Fall From Faith

 

Art Nouveau / Frank Johnston/ The Fire Ranger

I’m annoyed with myself.  

My fiction writing has been, for the most part, a balm to my soul.  It keeps me occupied and my brain happy.  But lately, due to my compulsive need to be true to the “Canon” I have probably spent too much time re-reading the Weird of Hali books and right now the problem is an offshoot of the old saw about familiarity breed contempt.

Look, JMG did a fine job of creating something new from something old.  I enjoyed it immensely as what I refer to lovingly as “Absolutely top drawer trash” (By the way, this is in no way, shape or form an insult in my eyes, trash is a book without real meaning, read for pleasure alone, WOH fit that bill beautifully) I have a fond spot in my heart for pleasure reading.  

But, what I found out in the process of deconstructing it in order to fit my own derivative story into the idea is that, due to repeated reading and trying to understand the overall plot, I started disliking the characters and the motivations more and more.

So I tried to make the characters more “American”.  Because I am one and I like us.  Sometimes JMG makes the mistake of subtly sneering at the foibles of the run of the mill American.  I recognize their limitations and the furnace that forged them.  They is good folks.  I is one.  

So, I am going to spend another week pondering what I have written thus far and figure out where I want it to go.  Currently I have no idea.