Barbara Tarbox is one of the most talented fantasy writers working in the short story field today. She never fails to draw her characters with depth and complexity. She was kind enough to take time out to discuss her work and the field of fantasy fiction. You can read one of Barbara's pieces in the Lords of Swords anthology.

Tell us a little about your publishing history. You’ve appeared within MZB publications on numerous occasions haven’t you?

My first published story appeared in Plot magazine in 1995. Most of my work has appeared in semi-pro markets, but yes, I was published in MZB’s Fantasy Magazine and Sword and Sorceress XIX. I’m very pleased to have a story in the first edition of Lords of Swords from Pitch-Black Publishing.

What draws you to writing fantasy?

The freedom to follow the “What if?” question to the end of my imagination–though I don’t think I’ve actually reached that end yet, and the challenge of making the impossible seem perfectly normal. Then there’s that little part of me that never really grew up and believes that if there isn’t magic, there should be!

What do you think are the most important elements to remember when you’re writing fantasy and sword and sorcery?

The most important to me is that the characters, whether they are human or not, are believable, living beings. This is true of all fiction, of course, but in fantasy, the setting usually isn’t real, and the plot and action are outside of anyone’s daily experience. If the characters aren’t solid personalities the reader cares about enough to follow through a strange land, the whole thing collapses. Limitations on magic are also important. A villain with absolutely unlimited powers would be invincible; an unlimited hero would be a bore. Magic seems more plausible if it’s rare--and difficult or costly in some way.

Do you think sword and sorcery remains a viable genre? Why has it nearly disappeared?

I think sword and sorcery has nearly disappeared because of competition for its core young-male audience. Role-playing and computer games are filling the nitch the pulps once occupied. I hope many of the gamers will eventually discover reading. Online magazines might be the bridge that brings them back.
The genre is still viable, but perhaps not commercially in its purest “barbarian with a sword” form. I’m going to utter blasphemy here: for sword and sorcery to survive, it has to attract more female readers and right now it has an image problem. Most women with enough intelligence to buy a book and read it wouldn’t spend two minutes in the same room with a real, live, Conan. The “I don’t like you so I’ll cleave your head” mentality is just not attractive–even accompanied by bulging thews! Heroes don’t have to wrap their broadswords in flower garlands; conflict is fine, even mayhem, but the protagonist needs some compelling reason for his actions. There has to be justification beyond the fact that he is a barbarian, an adventurer, or a mercenary.
Giving the hero motivation and even a fully functional conscience might blur the thin line between sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy fiction, but if a broader market for great magical adventure is the result, does the label really matter?

Where do you find inspiration for your work, and where do you find the time to write?

That’s a hard question to answer because, for me, a story usually starts with an image that floats up from the stew of everything I toss into my head. The image is usually of a character in a situation or setting. Then I start asking questions about who they are, what their problem is, and so on. The plot grows from those questions. When I set out to write a story “about” something - try to impose a direction from the outside--it usually dies. I find writing time (and not enough of it), by watching very little television. I’d fail any pop-culture quiz! When I’m really into a story, the time slips away. Sometimes I’ll stay up most of the night and not realize how tired I am until I’m done.

What are your current writing projects?

I’m working on a novel based on my short story “Question Four,” and a short fantasy story not set in generic medieval Europe. I love generic medieval Europe as a setting, so I’m doing a bit of self-weaning with this one!

Who are your favorite classic fantasy and sword and sorcery writers? Do they have something that modern writers don’t have?

What the classic sword and sorcery writers had that many lack now is a sense of pace. Stuff happened–then more stuff happened! Many modern epic fantasies are bogged down by their own complexity. Does it really matter if the hero’s uncle is the third viscount of descent from the fifth earl of the usurped kingdom of the contested frozen bogs of… Genealogical and pseudo-historical appendices tail-weighted onto fantasy novels always set off my boredom warning system. Maybe I’m just impatient, but I like a story that moves!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Read outside your genre. If you don’t write genre fiction, read some. (Your mind won’t be damaged–your literary friends won’t be able to tell you’ve strayed.) Mysteries are wonderful reading for fantasy writers. Lawrence Block’s Mathew Scudder books come to mind as dark treasures of plotting and characterization, but any top mystery writer can teach you a lot about coherent stories. The more variety you load into your mental computer, the less likely you are to unconsciously copy anyone’s style, and the more likely you are to develop your own, unique voice.