***Wet as Rain*** 215: Black as night; wet as rain. This last memory will always remain. Kru’Nah climbed the steps to the stage. His boots scraped against the fresh wood. His fingers flexed against the rigid covers of the Writings. He knelt and set the book gently against the back of the stage. … Continue reading Allyandrah and Kru’Nah: Part 21
Hey! Thanks for joining me for the next section of Pantsing Fantasy. Today, I want to dig into characters a bit. Characters are the reason anyone gives a crap about your book. If your readers don't feel connected or invested in your characters, it's going to be hard for them to enjoy the book and … Continue reading Pantsing Fantasy: Generating Ideas: Character
What this book is about: 27-year-old NYC resident Bette Robinson spontaneously quits a job she hates, and through some family connections lands a job in a new PR/events planning firm. She goes from hating her 9-5 (or 6 or 7) life to being completely overwhelmed by this new all day (and sometimes going far into … Continue reading What I’m Reading: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
These blog post titles are SO boring, aren't they? Oh well, I've always been function over fashion anyway. For a few weeks, I want to dive into how to generate or shape basic ideas into stories in a way that doesn't involve outlines or planning or any sort of additional forethought. Just sitting down and … Continue reading Pantsing Fantasy: Generating Ideas: Plot
What this book is about: Gerta, a 12-year-old living in East Berlin after the war, wakes up one morning to discover the Berlin wall has been erected overnight. Her father and brother are on the other side of the wall, leaving her with her oldest brother and mother. What I liked: The story eventually really … Continue reading What I’m Reading: A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielson
Part 1 Part 19 ***Duality*** 205: There are two kinds of people in the world. It took nearly an hour before Tra’Khil and his men returned with all 50 of the priests of the Guardians. No more than fifty. No less than fifty. For thousands of years. Several of the priests gasped and others backpedaled … Continue reading Allyandrah and Kru’Nah: Part 20
I've never been shy about sharing that I'm a pantser. That's how I write - totally by inspiration, almost never by planning (one time I was forced to. It was a contest. I didn't do well.). I don't plot. I don't know how I'm going to get from this scene to the next one or … Continue reading Pantsing Fantasy: An Intro
What this book is about: Taylor Smart, your average dorky 13-year old, is living the average middle school life. Until she's kidnapped by Fair Folk and whisked away into The Wonder. What I liked: I LOVE fantasy books and this book did not disappoint me at all. It's definitely for younger readers, but I still … Continue reading Book Review: Children of Pride by Darrell J. Pursiful
Sometimes goals feel huge and unmanageable to me. Do you ever feel that way? Like, write a novel worth publishing. *insert terrified face here* When I think of the ultimate end goals I have for various aspects of my life, I can become PARALYZED and then I fail to act on anything at all. Last … Continue reading Productivity: Discipline Mindset
What the book is about: This nonfic leadership book is all about ownership - the leader owns every part of what happens underneath them. Leaders who practice extreme ownership take responsibility for all failures while attributing success to everyone else. What I liked: Each chapter was beautifully organized throughout the book. Every chapter began with … Continue reading Book Review: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
