Monthly Archive: December, 2015

If All They Get Are Dull Readings, No Wonder Teenagers Loathe Poetry

In my regular job, I write educational material for teenagers, and their reaction to poetry is almost always “ugh.” Now, they’re teenagers, so “ugh” is one of their main reactions to anything; however, many of them really, sincerely loathe poetry. Some have enough trouble reading already (literacy in our country is really going downhill), and others have only experienced poetry...

How Would You Start A Christmas Carol?

What is Christmas without A Christmas Carol? I’ve watched two versions so far (The Muppet Christmas Carol and Mickey’s Christmas Carol), and I was struck by how differently the two approached the introduction of Scrooge: the Muppet version chose to use explicit characterization while the Mickey version used implicit characterization(See Show – Don’t Tell for more info on explicit v. implicit characterization)....

The Holidays Are a Great Time For People Watching (And Writing About Them)

Remember the people watching writing prompt? It’s fun under normal conditions (and great for characterization research and inspiration), but it’s even more interesting during the holiday season. See, on an average day, you get fodder for how people act on average days. For many people, the holidays are not average days. No, during the holiday season, people work unusual hours, spend...

Worldbuilding Without Traditions Feels Fake

December is one month where many different cultural holidays overlap. Even those without strong religious beliefs often have certain activities they associate with the holiday season. That makes it a particularly appropriate time to talk about traditions and worldbuilding. As far as I know, every single culture in existence has traditions that it relies on (they are generally different from culture...