Bonus Tip on Writing
Dear Storyteller,
Here’s a Bonus Tip on Writing that I had absolutely no intention of sharing, nor did I ever expect to come across it; and yet I’m so glad I did. I find it increasingly uplifting and encouraging, and I hope you will, too!
But before I launch into that, I want to apologize for the long delay in relaying to you some additional tips on writing. If you have been eagerly awaiting the next Tip in The Writer’s Nook series, thank you! I’m so glad you find the information I’m sharing inspiring (hopefully) and motivating! It definitely wasn’t my intention to wait this long to post another Tip in the writing advice column. However, now that I’m sitting here, composing this missive to you, it all seems a bit Providential that this unforeseen delay occurred.
Why was this delay Providential?
Ah, because now I have the unique opportunity to share with you a Bonus Tip on Writing! It’s one that I never even saw coming, yet it fits seamlessly with my last Writer’s Nook post I shared with you. Tip#11, which discusses the importantance of determining who you are as a writer. Do you happen to be a plotter, a pantser, or a plantser? (This latter descriptor is, of course, entirely made up. It is also who I am as a writer. Is it for you, too?).
If you missed that post, then check out Plotter vs. Pantser Tip #11 here. In this writing tip, we discussed how choosing where you fall in terms of the type of writer you are isn’t necessarily crucial, but it does help your mindset when you’re sitting down to let that imaginative story you hold in your head unravel on the page.
Not familiar with this post? Be sure to check it out in order to get a general idea of each writing category. Once you’re done, come back to this post. It will help make what I have to say next way more exhilirating and inspiring!
BUT, if you already have a good handle on these writer classifications, let’s keep going and find out not only who the Master of Fantasy is, but what he had to say about his own writing process! I hope this thrills you as much as it did me!
So, who is the Master of Fantasy?
Obviously in this Bonus Tip on Writing, I could be referring to any number of great fantasy authors…but one more specifically stands out in my mind. Perhaps it does in yours, too. Were you thinking…
J.R.R. Tolkien?!
If you were, you’d be right!
While many readers love old and new fantasy authors alike, the most classical example of in-depth and masterful fantasy storytelling would have to fall to J.R.R. Tolkien. Would you agree? Disagree?
For me, Peter Jackson brought to life Tolkien’s amazing literary work, The Lord of the Rings, in such a fantastical and magical (as well as ethereal) way, that I was hooked! Everything I couldn’t see as clearly in the book now came to life in the movie.
How beautiful that God gifted one man (Tolkien) to compose such a perfect blend of mystery, quest, friendship, love, pursuit of good, and defeat of evil in one enormous tome! Not to mention the subcategories of loyalty, faithfulness, the representation of the struggle of humanity (or hobbit) with the sin nature (in essence) and the confining control of evil itself if we don’t fight against it.
Without a doubt, the Master of Fantasy Writing completely conquered the art of fabricating a good tale, but have you ever wondered just how J.R.R. Tolkien unwound this amazing story he had to share. Have you any ideas?
Read on to find out.
How did the Master of Fantasy Writing compose his masterpiece: The Lord Of The Rings?
Have you already surmised what kind of a writer Tolkien was to write something this masterful? Was Tolkien a plotter, a pantser, or a plantser? Which did you choose?
You may be very much surprised to find out that Tolkien was a hardcore pantser!
How do I know this?
Simple proof…that doesn’t come from me!
Here’s what C.R. Wiley had to say about Tolkien’s masterful storytelling in his book, In the House of Tom Bombadil:
“[Tolkien] had inserted Tom into The Lord of the Rings either to suit his fancy or to buy time. That second notion seems to have some basis in fact because of Tolkien’s admission that he was stumped for a while about the direction of the story just about the time he was writing about the hobbits in the Old Forest” (Wiley, page 8; emphasis added by me).
Okay, so maybe you’re thinking…that’s it? That proves Tolkien was a pantser. Come on?!
I’ll give you that. Bear with me, and let’s keep going so we can see the whole picture.
Is there more proof?
What other proof does C.R. Wiley have regarding this incredible fact that even the great Master of Fantasy himself was stumped, stumped, about how to proceed with his now beloved, decades-old story?
Check out this mind-blowing excerpt from C.R. Wiley’s In the House of Tom Bombadil, where Wiley includes a quotation from Tolkien himself!
I met a lot of things along the way that astonished me. Tom Bombadil I knew already; but I had never been to Bree. Strider sitting in the corner of the inn was a shock, and I had no more idea of who he was than Frodo did. The Mines of Moria had been a mere name; and of Lothlórien no word had reached my mortal ears till I came there. Far away I knew there were the Horse-lords on the confines of an ancient Kingdom of Men, but Fangorn Forest was an unforeseen adventure. I had never heard of the House of Eorl nor of the Stewards of Gondor. Most disquieting of all, Saruman had never been revealed to me, and I was as mystified as Frodo at Gandalf’s failure to appear on September 22.
For copyright purposes, this quotation was taken from Wiley’s book on pages 8-9 and was quoted from a letter Tolkien wrote to W.H. Auden on June 7, 1955, regarding his writing process on The Lord of the Rings.
Auden was a friend and admirer of Tolkien and an early key supporter of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Part of the core literary elite at the time, Auden gave favorable reviews when Tolkien received mixed reactions on his work from the literary world.
