Since the "madness" of A-Z starts tomorrow and I haven't written a word, I thought I'd continue the Flashback Friday series today and give you a post from June 2014. 🙂 In the George R. R. Martin interview with Rolling Stone writer Mikal Gilmore, Martin said that “Both as a writer and as a reader I … Continue reading Works that Last: The Importance of Originality
Category: Fiction
Yesterday we discussed how a memorable character need not be described in more than a few phrases to stick in our mind (as seen in Jane Austen's minimalistic approach in describing Elizabeth Bennet). When an author uses this approach, we may not know the character's hair color, their overall height or appearance, but a feature … Continue reading Describing Memorable Characters: Anna Karenina
I've been thinking about characters and their appearances in preparation for the "Characters in Costume" blogfest for the end of October, and I've also been reading some of the classic Disney stories to my two sons. As a result, I've been thinking about the way Cinderella's stepsisters come across in the books and film. Anastasia … Continue reading Cinderella’s Stepsisters: Ugly or Mislabeled?
I recently read a novel by a New York Times Bestselling author (I shall not name it, but suffice to say, I had to skim my way through to finish it). And it awoke that age-old desire for my books to be just as well-read, just as popular. "My writing is every bit as good, … Continue reading How Famous Do We Need To Be?
A friend and I were recently reading the same fantasy story (which shall go unnamed, since I don't want to single out the author; many people, myself included, have been guilty of head-hopping at one point or another). When I commented that I didn't like the writing style due to its frequent head-hopping, he said … Continue reading Why Head Hopping Can Hurt Your Story
Yesterday, I posted about how Star Wars was originally, unapologetically, written and edited to please its author, George Lucas. Which raised an interesting question. Who are authors supposed to write for? Are we to please ourselves or write for our audience, taking other people's advice into consideration? One of my favorite examples of "writing for … Continue reading Who Do You Write For?
With the release of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, I heard a most unusual complaint: that it was written too much for the fans. Many who saw it thought it was a great movie, but there were some who felt it was too nostalgic. With so many nods to the original trilogy, they felt … Continue reading Is Star Wars Written for the Fans?
Description from the Author: “But the world changes. In all the women’s villages of the Empire, this week or next, a soldier like myself will arrive to ask to live in the village, to take up a trade.” Casyn paused, for a breath, a heartbeat. “And to teach you and your daughters to fight.” With … Continue reading Book Review: Empire’s Daughter
I've had this fragmentary story idea running around my head for some time so I thought I'd write it and share it with all of you. He sat across the campfire and watched as its coarse, uneven light touched her. It swept along that soft cheek, that proud chin he knew so well, even as … Continue reading This Time
Andrea Lundgren 