Witchlands Teaser
A little snippet from the next Witchlands book—Iseult’s book. It’s a story Iz tells Owl to get her through a long night.
Uncategorized
Vampire Academy: a book recommendation
Susan Book Recommendations, Books, Uncategorized book review, Books, Reading, Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy 3
4 out of 5 stars The first of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series, Vampire Academy, was a highly entertaining, fast-paced read. I’m not big on vampires, but I enjoyed this vampire world — Mead did a good job making it unique, tangible, and dark, but still 100% high school. Rose Hathaway is a 17-year-old Dhampir […]
Slovenia, Croatia, and Austria: Camping and Couchsurfing
Susan Uncategorized austria, camping, couchsurfing, croatia, road trip, slovenia 1
Yes, I’ve been away. Yes, I know I didn’t write, and yes, I’m sorry for not keeping in touch. BUT, I’m back from the road trip now. I have power outlets, internet access, and things to share. Where was I? Well, with a friend from grad school, I travelled Slovenia, Croatia, and Austria. We camped […]
13 Book Recommendations
Susan Uncategorized, Writers Books, Reading, Thursday Thirteen 11
8 days until Christmas! So, here are book recommendations. If you liked X then you might like X–of course, this is just my opinion. Let’s begin, shall we? If you liked… 1. Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto… …then you might like Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières.
Writing inspiration: too much advice
Susan Inspiration, Uncategorized, Writing Resources Books, Inspiration, Korean Culture, publishing, Writers, writing resources 2
9 days until Christmas! Too many cooks spoil the broth. Have you ever been so overwhelmed by all the experts, by all the blogs meant to help us, or by all the workshops with different (and perhaps contradictory) approaches to writing that you sit paralyzed at your keyboard? You’re certain that your WIP has committed […]
Some Book Statistics
Susan publishing, Uncategorized Books, Christmas, Germany, publishing, Reading, statistics, Writers 0
10 days to Christmas. I’m just gonna go ahead and apologize in advance for what I know will be a few weeks of sparse posting. Holidays, holidays with the husband’s family, holidays with the husband’s family who don’t speak English… You get the idea. It doesn’t help that the Muse and I seem to be […]
Goal-setting
Susan Inspiration, Uncategorized, Writing Resources Christmas, goals, planning, Writers, writing resources 4
14 days to Christmas! Yesterday, I was considering the importance of setting goals. I usually thumb my nose at goal-setters and motivational stuff, but I realized lately that I shouldn’t because I am an obsessive goal-setter, I just never noticed it before. For example: While jogging: I’ll just go two more blocks, and then I’ll […]
Writing No-Nos
Susan Uncategorized, Writing Resources characterization, climax, conflict, history, identification, main character, movies, Pearl Harbor, plot, writing resources 4
Today is the day Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. As such, the film Pearl Harbor was playing on TV over the weekend. We watched. Big mistake. The film is beyond horrible, but there are some great lessons to be learned from it–-lessons that are cross-denominational for film and writing. Here are a few:
Writing flow
Susan Inspiration, Uncategorized, Writing Resources Inspiration, Korean Culture, writer's block, Writers, writing flow, writing resources 1
A bit more on inspiration today since it’s just been One of Those Days. But, it’s been an Awesome One of those Days. After over a month of outlining and research, I finally started writing last week. I’m pumping out two scenes per day (that’s, like, 2500 words), and it feels great! I’m inspired.
Lessons from the Soaps
Susan Uncategorized, Writing Resources Books, characterization, conflict, identification, Korean Culture, main character, pace, plot, Writers, writing resources 4
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 […]
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