Because here’s the thing: No matter how much one tells stories of magical beasts or impossible worlds, in the end, it is always the world of here and now one is writing about. The better one understands that world, the more powerful the stories will be.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that storytelling, no matter how fantastical, ultimately reflects the real world. Understanding reality deeply enhances the storytelling process.
In this quote, Steven Brust highlights the inherent connection between fantasy literature and the reality surrounding the writer. He suggests that even the most imaginative stories are rooted in the author's observations and experiences of the 'here and now.' By deeply understanding the world we live in, writers can create more impactful and relatable narratives that resonate with readers, as those stories are enriched by genuine insights and perspectives on life.
In practice
In a writing workshop, this quote can inspire new authors to draw inspiration from their lived experiences.
In our memories, there is a graveyard where we bury our dead. They all lie there together, the loved ones and the ones we hated, friends and foes and kin, with no distinction among them. We have to mourn every one of them, because our memories have made them as much a part of us as our bones or our skin. If we don't, we've no right to remember anything at all.
It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.
Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
Music may be the activity that prepared our pre-human ancestors for speech communication and for the very cognitive, representational flexibility necessary to become humans.
To make films, it always begins with two words: what and how. First of all, you have to find a story, or what are you going to tell? And you have to find a way to tell it visually.
It doesn't matter one damn bit whether fashion is art or not. You don't question whether an incredible chef is an artist or not-his cakes are delicious and that's all that matters.
It is really so nice here-country-busy-busy with so many different kinds of things-... I must say I feel far away in another world here-... always we go to a new place...the people have a kind of gentleness that isn't usual on the mainland.
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