AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! (<-- me screaming) NaNoWriMo starts in THREE DAYS!!! And guess who's been slacking on their #NaNoPrep posts?? Yep, you guessed it. Me. I had a good reason, though. I was on vacation. So what do you do when you realize November is literally right around the corner? Well... No. Please don't freak out. It … Continue reading #NaNoPrep: Last-Minute Panic
Tolkien
The Pitiable Antagonist
Gollum. The Phantom of the Opera. Draco Malfoy. Severus Snape. What do all of these have in common? They're all antagonists, of course. And, probably, we have another emotion associated with them besides hate. Sometimes, we love to hate the villain (Umbridge, anyone?). If they're evil enough, we might love being terrified. Occasionally, we might … Continue reading The Pitiable Antagonist
The Writing Bubble
Ah, here we are, at the very end of summer. It sure went by fast. School's about to start (if it hasn't already), and it's almost the season for pumpkin spice and apples and crunchy orange leaves and NaNoWriMo. Perfect time for writing, if you ask me. It's very cozy to sit in Starbucks with … Continue reading The Writing Bubble
The Truth About Clichés
I've been thinking a lot lately about clichés. Writers are told to avoid them like the plague. They are a horribly awful very bad idea. A big no-no. Clichés are a sign of lazy writing, amateur writing, and all sorts of other writing that you'd never want to associate with. Think of the young, orphaned, … Continue reading The Truth About Clichés
In Honor of Tolkien
Hi everyone, I'm really sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Maybe I'll tell you about my Camp NaNoWriMo adventures sometime, but today I have something special to write about. Apparently there's this thing going around where lots of bloggers write Tolkien-related posts in honor of the release of The Fellowship of the Ring on July … Continue reading In Honor of Tolkien
An Analysis of a Story
Today I'm going to talk about what makes a good story. No, I'm not going to discuss the roles of the protagonist/antagonist; I'm not going to talk about a good plot, setting the stakes, introducing conflict, or what makes a compelling character arc; I'm not going to talk about how to create a truly magical … Continue reading An Analysis of a Story
For His Glory Alone 