About stories of all kinds
Dear Former Self, You didn’t know it at the time, but you would have loved this book. It’s right up your alley. Unfortunately you aren’t here anymore and I can only do so much to envision what your reaction to it would have been. I’ve tried to summon your spirit, to imagine this being your… Continue reading When the Right Book Comes at the Wrong Time
Well, last night was the last night to update word counts and scramble in the last couple thou. I actually forgot about it—I was reorganising my bookshelf at the time. Was it in dire need of reorganising? No. But nor has it been any of the other five times I’ve completely reorganised it this pandemic,… Continue reading NaNoWriMo: How it went… and is still going.
In October, I seriously considered doing NaNoWriMo for the first time this year. Given the state of things and my nigh-jobless condition, it made sense. But I didn’t really know how it worked—I would have to look into it, prepare for it. I didn’t. Then it was already November, and while not too late to… Continue reading I think I just made a terrible mistake
There is probably no English author quite as well known by reputation as Shakespeare. The only others who could come close would probably be Chaucer, Dickens, and more recently, Agatha Christie. But for a playwright with such a firm position in the annals of English literature and a reputation as “serious literature for serious people,”… Continue reading A Tale of Sprites and Goblins: Books Inspired by Shakespeare
...physical books have the potential to carry strong memory triggers: you remember when you read a certain passage, where you were, what you were doing, or any number of other details. If it was book you enjoyed, the place or time may also have a positive colouring in your memory for no other reason.
One of the oldest English legends, the story of Robin Hood has been told and retold for generations. It’s been adapted into books and movies, and the characters make cameo appearances in all sorts of media due to their being immediately recognizable. Aside from Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, I’ve read two book retellings of the Robin Hood legend: Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall and Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead.
Writers are often encouraged to start their novels off with a bang. Hook them in the first paragraph, the first sentence—heck, the first word. Sometimes, it takes on the form of marketing strategy. “Look at television commercials,” they say. “The scene is set, a problem arises, and the product appears as the answer to the… Continue reading Storm Warning: Writing the Inciting Incident
It’s fall. Yikes. I’m not even halfway through my 100 book recommendations. I was intending to have this list finished up this year. Not that you should read them in a year. I think we’ve established that’s a bad idea. Trust me. But how long does it take to just crank out a suggestion list?… Continue reading 10 Short Stories and Collections: 100 Books to Read #5
As a rule, I am impatient with the gaggle of quirky, silly sidekicks that populate many books and movies for the sole function of comic relief. Fantasy books are particularly egregious offenders in this regard because there is an abundance of lesser creatures that can be employed as throwaway comic characters with funny speech patterns… Continue reading Twilight: So Sparkling Bright
I can’t believe this fall is coming without it being associated with school starting for me. It’s the first time in four years that’s happened! Woo-woo, 2020 university graduate! But even before that, in the years I was finishing highschool, fall was not exclusively school time, nor was it quite the same as anticipating going… Continue reading Elsa, I think
Fictitiously Yours 