Epic Reads, as part of catching up to the Olympics buzz, started a swell idea for the #ReadingDecathlon. I didn’t quite make it to ten books in ten days, but I learned a few things along the way.
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Rewrite 3: Finding a Common Thread
Recently, I went to an event with the amazing Victor LaValle and we talked about the course in introductory novel writing that he teaches. What stuck out to me was that he said that many beginner writers lack focus in this work. There’s an . And I realized that that was totally true about my work during the first draft, way back in college when my writing was actual trash.
WriteWorld: Lord of the Seven Spires
Art By Matthew Sellers. Click the image to get to his DeviantArt.
Every place has legends and I saw this image and decided to craft one that illustrates one of the great tenants of Soldier battle theory: “The sword is only as good as its wielder.”
Writer’s Block
(Artist’s DeviantArt)
A picture says a thousand words. Write them.
Mission: Write a story, a description, a poem, a metaphor, a commentary, or a critique about this picture. Write something about this picture.
Be sure to tag writeworld in your block!
Reading Schedule: January and February
Goal setting is a thing I’m working on, especially since I have so many other projects going on (graduate school, what?). So here are some books I’m reading and the order of priority for Kindle.
Currently reading:
Radiance by Grace Draven (Kindle)
The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Vol. 1: At the Edge of Empire by Daniel Kraus (Hard-Copy)
The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski (Hard-Copy)
The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman (Hard-Copy)
I’m a mess when it comes to my hard copies, so by mid-January, after grad applications, I want to be done with all those. So I can move onto the books with deadlines.
To Be Read:
Inked by Eric Smith (Next on Kindle)
Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (Next on Kindle)
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer (Read before 1/25)
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Read before 2/23)
Wiesza Jaskolki by Andrzej Sapkowski (Note: My project before going to Poland is to read this, so let’s see how that goes. The last most-difficult book I read in my native tongue was Harry Potter. Or was it Faerie Wars? Either way, NOT an adult dark fantasy)
What are y’all planning to read? Friend me on Goodreads because yay, recommendations.
Happy reading,
Jo
One Punch Man: A Triumph in Simplicity
You need to watch this.
I spent my New Year’s Eve with the boyfriend and my best friend from high school watching One Punch Man (2015), an anime about a bored of his super hero career because he can kill any enemy with one punch. So, what’s the plot? Well, let me tell you.
Aesthetics & The Quest for Inspiration
Here is a blatant plug for my Tumblr. If you want to know about imagery for scenes, I think it’s super important to have an online pin-board of scenes, characters, and event designs. Here’s why you do it and here’s how I do it.
Continue reading
Writeworld: When a Robot Reads
Photo by Sophia Marilyn. Click the picture to go to her Tumblr.
Here another writeworld exercise post. Here’s the prompt from the Tumblr:
Writer’s Block
(Artist’s Tumblr)
A picture says a thousand words. Write them.
Mission: Write a story, a description, a poem, a metaphor, a commentary, or a critique about this picture. Write something about this picture.
Be sure to tag writeworld in your block!
Red Shirts: Help, I Just Killed Thirty People in One Chapter
Your fantasy novel sucks if no one dies. There, I said it. Someone has to die for a story to be a great adventure. It can be as personal as The Hobbit or just a wanton massacre of side folks like A Song of Ice and Fire. Someone’s gotta die and I just got a little bit of literary trigger happiness and killed 30 in one chapter.
I Wrote a Synopsis
Ever read something and go, “What the heck was that about?” And then you go to Wikipedia and they have that nice section called “Plot.” When writing your own work, using Wikipedia as a refresher for key story events when you’re neck-deep in editing isn’t really an option. Unless you are one of those elusive published authors, in which case, I am jelly and good on you. So, guess who gets to write the synopsis…
The Hunt for Inspiration: Travel
I have been gone for the past two weeks, gallivanting across Eastern Europe, from Hungary, to Austria, to Slovakia, to the Czech Republic, and to Poland. And then spending another week playing work catch-up, editing, and getting over some serious jet lag. These places are so steeped in medieval lore and the perfect breeding ground for inspiration. Travel enriches the person, but it also can enrich the writing experience. Here are some revelations I had while abroad.
Jo Writes Fantasy 