What with NaNoWriMo well under way, we must ask ourselves: Are we actually writing? Here is a handy list to double check if you are, in fact, writing. Things that are not actually writing: Looking for that tab you had open as reference material for a blog entry Outlining Complaining about not writing Practicing your … More Are You Actually Writing?
Right now, it’s very late. I’ve been working on my computer all day for Paid Jobs. I still have 2 blog posts to catch up on, work deadlines looming, a trip to San Francisco to prepare for (Yes, I got into The Night of Writing Dangerously!) Thanks to a new assignment, I am cramming math for writing SAT prep … More Setting A Good Example, or, Screw It
I’m writing this from a cafe near my house instead of from the comfortably window-adjacent table at my house. I had to get out to be able to concentrate. You see, I live with 2 other people: my darling irowboat and an equally darling professional musician named Kevin. Kevin plays just about anything with stings, specializing … More The Importance of Sucking
It’s day 7 of NaNoWriMo. We writing warriors have survived the first glorious week. Today is Double Up Day at the NaNoWriMo Headquarters. If you want an extra challenge, then double up your word count for the day. (And get $50 worth of swag for a $25 donation!) Those who are writing, keep writing. Those who have … More A Brief NaNoWriMo Pep Talk
Today, I took myself to a cafe to do not much in particular. I sat at a wobbly table in the back – the only seating available on a chill fall day – and let my mind wander as I listened to the comforting white noise of people typing, conversations, music I could barely make … More Cultivating Creativity with Boredom
Right now, we’re still in the first blushes of NaNoWriMo. Those who have started are beginning to feel what it is like to write their stories, to write and keep writing, feeling that initial rush of a plot beginning to form (I don’t think that feeling ever goes away). Some, like me, have yet to … More NaNoWriMo: For All Those Who Haven’t Started Yet
With NaNoWriMo in full swing, the O-word is being flung about a lot, and I need to get this off my chest. I’m resurrecting an old post because it is every bit as true today as it was 3 years and 6 novels ago. I am not a fan of outlining. In fact, it takes … More Reasons I Hate Outlines With A Firey Passion
So far, I’ve talked about antagonists and monsters and the differences between them, but merely mentioning these two aspects of the villain spectrum leaves a hole in the middle – one that begs to be filled by some of the best villains in fiction. Disney’s old Maleficent, The Joker, Patrick Bateman, Lestat, pretty much any … More Writing Villains: The Hybrid
In a previous post, I discussed how monsters are different than other kinds of antagonists or villains. Today, I want to talk about the most common of villains: the antagonist. Simply put, the antagonist it the character or characters who’s motives act in opposition to the main character (protagonist). To create actual plot and tension, these … More Writing Villains: Antagonists
There are a lot of different kinds of villains or antagonists in fiction – just as many as there are protagonists. While plot and a main character are very important, finding what the main character is working against is equally, if not more, essential to driving a plot forward. Antagonists keep the story going; they … More Writing Villains: Monsters
Concerning History in the Atlantic World, 1680-1740
The long haul of the spectrum
one woman's thoughts about life on the spectrum
Japanese pop culture through a feminist lens
The official blog of Michelle Tuckett, word ninja. 