Introduction

Fantasy is one of the least valued or appreciated genres in literature. Some claim it has little artistic merit, pass it off as 'escapist' or simply roll their eyes when you tell them, "I'm writing a fantasy." Given that you are here and reading this, you know that these people are ignorant and, well, wrong to dismiss our genre. This blog will focus on fantasy writing, reading and appreciating, considering what is wonderful about our art form and valuing it for what it offers. It will also be lots of fun. Hooray!

My name is Aidan Kyval. I am a young fantasy writer and reader from Melbourne, Australia. In all honesty I live a significant distance east of the city, in a small town, but it's easier just to say Melbourne.

I have been reading fantasy since a young age and my young years were so influenced by the Lord of the Rings, that I spent many, many hours slaying imaginary orcs in the back garden, drawing arrays of mythical creatures and warriors and designing weapons and magical armour for them to use. I have planned and worked on many fantasy novels through my teenage years but, as of the time of writing, I have only finished one and that was very recently. It's called 'Stone of the Devourer' and it's the culmination of half a year's writing but around a decade of recycled characters from my earlier stories which I never finished (and some which I never started).

I am also currently studying a Bachelor of Performing Arts at Monash university and, though I may not be focusing on Literature and English in my course, I cannot recommend further education more highly to any aspiring writer. University education helps give you tools and knowledge which manages to spill over into writing in every conceivable way.

I care about fantasy and I care about stopping creative minds being stifled. I plan to combat these issues in my own small way through this blog, but more importantly I want to make an environment for us - fantasy fans - to discuss and think about fantasy without those who pompously declare us below them because they only read Dickens, Woolf and Austen. (Not that those authors are bad, just that ours are good too.)