In the vein of discussing my creative influences, there is probably one other source of inspiration that I should probably mention.
As I had previously acknowledged, there were a number of fantasy genre literature sources that influenced my writing over the years, some of them more recent than others. I have also been inspired by some of the incredible anime artists and story writers who have dared to believe that fantasy fiction could address serious, adult issues about life, and loss, and finding oneself.
To that list, I should also add that table-top role-playing game that so many of us from my generation will remember: Dungeons & Dragons.
In my youth, I was a Dungeon Master for a number of role playing adventures - an experience that taught me about how to develop a theme, characters and a plot with puzzles for my adventurers to solve. It was an experience that, as an adult, I have extended to my own children: who have likewise come to appreciate a realm of fantasy and magic that they can explore and make decisions under. Characters that have different personalities, virtues and vices. And interactions that sometimes don't go quite as expected.
Speaking from my own experience as a Dungeon Master, the game of D&D was always about story telling. It was about the characters - good and bad - the schemes hidden in the background, and coming together to laugh as the players stumbled through a web greater than themselves. That balance, between adventure and story building, still sticks with me as a writer to this day.
What are some of the memories that others might have from those stories that didn't have to be electronic to be entertaining? Feel free to share them in the comments below.
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