Tolkien on Allegory

For years we have heard the story that J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Middle Earth, never intended for any of his books to be allegory at all even though the Christian community rallies around him as a writer of Christian fiction.  It is true that we can see many images of Christ in the characters of

Tolkien on Tolkien: Why Must The One Ring Be Destroyed?

I absolutely love J.R.R. Tolkien.  He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and certainly is (for fantasy writers at least) the great grandfather of modern fantasy novels. I often discuss Tolkien’s works with others, and one question that always comes up is “why did they have to destroy

Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Creating Epic Heroes

One of my most popular posts is Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers, in which I glean from J.R.R. Tolkien’s letters of his wisdom about writing.  Today I will delve into his letters again, but will focus on the epic character Aragorn and ask Professor Tolkien how he created great characters. 1.  Motivational Mirrors – Tolkien