Penname: Uvatha the Horseman [Contact] Real name: Elizabeth

Member Since: 28/05/11
Membership status: Member
Bio:
I'm an engineer specializing in game theory and data analysis. When I write, it's in Python.

I picked up a pen for the first time in April 2011. and learned the craft of writing from the 'how to' books sold on Amazon.

I recently joined a Writer's Group that meets at the local library. In addition to receiving instruction in the craft, my stories undergo professional quality editing. The editors are merciless about 'show not tell' and having good hooks at the end of chapters. Right now, they're on my case to stop using modern colloquialisms and write medieval-sounding dialogue instead. I don't know how to write medieval dialogue, so they're making me go learn.

Special thanks to my two copy editors, my niece and daughter, both of whom are in middle school. (My husband will not read my stories. "Ewww, slash! Get it away from me!")

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I first read 'The Fellowship of the Rings' thirty years ago when a friend from summer camp made me promise that I would. I remember struggling with it at first. I thought it was *too cute* ('They have become shy of the Big People') but because I promised my friend I’d finish it, I kept going. By the time the hobbits were hiding from the Black Riders, I was drawing pictures of the Witch King in my Algebra notebook.

I keep a Nazgul in the front hall, complete with black robes, armor, weapons, and Nazgul ring. He was too heavy to move for the Christmas party, so instead, we decorated him with reindeer antlers and paper chains. (Khamul is the long-suffering Nazgul.) The other ladies in the PTA must be used to me by now, because they didn't say too much.

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I write LOTR fanfiction from the evil characters' point of view. My theme is, 'How does a good character fall into evil?' (or as Elrond said, 'Even Sauron was not evil in the beginning.')

There are many paths into evil. I don't explore psychopathy, because it’s almost too simple to be interesting. Psychopathy means the character was born without a conscience or the ability to experience empathy, and will never change. They’re sub-human predators. They have few ‘moving parts’ and don’t evolve over time, so they’re less interesting to write about. I’ve never been able to get inside Melkor’s head, so he hasn’t been one of my POV characters.

On the other hand, the narcissistic personalities, which look just like psychopathy, are more complicated than normal. Someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, even in its extreme version, Malignant Narcissism, still has a conscience, even if they’re able to suppress it. I interpret Sauron as being a malignant narcissist. Then there are people who commit evil deeds who are not evil themselves. People can behave badly for many reasons – anger, jealousy, fear, acting on bad information, or throwing in their lot with someone who’s evil and choosing to follow them.