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Monthly Archive: December, 2016

December 22, 2016

4 Christmas Stories You’ve Probably Never Heard of

Bloggers who emphasize writing and reading have a tendency to write about good holiday books (A.K.A. Christmas stories) when it gets close to December 25th. I can’t blame them (I’m just as guilty); however, I’ve noticed that lists like “The Twelve Books of Christmas” often overlook stories that I, personally, consider to be holiday gems. Don’t get me wrong: I...
Categories Reviews & Recommended Reading Comments: 0
December 15, 2016

Holiday Heaven or Hell: A Writing Prompt for Points of View Practice

What do the holidays mean to you? Have you been looking forward to Christmas since December 26th, 2015, or dreading the holiday’s approach since big box stores starting playing carols in September? Why do people even have such different points of views in the first place? Explore the reasons  with this writing prompt: Holiday Heaven or Hell. What Makes the...
Categories Characterization Exercises/Holiday & Seasonal/Writing Prompts Comments: 0
December 8, 2016

Very Different Takes on Fairy Folklore

Maybe it’s all the commercials with not-so-bright Christmas elves (sometimes annoyingly so), but lately, I’ve had faeries on the brain. And, being me, that makes me think of how they’re used in books and how different authors have very different takes on fairy folklore. Have you ever listed all the books you’ve read that used old fairy folklore as inspiration? Well, don’t...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Inspiration/Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0
December 6, 2016

How Crimes Change over Time

If you read “Crime, Punishment, & Worldbuilding,” then you already know my thoughts on how useful it is to think about legal systems when it comes to realistic worldbuilding. I also briefly mentioned that crimes change over time, but in your story, that really only matters in one of three cases: 1. the story is set in a period of unrest (A.K.A. social change), 2....
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0
December 1, 2016

True Alchemists Do Not Change Lead into Gold Unless They’re Using Old Pencils

I want to be a true alchemist when I grow up. Not that I’ll ever grow up, but there’s something inspiring about thinking of writing as alchemy (especially if you like FullMetal Alchemist). Not only because of the transformation aspect – although having the scientific knowledge and/or mystical ability to change lead into gold is appealing, especially applied to writing....
Categories Creative Process/Inspiration/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comments: 0