WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT

DESIRING DRAGONS

Desiring Dragons is unique in its examination of the creative processes involved in writing fantasy and account of their value. Kevan shows that rather than being a mode of escapism, writing fantasy is grounded in shamanic and visionary traditions. The process of exploring otherworlds and returning with stories is healing and empowering for writer and reader alike. Kevan’s extensive knowledge of mythic literature and personal experience of the magic of Bardism underlie a book which uncovers fantasy’s deep roots and provides a treasure horde of practical advice for fantasy authors.

Lorna Smithers, poet

Following in the footsteps of Blake, Coleridge, and Tolkien, Kevan Manwaring invites us on a quest to find our grounding and meaning in the often arrestingly strange, far reaches of the human imagination. His Desiring Dragons is an invaluable resource for Fantasy writers wishing to hone their elfish craft, or for anyone seeking to understand the creative process that produces the still largely misunderstood genre of Fantasy.

Dr Charlotte Hussey, poet Glossing the Spoils

‘Let the Revels Begin’, by Tom Brown

First published by Compass Books, 2014
Compass Books is an imprint of John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach,
Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK
office1@jhpbooks.net
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
www.compass-books.net

For distributor details and how to order please visit the ‘Ordering’ section on our website.

Text copyright: Kevan Manwaring 2013

ISBN: 978 1 78279 583 4

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publishers.

The rights of Kevan Manwaring as author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Design: Lee Nash

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

CONTENTS

Poem: The Words to Bring Dragons by Anna Rubin

Preface

Introduction: The Fascination of the Worm

Part One: Desiring Dragons

1. Defining Fantasy

2. The Cottage of Lost Play

3. Sehnsucht and the Art of Writing Fantasy

4. Once Upon a Time…

5. These Things Never Happened But Are Always

6. A Kind of Elvish Craft

7. Consoling Fictions

8. The Birds in the Mind

9. The Door in the Hedge

10. Imagination as a Gateway

11. The Man from Porlock

12. Explorers of an Unknown Region

13. Many Worlds

Poem: The Long Earth by Adam Horovitz

Part Two: The Writer’s Quest

1. The Monster in the Night

2. Summoning the Hero

3. Ego the Giant and the Art of Bragging

4. A Night at Heorot

5. The Bloody Limb

6. Needful Digressions

7. A Dish Served Up Cold

8. The Lurker in the Lake

9. Hrothgar’s Riches

10. Homecoming

11. The Long ...