Why I Write About Elves

This was a very good little essay on why Terry Brooks writes fantasy, but more importantly it might help you articulate why YOU READ fantasy for inquiring people. Perhaps you feel some of the same consternation that Terry Brooks feels in explaining his writing. I admit that I feel it from time to time too and perhaps have even succumbed to it. There's a corner of my brain that occasionally feels that I've "outgrown" fantasy. But at some point I'll invariably reread Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings or Stephen R. Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and reaffirm in my mind that hey, there's a whole lot of depth here.

I first was introduced to Terry Brooks through his The Shannara Trilogy in my twenties. I remember enjoying it so much that I think I flew through the big books. But at some point I guess I lost my way thinking that adults should read "adult" books. So thanks Terry for helping me remember the importance of fantasy and realizing that there is a place for it in every adult's life. You'll be able to find me in the fantasy aisle of the bookstore.

Terry Brooks gives an interesting mini-biography as well as a well-written introduction to the world of fantasy.

This was a very interesting read for me. I have read seven of Mr. Brooks' fantasy books, so getting the "why" which eventually leads to the "how" was rewarding. Fantasy is a very difficult medium in which to write, for all of the reasons he lists in this article and more.

But fantasy also allows the writer to shrug off the shackles of the real world and, if you want, use it as allegory. Some of the greatest writers of our time have done so, to name two, Shakespeare and Hawthorne, although they didn't emply elves or "fantasy realms" to do so.

My take on this essay, which nicely illuminated the problems that fantasy writers have explaining themselves to others as to not be assumed insane, is that Mr. Brooks writes about elves because he wants to, he likes to, and those are the stories that come natural to him. That's really all the explanation anyone need give for why they write the stories they do.

Interesting to hear how Terry Brooks gets his inspiration and why he writes about elves. As a writer, I was eager to see if his mind works anything like mine. Kinda freaky to learn it does.

He looks like a handsome version of a little leprechaun to me, so I always thought his "relatives" were feeding him insider information. Grin!

Happy to learn he's only human ... like the rest of us hard-working writers. I always say that "writing a story is like sliding down a rainbow. ... The actual writing when one's imagination is free to wander is fuuuuuun. But marketing is like wading through a field of sticky, "chewed" bugglegum."

I wonder if Brooks would agree with me. - review by Betty Dravis, author of the Amazon Short "V.O."

Terry Brooks' short story gave me a unique look into the world of Fantasy authors. After reading his story, I was able to gain insights into what makes a successful fantasy story, and how Mr. Brooks defines himself in the oblique landscape of fiction authors.

I would recommend this story to anyone who has tried to, or wants to write fantasy stories, it gives some very helpful advice and observations.