The Aspen New York Book Series "The Art of World Building"

Last night 3 prominent novelist of fantasy fiction gave us their insights to how they comprise their worlds of magic & mysticism.  The featured authors were Lev Grossman ("Magicians Trilogy"), Hannah Tinti ("The Good Thief") and Mark Tompkins ("The Last Days of Magic".)  The event was moderated by Carole DeSanti, Exec Editor, Viking Penquin.  DeSanti wisely gave a short intro to each of the 3 writers and permitted them to discuss without interruption, their methods & motivations for creating a credible, mystifying  other worldly, world.  Tinti was quite candid and cogent.  "I have a recipie of 3 things I need for creating."   Tinti explained she 1st decides on the setting, then she considers what utensils are needed, what the characters would do and then considers"what would be the weirdest thing that could happen."  Interestingly, she sited that her best ideas stemmed out of boredom when writing which would lead to her to come up with "the weirdest things that could happen."  Lev Grossman's fascination with Harry Potter & Narnia was abject adoration.  I enjoyed the banter between the authors as they were curious with each other's tools of their trades & their shared passion for imaginative settings and stories.  I took away an appreciation for the powerful magic of imagination and the liberating freshness it inspires.