“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
It has been two years since I wrote about The Winds of Winter and its slow progression towards release. I heard some time ago that 2020 was a productive year for Martin, inspiring words considering how long this novel has been in the works. The last installment, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011… Continue reading Words are Wind: A Depressing Update for “The Winds of Winter” by George R. R. Martin
I am.....tired. Fatigued. Weary. I'm tired of stories I care about—stories about friendship, perseverance, love, miracles—being plundered like a bloated corpse on the battlefield. It's no secret among my social circles that I have a vehement hatred against remakes. Most people don't like them, they think they are lazy and pointless, but I have transcended… Continue reading To All the Stories I Loved Before: a Lament About Remakes, Cash-ins, And Reboots
This reaction is so late that it borders on irrelevance, however, I wrote a majority of it the week it was announced so I wanted to publish it anyway. So...yeah...here you go: ^ What happens when you leave a professional media major alone on the weekend. So, in spite of the super subtle *cough* hints from… Continue reading Man, The 13th Doctor’s A Woman: My Super Late Thoughts On The First Female Doctor
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I'm finding myself consistently disappointed by writing prompts I find on the internet. I understand that the main point of these niblets are to get our minds jogging and not to help us produce a 1,000 page Pulitzer Prize winning work of art. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel… Continue reading Strange Writing Prompts For Your Boring Monday
Last week I wrote a post about Mary Sues and why people write them. Today, I want to give you some unsolicited pointers on how to avoid writing a Mary Sue, or even a Gary Stu (the male equivalent). Enjoy! Start with a real person. While it may not be a good idea to base a… Continue reading How to Mary Sue Proof Your Characters
For those of you who aren't familiar with what a Mary Sue is, it's essentially a female character that is too perfect. A character that is always morally correct no matter what, has all the male protagonists drooling themselves over her even though she would describe herself as plain, and is special without having to… Continue reading Why Do People Write Mary Sues?
I've seen several Instagram posts that say things like "is it sad that my characters are my best friends?" or "I have more conversations with my characters than I do with real people. Is that bad?" Yes. Yes, it is. Not because you're a wallflower with friends that exist only in your mind. That's perfectly… Continue reading Your Characters are NOT Your Friends: A Public Service Announcement for Writers
A few years ago, my novel writing class had a high-profile guest speaker talk to us: the award-winning author of a YA book we had been assigned to read about a week prior. I was pretty jazzed about it considering how much I'd enjoyed the story. I've had predominately good experiences with meeting published authors… Continue reading When a Writer You Admire is a Jerk
Hello, men. I am a woman. Today I am going to give you some tips on how to write female characters. Keep in mind that women are human beings and no woman is exactly the same as another. However, I'm hoping to give you at least a general idea of how to pull off a… Continue reading How to Write Women: a Guide for Men
If you have perused a YA section of a bookstore in the last three years, then you've likely come across the cover of a fairytale reimagining. Perhaps one book tells the story of Cinderella, a valiant warrior, who loses her magical boot in the middle of a battle and an infatuated warlord must return it… Continue reading Are Fairytale Reimaginings Becoming Unimaginative?
The Crooked Pen 