This a guest post by published author Seth C. Adams HarperCollins, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter.
Over a quarter-century ago–long before I had the coherent thought that I wanted to be a writer–I read J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time. As a middle school kid, I was enraptured by the majesty of the world and characters, eagerly absorbing Middle Earth and its wonderful inhabitants into my little boy’s brain. Hobbits and dwarves and elves, rangers and kings and wizards, orcs and wargs and goblins. Grand tiered cities and shadowy cavernous ruins. The expansive rolling hills of the Shire, the great open plains of Rohan, and the craggy barren landscape of Mordor. Within the pages of Tolkien’s epic was a history and mythology extending far beyond the printed word, a vast experience stretching across millennia only hinted at by the journeys of the characters presented but reaching out of the author’s mind and into that of each and every one of his readers.
Over a decade ago, Standing Stone Games (previously Turbine) took this unspoken invitation and reinterpreted–with daunting faithfulness and fidelity–Tolkien’s world through the interactive medium of online gaming. What had previously existed first in the mind of the author and then passed into the imaginations of the reader, now found new form in a fully three-dimensional living, breathing world wholly unprecedented. Sure, there were the animated films of the 70s and 80s, which to varying degrees of success and quality attempted to bring Middle Earth to life on film. But the project undertaken by Standing Stone Games provided virtual landscape miles wide, populated by hundreds of characters and thousands of players all seeking the best game to make money, allowing people not only to imagine the world Tolkien wrote about but to explore it.
Over two years ago, I signed my first book contract with HarperCollins imprint, One More Chapter, and the bridge between gamer and writer–along with the varying mediums of narrative available to the storyteller–was soon impressed upon me. Experiences in one sphere informed my experiences in the other, forming a real life Venn Diagram that enriched my time as both a gamer and writer.
Narrative and Projected Experience:
The successful storyteller of any medium understands one of the most fundamental aspects of narrative–the audience, whether reader, gamer or cinephile, experiences a story by injecting or superimposing themselves onto the situations and characters being depicted. Whether consciously or not, the audience sees themselves as a member of the Fellowship, following the beloved group as they leave the Shire, meet new allies, cross leagues across hostile territory, and eventually make it to Mordor and Mount Doom. Perhaps the reader or gamer identifies with the initially inexperienced, naive, and innocent hobbits, seeing the world beyond their home boundaries for the first time. Maybe they are a bit bolder and see themselves in the mysterious visage of Strider and the Rangers, venturing out into the wilds to keep tabs on the Enemy. Or more adventurous still, they see something of themselves in the noble and wise elves, watching the march of time, the cycle of war and peace, the rise and fall of kingdoms, over the span of near-immortal lifetimes.
Whatever the case may be, whether literature or virtual gaming world, the reader or gamer both project themselves into the fictional world being presented. In Lord of the Rings Online, Standing Stone Games transposes the world Tolkien depicts in his novels into a three-dimensional world, deftly and expertly bridging the space between the printed word and interactive gaming. When your avatar leaves the human town of Bree or their hobbit hole or dwarven settlement of Thorin’s Hall for the first time, you cannot help but remember the first time you cracked open The Hobbit or The Fellowship of the Ring and read about other characters crossing those same boundaries, traversing those same lands.
As a writer of fiction, I am acutely aware of this phenomenon and in fact, hope to induce this same experience in my readers. In my first book, the crime-country noir novel If You Go Down to the Woods, I want the reader to feel the wonder and dread of entering the Arizona woods, knowing a mob enforcer might be watching you from the shadows. And in my second crime-suspense novel, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, I want the reader to know what it is like to have self-imposed seclusion–emotional and psychological–unwittingly transformed into forced isolation, as a contract killer compels you into the violent territory of the southern border.
Whether the virtual world or the written word, the best fiction invites the audience to be a part of the story being told. Standing Stone Games understands this well, and as such Lord of the Rings Online has survived for over a decade in a competitive, uncertain industry that sees online games closing every year. And HarperCollins imprint One More Chapter similarly appreciates this fact, as evidenced by their growing list of bestselling authors and titles.
The Future of Storytelling:
The global interconnectivity of online gaming and the rise of the e-book demonstrates that both Standing Stone Games and HarperCollins/One More Chapter are well-positioned to continue their respective successes in the various mediums of storytelling. Lord of the Rings Online has survived and thrived in a market where so many others have fallen. One More Chapter continues to produce bestselling writers in an industry that has struggled as the relationship between brick and mortar stores, online retailers, print and e-books is still being determined. The reasons for these accomplishments are obvious for those who have partaken in the storytelling ventures of either party–or both, as I have. A passion for quality storytelling. A medium for reader or gamer alike to lose themselves in another world, at least for a time. I’m excited to be a part of both worlds, and eagerly await what’s to come!
*Seth C. Adams is a bestselling writer with HarperCollins, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter. His books can be found at your local Barnes and Noble, or ordered online at www.barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, and all other major online retailers. For more info please go to: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780008384609/are-you-afraid-of-the-dark/
*You can learn more about Standing Stone Games at standingstonegames.com and download Lord of the Rings Online for free at lotro.com.
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