This is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog-hop, designed to help encourage authors and foster discussions about writing topics across the internet and the world. This month's question is, "What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?" This is something I constantly have to watch out for, as an … Continue reading The Power in Our Words
Tag: Little Women
Title: The Courtship of Jo March: A Variation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction, Fanfiction Book Description from Goodreads: Set in the early 1870s, this re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is for all who have ever wondered how things might have worked out differently for the beloved March sisters - the life Beth … Continue reading Book Review: The Courtship of Jo March
We've been exploring positive literary families, covering Fathers and Sons and Fathers and Daughters, and today, I wanted to start looking at the Mothering side of the equation. We've all read lots and lots of bad mothers, step-mothers, and dead mothers; most fairy tales have at least of these as the villain or story device … Continue reading Fictional Families: Mothers and Daughters
We've been examining family dynamics in fiction, looking at strong and healthy relationships rather than the dysfunctional ones that tend to create drama and difficulties. While the latter are more common and more interesting at times for an author to write, the former give us imaginative role models for our own lives and can give … Continue reading Fictional Families: Fathers and Sons
I've been thinking about examples of good parenting in novels and movies, and, not entirely to my surprise, I haven't found that many. I can think of lots of bad parents and lots of stories where a parent (or both) are absent--all the Cinderella and Oliver Twist stories, the Pride and Prejudice -type mothers and Persuasion -type fathers--but … Continue reading Fictional Families: Fathers and Daughters
I was thinking about the nature of love triangles after penning yesterday's post and I realized that every relationship is a love triangle. You have the guy, the girl...and, if there is no other rival, at very least you have the status quo for conflict, pulling one's heart in the opposite direction. Because that's what … Continue reading Every Romance is a Love Triangle
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?
In the format of a non-traditional critique, Writing That Scene examines the fundamentals of what it takes to make a scene powerful and memorable for readers. The opinion expressed is my own, and other readers’ opinions may differ. The goal is to provide an opportunity for authors to learn from each other and to see … Continue reading Writing That Scene: Little Women
I’ve been thinking about Little Women and Jo March’s romance all weekend, and I think the difference of reader opinion about who she should’ve married--Laurie Laurence or Professor Bhaer--is rooted in our own perspectives on love and marriage. The two men represent very different kinds of relationships, and our response to them is largely determined, … Continue reading Love, But Not As We Know It
In response to my post today about the should-have-been romance between Jo March and Laurie Laurence in Little Women, Christina Wehner wrote a post of her own, explaining why Jo should have married Professor Bhaer, as she does in the book. You can find her post here. I was particularly struck by her observation that … Continue reading Laurie vs. Professor Bhaer: A Literary Debate
Andrea Lundgren 