Lawler, Sharyn

Schweitzer, Darrell

English

SWOSU Digital Commons (Southwestern Oklahoma State University)

Volume 1 Issue 4 Article 2 7-15-1972 Ye Ink Stand Sharyn Lawler Darrell Schweitzer Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythril Recommended Citation Lawler, Sharyn and Schweitzer, Darrell (1972) "Ye Ink Stand," Mythril: Vol. 1 : Iss. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythril/vol1/iss4/2 This Letter is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythril by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu. Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Letter from fans in Mythril #4. Keywords Mythril; Mythopoeic; Letters This letter is available in Mythril: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythril/vol1/iss4/2 Okay, I read the serials--and was very very surprised, and must greatly revise my opinion of the magazine ••• the serials are some of the best fiction I've ever read in a fan- zine. "Night of the wolves" has two character- istics which I envy very much--ability to get the reader immediately involved in the narrative without use of stylistic tricks, and the proper handling o£ action scenes. Also it shows a rare development to the proper length, which suggests that the author could be selling pro- fessionally with a little work (Also there is a category problem--the 1st installment at least isn't fantasy, therefore there might be considerable difficulty selling such a thing.) "Juniper Hill" is somewhat derivative of the early chapters of LOTR, but still delight- ful. Again there's a quality of writing here very rare in fanzines. It's the ability to sustain interest over length without padding. June 5, 1972 makes it on style alone.) "The Homeless" is simply too full ot cliche's to be interesting. This bit about the homeless waif who is cr\ielly per- secuted in a mighty castle and becomes either the savior or the destroyer of the place has been done just too many times. It was ob- vious as soon as the Talisman was mentioned that the kid would find it, and the only sur- prise was that he would sprout wings, which seems more a sigu that the story was written around the cover than anything else. The means of the finding of the talisman is also less than plausible. "Richard" is somewhat better, though it smacks too much of women's gothics, with the indispensible frightened heroine wandering around in the dark sequence. What's it doing in MYTHRIL? I didn't read the serials yet, as I'd rather judge them as a whole. One comment on the map on page 1;. The graphics end of it is superlative, as is everything Tim does, but there's something lacking in this map. I think it's details. 'I'his map is full of strange na.c:es (cany of which sound like something from Tolkien) and is covered with little houses and rivers and the like, and it implies nothing. One of the most important things about a fantasy map is that it should suggest a lot--like the history of the world, not to mention the plot of the story. You could look at the map of Middle Earth, and even if you had never read the books you could see a lot in it. "Here of Old was the witch-realm ot Angms.r" for example. There is a certain sameness about the map in this issue, that makes it rather dull. I'm sure it's functional for the story, but by it- self it isn't much. I might suggest''an idea for ma.king a map interesting easily. I just throw hal!- formed ideas around mine. You get things like "Phs.riti's Expedition Perished Here", "Here Thinds.rek and Ginspuin met in peace for the last time", "The Bolding of Hing Huian" etc. When I started this I had no idea what those things were, but they ended up suggesting to me. I've since written about Hing Huian and~hindarek. That's cheating I suppose, but it does make things more interesting. "Korath Tuglon" is an attempt at a Dunsany story, and not a very good one. It basically lacks enough development to make it interesting. The plot isn't much, but Dunsany could pull something like this off by great· numbers of tiny marvellous details. For ex- ample, "The Long Porter's Tale" has no plot at all, but filled with tiny things that make it work. Also this problem has the problem of lacking a protagonist, which means that another means has to be found to hold the reader's attention. It has to be made into quasi-legend, and this means either a great epic-sense (e.g. great scope, many years), or thru pure stylistic power. Btylistic power is something that Cook doesn't have. (See "Ho!'I One Came, As \·las Foretold, To The City of Never"--this one lacks any real plot, but 4 me. Darrell Schweitzer Strafford, Pa. Some comments on M'Y'!'HRIL ;: The package is attractive but you should have more artwork. l'aula l'tarmor can draw quite well, so why not have her do some? //Did you but