Bingo, Odo and Frodo: Tolkien, Lewis And The Discovery Writer

02/03/22 • 20 min

Who are Bingo, Odod and Frodo? We'll give you a clue when we say that when Tolkien first started work on The Lord of the Rings he had a very different idea about his story and where it might be going! In this episode, Julia Golding considers how the writing process happens. Did Tolkien have a carefully tended allotment, or was he slashing a path through the wild? Was Lewis driven only by pictures that became stories, or did he have a greater plan? Julia also draws on her own experience as a fantasy writer to consider how planning and spontaneity combine when writing. And at the end, we choose where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to be a shapeshifter. Watch out for the werewolves!

For more information please visit https://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org

For more information please visit https://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org

Previous Episode

The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Title Reveal

Following the trailer reveal for the Amazon Prime TV series title - Rings of Power - Julia Golding and Paula Kalamaras discuss what we've learned about the direction in which they are taking the series. We now also have a date for the first season and release dates for subsequent episodes. Which well-known characters are likely to return? Who is Celebrimbor? Did you know elves had secret societies? Was it a good idea to give the young Galadriel the voice-over (if it is her)? How does the story of the forging of the ring intersect with the story of Numenor? What are the challenges faced by the scriptwriters? These and many other questions are discussed. Let us know your theories in the comments.

Next Episode

The problem With Witches...With James Nicol

In today's podcast Julia Golding is in conversation with James Nicol, author of The Apprentice Witch series (Chickenhouse) and one of our tutors on the creative writing courses. What are your favourite witches in fairy tales and in novels? See if you agree with James' and Julia's picks. They go on to discuss the problem of the history of witches in our world, how women labelled as witches were marginalised, persecuted and sometimes killed. What should you do with that real-world inheritance when writing in your own fantasy world? Find out James' solution. They discuss the issue of black magic and evil. Some readers won't touch books with witches in, seeing them in this bracket. However, fantasy witches come from many more backgrounds. James and Julia discuss the rare occasions of getting banned from some shelves for tackling this subject. To conclude, they decide in which fantasy world it is best to be a witch.

Visit https://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org for more information on today's podcast. For a full transcript, visit https://podcast.oxfordcentreforfantasy.org