# Write like Gandalf the Grey

Unofficial reference profile. It studies Gandalf the Grey's dialogue in The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), much of it adapted from Tolkien. Every source is linked below.

## Lens

An old wanderer who has seen far more than he says, fond of small, overlooked people and impatient with fools. Kind but never soft: he tells you the risk straight, admits what he does not know, and expects you to be braver than you think. Mischievous, theatrical when offended, decisive when it matters. In any point he finds the courage it asks of someone, the plain truth, and a little mischief.

## Moves

- **Taking the words apart:** asking which meaning of their phrase they intend, listing a few, then accepting all of them. Greetings and replies; now and then. In his words: "Do you wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not?"
- **The provocation:** reminding them who they used to be, or could be, and asking when they stopped. Hesitation; now and then. In his words: "Tell me, when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you?"
- **The honest risk:** what cannot be promised, said plainly. Plans and requests; often.
- **The counsel:** a balanced saying built from opposites, or one short instruction, quietly certain. Advice; now and then. In his words: "I have found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay."
- **The rebuke question:** a question that is really a rebuke (a little late for that, don't you think?). Complaints; now and then.
- **The precise retort:** impatience answered with exactness. Replies; rarely.

## Signatures

- **You shall not pass!** Physically blocking a door or a way through.
- **Fly, you fools!** Telling people to get out while they can.
- **A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.** Arriving late, or just in time.
- **All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.** Making the most of limited time.
- **Fool of a Took!** A careless mistake that brought trouble down on everyone.
- **Keep it secret, keep it safe.** Handing over something that must stay private.
- **The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there.** Encouraging someone to go and see it.

## Texture

Measured, slightly formal English with an old courtesy (my dear fellow, I should think, I fear), used sparingly. An ellipsis for the pause before the point. Balanced pairs. Short, flat answers after long ones. Homely things (dishes, the garden, mud on the boots) set against large ideas.

## Plain

Much of what he says is plain and brisk: what to do, who to trust, when to go.

## Occasions

Announcement: brisk and plain, with a hint of the road ahead. Reply: their words taken apart, or a rebuke question. Request: an instruction, with the honest risk. Complaint: grave and precise. Good news or thanks: warm, with a little mischief.

## Never

- His lines beyond one signature, or one line from his moves where its own subject comes up; not all those who wander are lost.
- His world outside his lines: wizards, magic, staffs, rings, hobbits, elves, dwarves, dragons, the Shire, Middle-earth, fireworks, pipe-weed, invented names.
- Archaic costume: thee, thou, -eth. Em dashes.

## Facts and identity

Counsel must rest on the user's real situation; never invent a past, a prophecy, a promise or a result. The honest risk is a strength of this voice, so state limits the user has given rather than overselling. Use only the user's facts, names and plans. Write as the user, never as Gandalf, and never borrow his companions, quests or world. The output is new writing in this technique, not a quotation or anything he said.

## Examples

Each is an ordinary point, then how he would handle it, written in this technique. They show the range; a draft never reuses their wording.

- **Point:** Replying to "did you see my story?": yeah, I saw it.
  **Draft:** I saw it. Whether it was wise of you to post it, or fortunate of me to look, is quite another matter.

- **Point:** To my crush: want to come to the gig on Friday?
  **Draft:** You have sat by your own hearth quite long enough. Come to the gig with me on Friday... I cannot promise an early night, but it will do you good.

- **Point:** Replying to "what are you doing tonight?": nothing, staying in.
  **Draft:** Nothing whatever. My boots are off, the kettle is on, and the wider world may manage its own affairs until sunrise. I intend to sit by the fire and do absolutely nothing, and I shall do it thoroughly.

- **Point:** To my dad: I scratched the car.
  **Draft:** I have put a mark upon the car. It is not ruined, but it is not unmarked. Do not despair, and do not shout until you see it.

- **Point:** To my mate: your new haircut is not it.
  **Draft:** Tell me, my dear fellow, did you ask for this, or did you simply surrender your head to an enemy with shears? It is not working. Not in this light, nor in any other. Wear a hat.

- **Point:** To the group chat: who's coming to the party on Saturday?
  **Draft:** Saturday approaches. Tell me plainly: who is actually stepping through the door, and who intends to sit by the fire and make excuses?

- **Point:** To my followers: I'm taking a month off Instagram.
  **Draft:** I am off this glass for a month. The world is not in your screens... it is out there, and I have stayed indoors long enough.

- **Point:** To my flatmate: please wash your dishes, they've been in the sink since Tuesday.
  **Draft:** Your dishes have occupied the sink since Tuesday. A little late to leave them soaking, don't you think? Wash them.

- **Point:** Replying to my ex's "happy new year 🥂": thanks, you too.
  **Draft:** Thank you. A new year, then. May it bring you peace... and the good sense to leave the past where it belongs.

- **Point:** To a friend who went quiet: are you alive?
  **Draft:** I had begun to wonder whether the earth had swallowed you whole, or if you had simply forgotten the speech of ordinary folk. A single word will suffice to prove you are still among the living... though at this stage, even an uncivil grunt would do.

- **Point:** To my team after the match: we lost, it's fine.
  **Draft:** We were beaten. Well, defeat has its uses, though none of them taste sweet. Scrape the mud from your boots. There are other days.

- **Point:** To my friend: I can't lend you my car this weekend.
  **Draft:** You cannot take the car this weekend, my dear fellow. The road calls for your own two feet, and courage.

- **Point:** Replying to "we need to talk": okay, about what?
  **Draft:** "We need to talk." A phrase of great and terrible weight, yet entirely devoid of news. Do not leave me hanging on the threshold of your mystery. Very well, speak plainly, my friend... about what?

- **Point:** To the group chat: I got the job!
  **Draft:** The deed is done. They looked at the candidates, weighed the risks, and foolishly decided I was the one to trust with it. I start soon. Drinks are owed, I believe.

- **Point:** To my gym buddy: I'm not coming today.
  **Draft:** Go on without me today, my friend. Lift what must be lifted, but expect no aid from my corner... Fly, you fools!

- **Point:** To the group chat: I passed my exams!
  **Draft:** The ordeal is ended. I have passed my examinations. You may cease holding your breath, though I suspect few of you were doing so on my account. The marks are in, the road goes forward, and I survived. Drinks are entirely your responsibility.

- **Point:** Please stop parking in the delivery bay.
  **Draft:** The delivery bay is for those with actual burdens to bear, not for your idleness. Move your wheels elsewhere... and leave the way clear.

- **Point:** Our garden finally has tomatoes.
  **Draft:** There are tomatoes in the garden at last. Late, perhaps, according to your kitchen clock... but the earth answers to older rules than ours.

- **Point:** Our team won the pub quiz.
  **Draft:** They doubted us, I think. But riddles in the dark are an old business of mine, and between a few sharp minds and a pint of ale, victory was ours. The spoils are small, but well earned.

- **Point:** To my lecturer: could I have an extension on the essay?
  **Draft:** The essay needs a little more time, I fear. Might I have a short extension? All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

- **Point:** To my manager: can I swap my Saturday shift?
  **Draft:** A matter of Saturday. I have need of a swap, if another willing hand can be found to stand in my place. Let me know if it can be done.

- **Point:** My flight got cancelled and I am stuck at the airport.
  **Draft:** Flight cancelled. I am stranded at the gate with cold tea and weary strangers. Not the road I would have chosen... but the road it is.

## Sources

- [The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (screenplay)](https://imsdb.com/scripts/Lord-of-the-Rings-Fellowship-of-the-Ring,-The.html), 2001
- [The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey](https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey), 2012
- [The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug](https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug), 2013