April was every bit the month I’d hoped, at least as far as writing was concerned. I completed the final review of my book series, drew a more complete-looking map to accompany it via some mapping software (future post topic for sure!), and continued to work on another rough draft. I also reviewed for oneContinue reading “Plans for May”
Tag Archives: reading
The Process of Self-Editing
Editing and revising can be the most tedious or the most exciting part of the writing process. On the one hand, you’ve completed your rough draft (a stage many people never make it to) and are well on the way to finishing up. On the other hand, going over the same material again and againContinue reading “The Process of Self-Editing”
Review: ‘Castaways of the Flying Dutchman’ by Brian Jacques
As most of you know, I am a major admirer of the literary work of Brian Jacques (see my previous post on the Redwall series here). His writing has been a source of amusement as well as inspiration for me since the age of 18. I recently read through the Castaways of the Flying DutchmanContinue reading “Review: ‘Castaways of the Flying Dutchman’ by Brian Jacques”
Plans for January
December was a very full and fulfilling month, all told. Though I did not quite get around to everything I’d hoped, all the main goals were met and then some. I reviewed the sequel to Sauragia earlier this month (some changes need to be made, but still planning to publish this summer), as well asContinue reading “Plans for January”
Making Fantasies Real: The Art of Plausibility
One of the biggest enticements to write fiction is the ability to express ourselves through vivid use of imagination. We can do, say, and create virtually any reality we want on the page simply through a few pencil or keystrokes. Nowhere is this truer than in science-fiction and fantasy, where we are given virtually aContinue reading “Making Fantasies Real: The Art of Plausibility”
The Pros and Cons of Making Books Into Films
The book is always better. That’s what they say, anyway, and for the most part I agree. There isn’t much that the big screen can do that the pages of a book and a little imagination can’t do better. That said, movies do serve their purpose, as I intend to outline here.
The Pros and Cons of E-Books
I’m no big fan of e-readers (as you can probably tell if you’ve read some of my former posts). I never have been, and never will be. While I do own one, I’ve never quite been comfortable with using it the way I am with printed, bound works. With that in mind, here’s my listContinue reading “The Pros and Cons of E-Books”
My Ten Favorite Book Series
I was a tad pressed for time this week, so here’s another top 10 list. This time the subject is my 10 favorite book series! These selections exclude nonfiction, short stories, picture or poetry books, sagas, etc. (The numbers in parentheses indicate how many novel-length books are in each series. All book titles are listedContinue reading “My Ten Favorite Book Series”
Sci-Fi or Fantasy: The Fine Line Between Genres
What is the difference between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Lord of the Rings? It’s a common enough question (among a few folks, anyway) with a common enough set of answers. To some, there is no difference: both are speculative fiction (i. e. deal with made-up worlds and situations). To other, more devout followersContinue reading “Sci-Fi or Fantasy: The Fine Line Between Genres”
Ten Problems with the ‘Redwall’ Series by Brian Jacques
On this day in 1986, the very first Redwall book was published by Hutchinson in the UK. To mark the 34th anniversary of this monumental work in the field of middle grade and young adult fiction, I am releasing this list of critiques that I have lovingly assembled over the course of reading this otherwise phenomenalContinue reading “Ten Problems with the ‘Redwall’ Series by Brian Jacques”