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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
October 27, 2016

Do You Ever Hate Writing?

Do you ever hate writing? Sometimes, when we get to a writing exercise, a student will groan, “Ugh, I hate writing!” And while Dorothy Parker was being witty when she said it (when wasn’t she being witty?), the students who say this are deadly serious. They’re teenagers (so I’ll admit there’s probably some hyperbole involved), but at least some of them honestly and...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comment: 1
September 27, 2016

Thought-provoking Writing

For a quote about how writing is thought-provoking, this is pretty darn thought-provoking, which, I guess, proves his point. But we expect poetry to be thought-provoking. We don’t normally think of general fiction as thought-provoking. Oh, sure. Books like Animal Farm and 1984 were written to jar people’s perceptions. But those are classics. The books that people read most of the time, they’re written...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Poetry/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comments: 0
September 6, 2016

Plain Speaking Doesn’t Mean Honest

In our culture, there’s an automatic assumption that plain speaking means someone is being honest. Surely, no one would be that blunt (A.K.A. rude) unless they meant what they were saying! Nope. Just like roundabout speaking doesn’t necessarily mean someone is lying, plain speaking doesn’t mean honest. Other Reasons for Plain Speaking Lying: People think that people who are blunt are honest, right? Let say someone...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comments: 0