All that being said, are you as wonderfully flabbergasted and inspired by this quotation as I am? When I first laid eyes upon it, I was enraptured by the thought that Tolkien himself was indeed a pantser! Just like me! Or maybe…I’m just like him? Well, not just like him. I don’t mean that. Only my writing process mirrors his. Either way you view it, how cool is that?
Why is this knowledge so exihlirating?
As a writer myself, I found early on in my writing journey that I often received unsolicited advice regarding how to write “appropriately,” or when researching writing tips, I found it was emphasized that in order to be a truly good writer, an excellent writer even, one must adhere to the strict principles of plotting. Especially as an indie author.
At that time, the message frequently given indie authors was that if you don’t plot, then your story will inevitably be a tortuous disaster. This was quite discouraging when I was seeking encouragement and inspiration for my fledgling writing career.
is it still the same today?
Since that time, I can say that the pendulum has swung a bit the other way and that it is more acceptable to embrace whatever type of writer you may be (for myself, I mostly didn’t care anyway. I knew who I was as a writer and worked to maintain an attitude of self-acceptance, despite the fact that this appeared to go against the tide of current writing trends. It still does, in all honesty.).
But writers are free spirits, I believe, with a God-given message to convey to the world of readers. Thus, I don’t take much stock in what trends are or what is insistent for being the “correct” way to accomplish something. This typically melds and morphs with time, which is why I always highly encourage you, Storyteller, to take everything with a grain of salt. Learn what you can, dispel the rest, and only apply what you find helpful to your own writing journey.
If God has given you a story, then write it with everything in you. Don’t conform to trends or opinions. I give mine readily here, but, in the end, it is just an opinion. I don’t mean this arrogantly or with any type of conceit, but I have no intention of you either latching onto and accepting any of my writing advice, unless, of course, it resonates wholeheartedly with you. My goal and my intention is always to help you find flight in your own writing and to garner the inspiration and motivation that keeps you filling page after page with the imaginative spirit bottled up inside you. Never lose that. And never be afraid to let that side of you out.
Why include this Bonus Tip?
I chose to include this Bonus Tip on Writing because I was hoping you might see the best news of all. That even the greatest of all storytellers can transcend time with their stories without being a plotter! In fact, perhaps one might even go farther and say that the most excellent of all storytellers are the ones who are pantsers! Those who don’t know where the story is going but are excited to take the journey!
If you really had a chance to discuss all with Tolkien, I’d say that you’d find in him a perfect blend of both plotting and pantsing. Or, as we now prefer, a plantser!
How does this resonate with you?
Are you thrilled by this? Shocked? Or disappointed? How does knowing the writing process of the Master of Fantasy himself change your own writing habits? Or does it change them at all? Hint, hint: it shouldn’t.
Did this change anything for me as a writer?
For myself, it doesn’t change anything. I know I’m a plantser (with a more heavy dose of pantsing thrown in), and I always will be. I love the adventure of not knowing exactly where a story’s journey will lead me, and yet I know I’ll get there all the same. I also enjoy mulling over my story and then writing down in short hand what I want to happen next.
Again, definitely take all this with a heavy grain of salt, but I feel pantsing, or plantsing, lends more authenticity to stories-for me anyway. It’s harder for me to write in deference to plotters since I’m not one. If I were a plotter, perhaps I would find Tolkien’s way of unwinding a story ludricous and time consuming. But, alas, I cannot speak to that. So, I shall keep silent on the subject and just share my rendition of how this knowledge about Tolkien speaks to me…and hopefully in some ways speaks the same to you…
For the plotters out there, I’d love to know what you particularly think of this post and how you view it. It’s always great to hear another side and what works best for you.
Did you enjoy this?
If you enjoyed this Bonus Tip on Writing, let me know what you enjoyed best, what inspired you most, and whether it helped motivate you to sit and start writing again!
The story behind this Bonus Tip on Writing came in the form of a gift for my birthday. My older brother sent me C.R. Wiley’s book, In the House of Tom Bombadil, and I loved it! Already a Tolkien fan, I found this just settled me into loving his fantasy writing even more. Oddly, it also helped me treasure my own flavor of writing in a modest and grateful way.
What is In the House of Tom Bombadil about?
Wiley’s book is a spiritual discussion on the importance of and potential reasons for Tolkien’s incorporation of Tom Bombadil into The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Wiley’s prose is beautiful, and his contemplations are quite interesting. It is definitely a book that makes you stop and think. I came up with my own conclusion regarding who Tom may have been, but I’ll save that for another post.
If you are interested in Wiley’s In the House of Tom Bombadil, then check it out on Amazon here. It’s a short read. 102 pages and well worth your time. I should also add that Wiley is a preacher, so it is even more interesting reading his viewpoints on who Tom can and cannot be.
Should you decide to purchase it yourself, I hope you enjoy it! It’s definitely well worth it!
Did you find this post by happenstance?
I’m glad you’re here, if you did. Check out The Writer’s Nook archive here to get more tips on writing that I’ve learned along the way. I hope they in some way help you on your journey.
Until next time…God bless, and I hope you find the inspiration and compelling motivation to pour out the beauty of your imagination for all to see! xoxo
