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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/8404-Grasping-at-Straws.html
Fantasy: July 26, 2017 Issue [#8404]

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Fantasy


 This week: Grasping at Straws
  Edited by: THANKFUL SONALI Library Class! Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

It's shocking, what plastic straws do.
How can a fantasy writer help?


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Dear Reader,

I didn't expect to gasp, but I did. I was looking up some information about plastic straws, for this newsletter, and the first thing I read stopped me short. Had I read correctly? End to end, straws used in the United States in a single day could circle the planet two and a half times.

Gasp.

Gasp.

That's one country, in one day.

Multiplied by the number of countries, multiplied by the number of days ... gasp. The lethal impact on the environment!

But -- and this is where you come in. The fantasy writer. Because you invent your own country, your own realm, your own universe.

And you can help. Really. You know why? Because sometimes, issues that hurt our planet the most are best discussed where there can be some distance between the reader and the issue, to put it in perspective. The way JK Rowling brings out the ill effects of terrorism, in the Harry Potter series, for example.

Let's just take this one topic, plastic straws.

There are, I guess, five types of realm you can create.

1. A realm in which there are no plastic straws. This would bring out other ways of sipping a drink. Directly from the container? In some other way nature provided -- like coconut water, again directly from the coconut? Using another implement, more environment-friendly?

2. A realm which has been destroyed, already, by plastic straws, and is struggling to re-establish itself. Rather grim, but there it is.

3. A realm in which plastic straws are heard of, but used with care.

4. A realm where plastic straws are (blissfully) usable as fertiliser or something productive, and the realm blossoms with life thanks to those straws (by implication, our earth, which can't do that, will suffocate).

5. A realm in which the inhabitants have some sort of capacity to convert plastic straws to energy (eat them? Zap them?)

(Or anything else that you can come up with.)

The thing is, by gasping and grasping at straws, we can make a big difference as fantasy writers. We can suggest alternatives in a (dare I say it) politically correct way.

Try it. Take an issue that upsets you and that you feel isn't getting enough attention, and write a fantasy story to raise awareness. Have fun!

Thanks for listening.
Dragon Sig created by Kiya gifted by Secret Squirrel! Thank you!


Read more here:

https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Plastic+Straw+-+environment&tbm=isch&imgil=tmy...


Editor's Picks

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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

Thank you for the responses to "Fantasy Newsletter (September 21, 2016)Open in new Window.

Elfin Dragon-finally published Author Icon
I just wanted to say that I do think our beliefs do inspire our writing. Whether it's fantasy, mystery, science fiction, or if we decide to write something on history, philosophy or religion. I think it would be hard not to let anything we've seen, heard, or done in our life affect what we write in some manner.

dogpack saving 4premium Author Icon
I've mostly written non-fiction, however recently I decided to explore some sifi, fantasy, and similar writing. Reading your thoughts about the possibilities with your mother gave me real insight into some of the things I hadn't thought about. Actually, I didn't know to even consider thinking in these directions. Thank you for the firm yet gentle nudge into this writing world of possibilities.

thesensei Author Icon
Good article, I believe!

Received on Facebook:
DA Wintsmith My cousin and I used to have a little ritual where one of us would hold out our hands, palms out, and the other would do the same, like a mirrored reflection until our palms touched each other's. She died when she was only 18, and later, a friend of mine became convinced that her granddaughter who was born on my cousin's birthday, was my cousin, reincarnated. The little girl was five years old before I met her. When we met for the first time, the little girl held up her hands palms out and pressed them to mine... Do I believe in reincarnation? I believe in possibilities. I believe in imagination. And the mystery.

Guy Anthony De Marco Sterling conclusion..

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