Epic

Game of Thrones has brought fantasy into the general consciousness in a new way recently. The hype around the casting and filming of The Hobbit has been the tail end of the general enthusiasm for the genre that has hung on since the LOTR films came out in the early 2000s. But Game of Thrones is quite a different beast, and has achieved quite a different audience.

Perhaps it's the fact it's a TV series, with weekly cliffhangers that make it addictive. Perhaps it's Sean Bean meeting ANOTHER untimely end. Perhaps it's all the nudity. But George R. R. Martin's series has been a worldwide success.

A column in the Evening Standard magazine on 13 April gave the headline news:

• The TV series is airing in 150 countries;
• 522 000 people in the UK watched the first episode of series two. Only 98 000 tuned in for the fifth season premier of Mad Men.
• Each TV series costs £38m to make.

Pretty impressive. The books continue to appear and continue to be popular too, although I have to admit, not with me.

I personally dislike the format of telling a story through individual characters having their own distinct storyline. Although I hugely admire the planning and forethought that goes into it, I get irritated by an author of such omniscience that they seem to be weaving you into some great tapestry, with only them knowing what the eventual design will be. I think that for some people this is the appeal - there is no chance of guessing the ending. Martin's characters are interesting too - not as delineated between good and evil as many fantasy novels, LOTR included.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the success of the series. Despite the obvious fantastical world, there is something 'real' about the scenarios. This may be something that appeals to those who usually dismiss fantasy as too simplistic. But as my post below says, one of the reasons I love the genre is exactly this simplicity.

Telling a story through alternating characters will never be a device I employ. Apart from anything else, I don't plan stories like that - I write chronologically and only know what's coming next after I've written the previous bit. I'm willing to admit that is potentially a limit on the scope of my writing. I will never devise an entire language for my worlds, as Martin has in creating Dothraki. And I will never write a series of eleventy-billion books. I just don't have the scale of ambition. But I will write the sort of books that I would like to read. And which author can do more than that?

Is this wise?

A couple of weeks ago I started jotting down a couple of ideas for a story.

As with most fantasy writers, my stories take place in a world created especially for them. A whole world demands more than just one story, and I've always planned that my original story be the first in a three-part featuring the same characters.

This new story was set in the same world, but in an entirely different place and with completely different characters. I've so far written just over 7000 words, just to see if the original idea actually works on paper (screen). I think it does. But then I would say that. I have sent said words to my sister for an objective opinion.

Is it wise to start another story before the previous one is completely finished?

On a lighter note, I bought some reduced-price garlic prawns in M&S earlier and am planning a posh stir fry. This can only end in wonderful deliciousness and no food poisoning at all in any way.

This year the world ends

Hundreds of disappointed readers will have noticed that I have not put up a new post in well over a year. The initial clamour was hard to deal with, but the news of the impending Mayan Death Ray destroying the world this December made it worth focusing on other things. On the off chance that the world does NOT end, I have decided to get back to it.

Other things that have happened this year:

• I moved house. Not far, but it took a long time. A bit like the final push to Mount Doom.
• I changed jobs. Again, not a big move, but it means I work in an office rather than at home. This may affect future writing operations...
• My brother got married to a lovely lady from New Jersey, and we all went out there for the wedding.
• I bought a new pair of boots and wore them all winter.

But perhaps most pertinently:

My MS now stands at almost 80 000 words and the story is complete, but the editing is only just beginning. It is hard to edit your own story (and wise people don't go it alone, as my brother can tell you: http://plottypus.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/on-vital-importance-of-not-editing-your.html). Luckily my great friend and professional editor *extraordinaire*, Ms Elizabeth Thompson, is also doing a great job.

Followers of my brother's blog, Plottypus, will also see that he is currently at 'beta-rader' stage (who knew that was a stage?). His book is fantastic, so imaginative and with real pace. It's been a privilege to read it in an early stage, and make some comments. When he's done with this re-write, he's on my list of people to get to read mine.

While all this is going on, I am really enjoying Twitter for the writer's communities on there. It's a great use of social networking to connect with people who are involved in the same sort of things as me. When I've delved a bit further I'll post about some of my favourite follows.

In the meantime, duck and cover everyone.