Lately, I’ve been following a Korean soap opera called “Heaven’s Fate” or (in Korean) 왕꽃 선녀님. It’s melodramatic, borderline absurd, and highly entertaining. Interestingly enough, I’ve managed to see some writing tactics in action–aspects in storytelling that apply both to written fiction and TV drama. Here’s what I’ve learned: Conflict, conflict, conflict! If it’s easy […]
I thought I’d briefly discuss the importance character plays in terms of plot. This is something my first manuscript really lacks, and I’m determined to get it right the second time through. Essentially, the plot should force the MC to act, but the actions he/she chooses are dictated by who the character is and what […]
Okay, so during the cold months of the year, I tend to read certain kinds of books. Books with snow/ice, books with dark settings and mysterious elements, or books that make me laugh. I’m a fantasy/sci-fi/classics reader, so that’s what my top 13 books consist of. 1. Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. […]
I just want to say on this beautiful Sunday that I appreciate everyone’s comments on my blog. They make me feel warm & fuzzy inside, and I love reading them. Keep ’em coming! Also, I hope everyone had a spooky Halloween, and now get ready! Today’s the first day of NaNoWriMo!! Are we all geared […]
So, it’s Freitag here in Deutschland. Freitag = Free Day = Friday. Actually, most of the days of the week in German are strikingly similar to English. Zum Beispiel (For example): Montag = Monday Dienstag = Tuesday Mittwoch = Wednesday (Okay, so this one’s pretty different, but Mittwoch literally means mid-week–that makes sense, don’t you […]
A friend recently asked, “What’s your novel about?” Good question. I’ve been putting off the logline post, but no longer. I shall grace you with it today. What’s a logline? It’s supposed to be that catchy sentence that makes you want to read the book/watch the movie/play the game. For novels, it’s typically a one-sentence-description […]
I am pushing through the last chapters of my book. I’m on chapter 19 with 264 pages…I should end up with about 25 chapters. I just have to stay focused. So, I was looking for some inspiration (meaning that I wasn’t actually focusing), and I ended up with a passage from Peter S. Beagle’s The Last […]
(back to Classes) A friend requested an entry on the semicolon, which he feels is underused. Alas, if this were only the case in literary circles. According to many an agent and editor’s blog, the semicolon is often overused — thereby producing the dreaded Mark of an Amateur. Now, of course, using it occasionally and […]
Peter Fox is a very popular German musician, and he seems like a pretty cool dude to me. Not so sure about the video for Alles Neu, but it’s still my favorite song from his most recent album, Stadtaffe (which means City Ape in German). Enjoy and continue reading for info on point of view. […]
(back to Classes) Punctuation What is the appropriate punctuation for dialogue? Well, in U.S. English, we use quotation marks, like this: “…” U.K. English is: ‘…’ Germans use different quotes: „…” or «…» And also in French and Spanish: «…» But, that’s just extra info. Going back to the U.S. English quotes, we end dialogue […]
