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stina_leicht talks about something that rings true for me, too. Fantasy is always just a tiny bit deeper in my heart than SF, as much as I love SF--and also truer. The balance of light and dark is important to me, as anyone who has read my work knows. I always look for Hope--I'm just wired that way.Now--Stina, and a National Theatre video on fairy tsles...
Originally posted by
stina_leicht at The Leicht PrincessSo, today I'm swiping a video link from SFSignal because it demonstrates the reason why fairy tales (and fantasy) will always be just a bit more important to me than Science Fiction.
In my eyes, Fantasy isn't 'fluffy' and unthinking. It's mindful and deep and therefore, important. I adore the psychological and philosophical aspects of story. That's the part that fascinates me. To be honest, the kind of Science Fiction that I love is the same. Yes, I believe that there's a time and place for the fluff too. However, I believe that it's important as a Reader[1] to vary one's reading diet. Marshmallows are great, but one shouldn't subsist on them. It isn't good for you. How much is too much is up to the individual. Only you know what is best for you.
But this magical balance between light and deep is the very reason why I adore Terry Pratchett so very, very much. He's absolutely brilliant. And I suppose he's a writer's writer for many reasons. But he's one of those authors whose work takes my breath away because I'll never be that good. I can strive to be, but I'll never be because in my own work I tend toward the heavy stuff. I've found can't help it even when I think I've achieved 'super fluffy.' There's something wrong with my Fluff-o-meter when it comes to my own work. I'm not really evil, I'm just drawn that way--as Jessica Rabbit would say.[2] I've come to accept that about myself. It isn't that I'm a depressing person when you meet me. I love to laugh, and I prefer to see the good in people, but I do think it's significant that even in my flying dreams I can't take off far from the ground. I've tried.
Come to think of it, I love a good cry too. You can't live life--really live life--without doing both.
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[1] There is a distinction between a Reader and a reader. Capital R Readers enjoy reading and do so on their own without needing to be badgered into it via media, parents, teachers, or even peer pressure. They love literature for literature's sake. That's a very different animal from "I read Harry Potter and Twilight, therefore, I'm a reader." Capital R Readers know exactly what I mean here. Now, this doesn't mean I look down on those who aren't Readers. It just means that Readers have a special place in my heart. They are my people.
[2] It's something that comes up in my own artwork too. Hell, even the photographs I take come out dark. That's the funny part. It's not like I'm one of those photographers that use light meters and such to calculate exactly the right effect. (And this is why I'm only a hobbyist.) Somehow, I take a shot just like anyone else, and it comes out dark. That's just me.
