It is hard to imagine a world without The Hobbit. Seventy-two years ago today however, that wonderful book was published and its genre has never been the same. Just for the sake of argument however (bear with me while I blaspheme for a moment), imagine where we would be had J.R.R. Tolkien chosen to use a chisel instead of a pen?
We might see malevolent goblin statues emerging from a twisted oak stump, or maybe we'd see Hobbit reliefs carved into a slab of cherry? How about a wooden table resplendent with Smaug at its center?
What I'm getting at is that no matter what path Tolkien took, I believe he would have been creative anyway. The ideas were up there in his head and his chosen outlet was the written page. Or maybe it chose him. Either way, we became the recipients of his work, something I for one am truly thankful for. Take a moment and imagine just where we would be had he NOT taken us for a tour though his world. Okay, now breathe a sigh of relief - blasphemy time is over.
Lurker Monkey has shared something from the incredibly talented Erica Orloff that you really need to read through. It's a bittersweet tale, but Erica tells it really well.
I'm still very much in the throes of technical writing (which is why I have not posted as much), but hopefully I'll be done soon. I did have a new idea pop into my head a couple days ago, and I am currently mulling it over before I launch in. I'm doing what I can to organize my thoughts about the characters, so that when I do sit down and write, I'll be able to just run with it. Please bear with me through this dry spell.
Lastly, smile because Monday is over. Hopefully you survived yours without too many ill effects.
5 comments:
*gasp* Okay, I can breathe now. Tolkien had a wonderful ability with language, and I think I would have loved to see some of his sculptures as well. :) Hopefully you'll be able to get back to writing soon. :)
What would the world be like without Star Wars?
Without Twilight? (wait...hmmm...not so bad ;)
So glad Disney hasn't touched Tolkien. Yet.
The Hobbit was my introductory drug into the realm of fantasy books -- I went from reading them to writing them -- so I have no idea where I'd be if Bilbo Baggins hadn't entered my world. I can't count the times I checked out the book from the school library or listened to an abridged version of it on a record (yes, a record). I read the book once or twice to my brother when we were kids, and then my eleven-year-old niece was dragged into the story when she was about six, has added her own set of dog-ears and creases to my paperback copy, and watched the animated movie so many times that she speaks the dialogue before the characters do. Hobbits are officially a family tradition.
I came late to the Hobbit world. I mean, like six years ago. Before that, I didn’t know a hobbit from a habit. Nonetheless, I think your point is valid, creativity and perhaps even genius will find a way to surface such that it can’t be ignored. Like trying squeeze a balloon, it just bulges out elsewhere until if finally pops the contents (creatively) spill out.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
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