Jonathan Elric was born in 1985 in Edmonton Alberta Canada. He has taken great pride in the fact that he grew up with what some might call an over active imagination. As a child it didn't take much for him to become inspired and transport himself to worlds that no one could ever set foot into unless he invited them into it. Perhaps his family took notice of this and when he was but a small boy he was given the complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It was a relationship that would never cease to end, it was with these books, and a few movies that his love for Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tales, and pretty well anything not set within reality was born. Growing up he was like any other person, perhaps a late bloomer, but always within the confines of his imaginations, perhaps sometimes to his own detriment. He was however able to escape from some of the things he did not care for into worlds he did. He showed a love for creative writing though perhaps took some time to properly transfer what he could see in his head into words on paper. All he knew is that he loved doing it. In Junior High he was introduced to one of the largest inspirations, J.R.R. Tolkien and his books. He became an avid fan and read as much as he could get his hands on. As he continued he made more friends who would introduce him to other authors, like David Eddings, and Neil Gaiman (Gaiman becoming the next largest influence on him.). He met William Evans when he was a young man, in his first year of Junior High and the two have been close friends ever since. Jon is now going to be entering into the Ministry field with the Navigators, and wherever else God might take him.
Who are your Favorite Authors? Why?
I can name you five authors who have impacted me the most. First is C.S. Lewis, I believe his novels where the first ones I received as a gift when I started reading as a small child. I believe I received them from one of my aunts who had an equal love for the fantasy genre. The whole idea of being transported to a world filled with the creations of Fairy Tales is something that still keeps my head in the clouds. J.R.R Tolkien is another great author, I love all of his books and the work he put into them. He inspired me to start investigating my character histories and the history of the worlds I put them in. David Eddings and his series the Belgariad, introduced to me by a friend I made in high school, is a huge inspiration in regards to creating dialog that is rich and creating the rich characters and their attitudes to bring about that dialog. His characters are so well thought out and so well fleshed out during the story you could pick them out off the street if they ever existed. You would know them like you would your best friend. R.A. Salvatore is another writer who has inspired me in terms of writing an action sequence, although he is not one of my top choices, he writes a good fight! Last, and certainly not least, one of my all time favorite authors, and yes I realize its odd to be putting up at the top of my list with other Christian authors when he is not, Neil Gaiman. This author is just so amazingly skilled as a writer, there is not a story of his that I do not like. He writes fairy tales, and horrors in the classic style, but keeps it modern as well. I am hooked to every word he writes and he even inspired me to write my small stories about the girls of the seasons, which I will link up in here one day I am sure.
Why do you write?
Easy question really, I write to escape. I used to use my imagination and my dreams as a means of shielding myself from others while growing up, and this was wrong. Its now a means of getting away from a world I do not feel well placed in, born in the wrong time one could say I suppose. Its a means of writing about things I might be facing in my own life and working them out in conversations that are not actually taking place. Its also a means of creating our world into a fairy tale, keeping that last little piece of wonder in it. Science cannot explain my writing, scientists will not bother to try and uncover my writing and explain it either, its just another mystery that I can keep in the realm of the fantastic and not have it dissected and explained.
What is a genre you would like to take a crack at writing?
Ha, I think most of my work can fall under so many different genre's, fairy tales, fantasy, epic, western, romance. I have never done anything sci-fi, its never really interested me, but I suppose if I could take the genre and make it work for me it might be alright, that or a Mystery, like a hard boiled detective novel. Maybe you will see something like that later on in this blog.
What is your least loved of all the genre's?
Science Fiction, and possibly horror, new horror anyway. I won't say I hate science fiction, because there is a lot of good sci-fi that I like out there, however I find it much to cold and often very depressing! I like hiking and being in nature, and often sci-fi takes place in cold space and even colder looking metal cages called ships. But I suppose I could make it work for myself right? Next would have to be horror, new horror though. I like classical horror, like Sleepy Hollow, or Dracula, or old ghost stories. Brotherhood of the wolf, a movie, had a very classical feel to it. The old fairy tales are rather disturbing as well. In grade 12 english we were forced to watch this movie called Wulthering Heights, and everyone hated it, but it seemed to be a kind of ghost story near the end, and there were parts of the story I really liked!
What do you hope to get out of this project?
Honestly, I just want to write, and I want a reason to write, and I want to talk to like minded people and read their work, and get involved in the writing community. Whatever else comes of it is a bonus!
Last question, where do you think your desire to write comes from in regards to your family?
Immediately I will say my mother and my father. I have read some of the poems and short stories my Dad wrote and they are just incredible! I love his writing, though I don't think I ever told him this. He wrote a story for my step mom when they got married and its really beautiful. I thought so when he first wrote it, I still think so now. I also read this story about a pet bird he had when during his first marriage. I guess a gas stove was left on in their apartment and the bird died or something. I read it a while ago, but I liked reading it, I know that much. And I have also read some of my mothers writing, some things she doesn't know I have read, I peaked in her journal, sorry ma, and she has a really great writing style. Even her blog, www.rainingsheep.com is a great read. A very nice narrative style to her writing. I wonder if they know how good they are. My step mom is an excellent story teller, she used to sit with my little brother and I when we were little and sing to us or tell us stories and I always loved that! She went on to run her own day care and day camp, so story telling was always a natural for her, and she could sign as well, so I believe my desire for story telling comes from her as well.
Anything else you would like to say?
Not really, God bless you all, and praise to you God for making this child with an over active imagination!
2 comments:
hmmm! you read my journal...shame on you! However, I am glad you love to write. Actually I bought you the C.S. Lewis books when you were still very little. The reason I bought them was because it was one of my favorite series of books when I was younger. And I hope you still have that Lord of the Rings series...
Ahh, I see I see, ya I still have that box set, tucked away someplace safe!
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