Lloyd Alexander's Words
Lloyd Alexander has a quick wit and sharp observations about writing and reading. Use the following links to skip around and read his thoughts on particular subjects:
"For me, writing fantasy for young people has surely been the most creative and liberating experience of my life. As a literary form, fantasy has let me express my own deepest feelings and attitudes about the world we're all obliged to live in.
"A paradox? Creating worlds that never existed as a way to gain some kind of insight into a world that is very real indeed? The paradox is easily resolved. Whatever its surface ornamentation, fantasy that strives to reach the level of durable art deals with the bedrock of human emotions, conflicts, dilemmas, relationships. That is to say: the realities of life.
"As adults, we know that life is a tough piece of business. Sometimes the most heroic thing we can do is get out of bed in the morning. I think it's just as tough for young people. On an emotional level, a child's anguish and a child's joy are as intense as our own. Young people recognize their own inner lives while they journey through a world completely imaginary...
"The best fantasy it seems to me, is permanently relevant. Because it deals metaphorically with basic human situations, it always has something to say to us. Also, I think that fantasy offers a certain vividness and high spiritedness unique to itself. We shouldn't underestimate the value of sheer fun, delight, and excitement...
"Dealing with the impossible, fantasy can show us what may be really possible. If there is grief, there is the possibility of consolation; if hurt, the possibility of healing; and above all, the curative power of hope. If fantasy speaks to us as we are, it also speaks to us as we might be" [4].
"Most of my books have been written in the form of fantasy. Using the device of an imaginary world allows me in some strange way to go to the central issues—it's one of many ways to express feelings about real people, about real human relationships. My concern is how we learn to be genuine human beings. I never have found out all I want to know about writing and realize I never will. All that writers can do is keep trying to say what is deepest in their hearts. If writers learn more from their books than do readers, perhaps I may have begun to learn" [6].
"I think it's something that suits my personality and my temperament and disposition, whatever you want to call it. More important, for me, writing fantasy is very liberating. My imagination can do whatever it wants to do. This gives me a great sense of freedom" [6].
"I would simply say, and this applies to all of us—keep reading. It's one of the most marvelous adventures that anyone can have. Beyond that, I could only add: develop and nourish your imaginations, and reading will certainly help you do that. I think imagination is at the heart of everything we do. Scientific discoveries couldn't have happened without imagination. Art, music, and literature couldn't exist without imagination. And so anything that strengthens imagination, and reading certainly does that, can help us for, oh, the rest of our lives" [6].
"We don't need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They're always with us. We just sort of accumulate them" [6].
"I like to laugh. I think everybody should laugh more often. That's what helps to keep us sane...
"They don't call it comic relief for nothing. It's a relief valve. Though there are exceptions, I'm not sure a reader generally can stand too much intensity or serious, hard emotion for a long period of time without some kind of break. I don't know whether that's accurate or not, but for me it is. At some point you've got to lighten the tone. It's like the dentist keeps grinding on your tooth, and you say, 'Give me a break. Let me smile for a minute'" [5].
"I certainly do feel that they are real people. What I really think is that the characters all come out of various parts of my own personality—the good guys and the bad guys as well. They are all parts of myself, and since I'm real, I believe they are real too. The reason for that is that all of us are not just one personality, within ourselves we are an infinite number of personalities. Some of them are marvelous, some of them are perfectly awful. I hope the awful ones are the smallest parts. Even so, we're not just all one thing. And I think we can find characters all within ourselves. Plus, a little imagination" [6].
Advice for Anyone Wanting to Be an Author
"I suppose I start out a story even before it actually becomes a story. I try to understand my own feelings and what I want to express about life at the moment; I look to see what emotions are in the back of my mind, and what I somehow feel compelled to express. If I understand those things, then I start imagining the kind of story that will best express them. At some point I do make an outline. I write down notes, do a lot of research, and write a synopsis in as much detail as possible. Sometimes this can take a whole year. When I've done all that, I take a deep breath and try to stop trembling with fear, and I put a sheet of paper into my old manual typewriter. From then on, I hope for the best...
"Three things: First, read as much as humanly possible. Read everything—fiction, nonfiction, history, biography, poetry, science, everything possible. You can't read everything that's been written, but you can try. Second, write as much as you possibly can. Write stories or poems. Keep a journal, keep a diary. Write notes to yourself, or whatever comes into your mind. It doesn't matter what it is. Don't even worry whether it's any good or not. If it's bad, throw it away. Nobody will ever know. It's a matter of practice, writing, the same way that a pianist practices the scales, or a ballet dancer who constantly exercises. Simply do it continually. It really does help. It's a matter of getting fluency, of not being scared of blank paper. It starts a good habit pattern. Writing every day, even if you have to throw out what you've written, is marvelous practice. It builds up the kind of discipline you need to keep on working no matter what else happens. Third, be as alive as possible. By that I mean be open to all your experiences. Look at things carefully, listen to things, look at the world around you. And be sensitive and responsive to it. Oh, and there's one more thing. Hardest of all. Be patient. If you're patient, you can finally do everything you want to do. This applies to everything. But that's hardest of all" [6].
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