Aspiring YA, science-fiction and fantasy author
Rationalising refers to a mental process of attempting to explain something rationally, even if it doesn’t make sense. It’s very closely related to diminishing, the act of reducing the amount of good or damage something might have done in one’s mind. This is a key part of the thinking behind the Republic of Gilead and… Continue reading Rationalising (and Diminishing) in The Handmaid’s Tale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rhMu6FFJPw I've only just recently discovered this channel and this video is so accessible and understandable that I am definitely going to be watching more of these videos in the future. An excellent video on the writing of ASOIAF/GOT and, in particular, on good characterisation that I really want to share with my follows.
Children are something of a national obsession in Gilead. Who has children, who hasn’t, who deserves children, who don’t, e.t.c. Everyone from the Commanders down wants a child. However, while the Commanders of the Faithful do their level best to force as many children out of as many Handmaids as possible, they also find it… Continue reading Infantilisation in The Handmaid’s Tale
A very helpful post from K. D. Downdall. I have certainly hit a lot of these problems during my writing and these are great solutions. Some years ago, I found this interesting and these helpful fixes to writing problems that I come in handy. Good fiction takes time. You cannot sit down at the keyboard… Continue reading 10 Great 10 Minute Fixes to 10 Common Plot Problems! — K. D. Dowdall
I have now finished my fifth redraft of my first novel! Still not quite ready to send out yet. I need to shed about 5k words to be within the recommended YA novel word count limits and the new scenes need a polish but I'm glad to say that I'm very happy with how it's… Continue reading Milestone reached!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDjrOaoHz9s I love the Extra History series on the Youtube channel, Extra Credits, and their videos on video games and gaming culture are just as fascinating. Though this video is all about video games, the advice is so applicable to writing and any kind of creative medium that I felt that I really ought to… Continue reading A Great Motivational Video from Extra Credits
(Author's note: This is a bit of a break from my usual posts but, after reading 1984 for the first time, I felt inspired to write this. I'm not used to writing this sort of thing so please be gentle) When someone is asked how Big Brother keeps control in 1984, they’re quick to point… Continue reading Big Brother is Gaslighting You
by Kelsie Engen You’re standing on one mountain summit, and there are fifty miles between the next mountaintop to which you’re expected to jump. Any step you take, any direction, and you’re going to go crashing to the ground, lucky to escape with your life. There will be bruises, broken bones, broken pride, despair, […] via… Continue reading 3 Tips From My Failure As an Author — A Writer’s Path
I've just finished looking over another redraft of my novel. I'm on the fourth redraft at the moment and I'm curious to know: when does redrafting stop being redrafting and start being nitpicking/over-perfectionism/denial-that-the-book-just-isn't-good? I've heard stories of writers rewriting a story as many as nine times before they're satisfied but I'd like to hear how… Continue reading Novel Writing Questions No. 8: How many redrafts are enough redrafts?
After months of saying I'd do it and letting other things get in the way, I've finally drawn some pictures for my reviews. I don't think they're good enough to warrant such a delay but I'm so fed up of seeing them bare so I decided to finally do some, regardless of quality, and open… Continue reading Announcement: Improvements to my reviews site
