Photo by Tom Murphy
The WORD FORGE is a working writer's studio open to all who love fiction and who are committed to honing their fiction skills. I want the WORD FORGE to be a place where writers hammer out their stories on the anvil of excellence.
An old establishment in Oxford, England inspired the creation of this blog, The Eagle and The Child pub (interior pictured above).
Years ago, if you were to wander into this pub on Tuesday around midday, you might hear C. S. Lewis reading from his current work in progress, Out of the Silent Planet; or J. R. R. Tolkien reading from a handwritten manuscript of Lord of the Rings; or Charles Williams, his supernatural thriller, All Hallow’s Eve.
They called themselves The Inklings.
Trust me, this was no mutual admiration society. Yes, they were friends, but Tolkein was frequently wounded by Lewis's critiques of middle-earth, while he himself was an outspoken critic of Narnia. The interaction of these wordsmiths, coupled with dogged perseverance, drove them to excellence.
The result? Epic stories in completely different styles, each having spirited millions of readers off to adventures in mythical lands.
This blog is a collection of my writing workshops over the past two decades. Here, you will be exposed to time-honored fiction techniques from the masters, past and present — Victor Hugo, Robert Louis Stevenson, Isaac Asimov, Steven King, and a host of others — along with techniques I've learned in my three decades of writing experience. I offer these blogs with the hope that they will help you craft stories for a new generation of readers who are using a new generation of reading devices.
And I hope you'll share some of your own experiences and lessons in the comments sections.
Bottom line: It’s all about story. James Michener nailed it when he wrote in his autobiography —
“I cannot forsee what form the book, which has been so precious to me, will take in the next century. But I am positive that regardless of how the narrative is circulated, the men or women who can create it will continue to be invaluable. The art of the storyteller is historically precious and I am proud to have pursued it.”
If you love the company of writers and are committed to crafting quality fiction, you’re in the right place. Pull up a chair and let’s get to work.
