Helen Lowe's Blog

So-o, it’s taken six weeks (very comparable with Section 2, as it happens) but Section 4 (of the second half of the WALL finale — remembering my “diptych” account here) is now a wrap.

So now tis onward, onward (‘game is afoot’ — with all due respect, & apologies, to the great Sherlock) to Part 5 — of 6 overall, as advised here.

You may also recall, from my post on completing Section 3, that I proposed looking at Sections 4 and 5 together. I had notions of maybe collapsing them into one section,...

On Monday, I mentioned Kim Falconer’s “Art of Adaptation” post On Time (on Supernatural Underground) in which time travel features — including Hermione’s use of a time-turner in the Harry Potter series (chiefly The Prisoner of Azkaban, if I recall correctly.)

Hermione, Harry, & the Time-Turne

Ever since, I have been reflecting on Just How Much a time-turner would benefit me with the WALL revision! I am currently closing in on the end of another section, but if I only had a time-turner I could do...

Lotsa fun stuff, that’s what.

Starting with Amanda Arista’s Halloween vibe in Tis The Witching Hour — hint, there may be large hordes of fast-moving zombies, but we’re all into ’em, right? Right!

White Walker (aka zombie) – Game of Thrones

SU HQ also reprised m’ Eat Drink Magic post from a few years back, and it’s still on point. (I reckon, anyways. )

Bag End afternoon tea

Plus-plus-plus, there’s another great Art of Adaptation post from Kim Falconer — this one’s On Time, including time trave...

Lots of context shifting, that’s what, as I shuttle from one major character arc to the next!

Now much thumbed, annotated & written over — so nowhere near as pristine looking!

Which, as I’m sure you can imagine, is sometimes just a tad discombobulating.

Now — back to that loom!

The revision rolls on!

“I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend“

~ Faramir, in JRR Tolkien’s The Two Towers 

Faramir is one of my favourite characters in The Lord of the Rings books (I was less keen on his movie depiction), and I’ve always liked this quote, hence sharing it with you today — while I gambaru on with that WALL series revision. Onward!

 

A very short reflection, I may add — but currently, it being early summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, and although going all-out on the WALL #4 revision, I must also endeavour to keep the garden in some kind of order.

WALL #4 revision ongoing!

Lest, dear readers, I end up living inside what resembles the place in Sleeping Beauty. You know — after 100 years of rampant growth and no gardening.

Thornspell potential

And it has been borne upon me, as I strive to focus on the revision without q...

As shared last week, this month’s Supernatural Underground post on leadership features Coltaine from Steven Erikson’s Deadhouse Gates, which is the second novel in his Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

Yep, this is *my* edition

As part of writing the post, I reread Deadhouse Gates, which was great, because I really enjoyed reacquainting myself with the whole story, as well as the character of Coltaine.

Picking up the book again also reminded me that it comes with a Christchurch earthquake stor...

Tis “About the Characters” time again — and we’ve leapt from the realm of “P” (names) and into the marvelous land of “R”.

As you know, this series features the minor-to-supporting characters in The Wall Of Night series, because although the major point-of-view characters usually get the discussion love: —

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that (also) “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ Helen Lowe (from a Legend Award Finalist’s Interview)

Init...

When I embarked upon this year’s “Great Leaders in Speculative Fiction” series on Supernatural Underground, I knew that one of the leaders I featured had to be Coltaine, from Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson.

Now, finally, I have penned that post, with all the many reasons I heart Coltaine included therein. But not only that — you can also enjoy the wonderful depiction of Coltaine by artist Jason Dement, which he has very kindly allowed me to feature in the post:

Coltaine and the Chain of Dogs...

“Inside The Revision” being a subset of “Inside the Writing Life.” (As it were; so to speak…)

With any manuscript revision, there’s always lots of checking, particularly around set up from the previous books — not to mention what characters said and did, or how magic worked, or settings and other worldbuilding detail.

Now that I’m not only working on the last book, but the final half of the last book, with wrap-ups and resolves very much the order of the day, the fact checking has also increas...