knowl(Sigh)--LAR// ~he contents really didn't impress I can't resist mentioning a few favor- ites. Bharon Wells' "'!'he Legend of Loch.Ness" is charming, and the last episode is specially well done, with the farmer's discovery that Geor§e's clothes don't get wet. "One 8tayed Home by Simone Wilson retains the flavor o! genuine old folk tale in spite of the delight- ful unconventionality of the whole adventure's ta.king place in John's own village. The ac- companying silhouettes by Farley are exactly right. In fact all the art work is very tine, including the fancy letters and marginal dec- orations; Bonnie GoodKnight's·dragon on the cover of the Winter '72 issue is splendid and terrifying. '.l'atiana Szettel's "Juniper Hill" can only be comps.red to the Great Cake in Smith of Wootton Majtr--besides being good overa1r, there is a reasure in nearly every paragraph. And Tim Kirk's song-of-sixpence king is delicious also! I know one's not allowed to ask what a myth means, but Lyue Notis' '"l'he Meet- ing" is too compelling to let by and too ambiguous to let be. Within the narrative itself, there is a problem absorbing the sudden appearance (or rather materialization; his appearance is just one of the things ·1acking) of the third horseman. And then, of course innumerable meanings can be read into the story, including contradictory ones; the author hasn't given meny clues even to the general direction in which to find meanings; I for one am not sure whether the meeting is a good thing, or a bad thing--or merely a necessary thing with the ultimate outcome still undecided. However, this odd little piece has the true mythical quality, and it is unforgettable. Just a brief note to congratulate you all on the two issue~ of Mythril so tar. This is a really good idea and you are doing it beauti!ully. The diversity o! interests of the Society and the productivity of the differ- ent special groups is a very encouraging in- dication of the health of the organization as a whole. Bpring!ield, Ohio 8haryu Lawler ~ ·~ ·~ ·~ ~ t ~ ~4 ~.~4~4 ~ .... ............................................. .... .... ... .... .... , ................... 1Lawler and Schweitzer: Ye Ink StandPublished by SWOSU Digital Commons, 19725 tiy Paula lnarmor And thou art found the witchwhore's trick, a stickclown forged of pitchfork wrack all wrapped in gilt-stitched garments gay and charmed, a clockwork man all wound, a mockery with feathers crowned togethe~ bound to stock her play. Ah--helpless art thou, scrapheap-born, and hapless, shorn of manhood's prance? Thy princely form knows ignorance no more; nor lives my once proud lord; we mourni'ul limp down dim-lit shores to drown in insignificance. Come, thing of straw and pumpkinhead, while bitter summer's winds blow bleak. I'll bind thy broken sticks with string and bits of ribbon; bleached by sun, we'll seek an end where brine-waves run, or mend, perhaps, in the way of things. I stand before thee, fool uru:tanned, my body strewn with ruby signs, the witchlines jeweled in living blood and bruises livid on my breast, tbe tuneless graveyard wind my breath, my tresses charred and grey with mud. I battled with the gilded bitch and witchcraft wielded as a sword tbat glittered wilful toward her doom; now ruins, shattered litter lie with brass illusion cast aside, all losers, trapped in Truth's black tomb. Tfte ~carecrow It might go to the Jungian racial memory/arche- types business. I believe that the handling. of the religious elements is the most important thing in creating a fantasy. world. (2nd is the geography.) ••• you have to decide which of your imaginary gods, if any, are real ••• this then determines the culture and behavior of the in- habitants. Yhich in turn influences your plot, etc. I am basically interested in anything with mythic undertones, and have a noted weak- neae for religious science fiction. (Also tor light treatments of folklore--there'~ a story in the new CRAB about a Jewish vampire who went into a 1000-year sleep to evade the Nazis.) Perhaps the only thing Tasha should learn is n·ot to tell so much ·about her characters which reads 1nce-synopsis, but show these things, allowing the desired information to seep through conversation and situation. It's a very fine story so far, and if it doesn't run off to a predictable and trite ending it could be excellent. ~ven after reading the Szeftel serial I think her map is empty and unsuggestive. Does not give any impression of fantasy, but looks like Bnglish countryside. Myth I would define as a constantly re- curring pattern of human thought and experience. 2Mythril, Vol. 1, Iss. 4 [1972], Art. 2https://dc.swosu.edu/mythril/vol1/iss4/2

Ye Ink Stand

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Ye Ink Stand

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