until that morning. Had I known, I would have been like “Sorryjobcan’tworktodayhavetoseeJohnGreen!!!” While I would have loved to stand in line, get his signature, and tell him how much I love his educational videos (seriously, they are all great), I had to get my fellow booksellers some burger-y fuel. Due to my height, and the fact he was standing at that moment, I was able to see his head, which was enough for me to text my YA-fan friend: “I saw John Green!”
I saw John Green’s head! From like 40 meters away!
In addition to Mr. Green, I saw some other authors walking around, and was rather impressed with Laini Taylor’s bright pink hair (I will get around to reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, because everyone, seriously everyone, told me to read it). I didn’t see as much the next day, but heard the line for Veronica Roth (the author of Divergent) was insanely large as well, which is pretty awesome considering that people think kids don’t like to read. If anything, they were the most ravenous and hungry of all the groups that were there (not that the poetry crowd wasn’t rowdy as hell, as they are wont to be).
I don’t really know what I was trying to say with this post (which is great to say in blogging), but wanted to bring out the fact that this year I was there, and last year I totally wasn’t. I was invited to go with my writing group last year, but had to work all weekend at a German market (and like every single fucking weekend I had that job). But really, if anything, this post shows that in 365 days from now, you could be (as I am from last year) one step closer to where you want to be.
If you told me a year ago I’d be at a the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and would be even just a small, tiny, tiny part of it, I would have said you were verrückt. I mean, I was technically working this weekend, too, but selling books of authors who were on panels is way closer to where I want to be than telling someone which German mustard goes best with which wurst. (Hint: Bavarian Weisswurst and Sweet Mustard are like made for each other!) And if I could spring from the German market to working at the Festival of Books, who’s to say I could spring from there to bigger book things? Rome wasn’t build in a day, for sure, but at least now, I feel like I’m finally starting to lay down some bricks. And if I can start some brickwork, you can too. :)
What about you? Did you attend the event? Who did you see? If you didn’t go, who would you want to have seen? Who would be on your dream panel?
Casey Poma 