Tag: bad

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Writing Elves…

Okay so I recently got into a discussion about elves and the use of their names. A lot of people believe that the words Elvish/Elfish/Alvish and Elven/Elfin/Elfen/Alven are interchangeable. This has been used by many modern authors who are writing fantasy. Well, stop it! No, I’m serious, for your own good, stop it. In the end you’re just going to confuse yourself and wind … Read More Writing Elves…

Author Advice Pt. 5

One thing I’ve had to continuously tell myself over and over again is not to write with a bad attitude. I’m not kidding, if it’s time for you to write and you’re mad, annoyed, or just upset about something it’s not a good time to strike the keys. Stop, put the laptop down, and go do something else. The problem with writing while angry … Read More Author Advice Pt. 5

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Author Advice Pt 4

Rules of grammar and spelling… I have a feeling that this one will get me a few rolled eyes, but we all remember or… partially recall studying where to place comma’s, how to punctuate, and how to spell. This is all stuff we know. However, are those rules solid? Must they always be followed? Absolutely not! You’re going to find in your writing that, … Read More Author Advice Pt 4

The End

This won’t necessarily focus on one story, or even one series. It will more focus on serials and how the ending are handled. So let’s get to it, shall we? Everyone loves a good ending, everyone. But what makes a good ending and what makes a bad one? Is a good ending the fairy tale happy ending where the hero gets the girl and … Read More The End

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Why do books not always translate well to movies?

It’s not always the easiest question to answer. A lot of things go into making the jump from the written word to the big screen. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn’t. Some stories weren’t ever meant to be turned into movies while others seem like they were made for it. Let’s explore some of the reason why a book may not translate well: … Read More Why do books not always translate well to movies?

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Love Never Dies: The Musical Review.

I try to stick to the positive… so if you read my blog for writing advice or new books to read, feel free to skip over this review. No one would blame you. Phantom of the Opera was without a doubt the most awesome music I’ve ever seen! It had everything, action, romance, suspense. and horror. After seeing it at the Wang Theater in Boston … Read More Love Never Dies: The Musical Review.

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The Villain

What is it about the villain that’s so great? Why do we like villains so much… to the point where we want to see the villain more than the hero? Well originally, villains were just supposed to be a plot device. A simple element that was used to create a plot. There was no rhyme or reason to it. The villain was just a … Read More The Villain

Does a book becoming a movie ruin the book?

The answer SHOULD BE a resounding NO! If Magnifica or Divinity were ever made into a movie and it stunk… my book would still be sitting on the shelf, available to read. The movie will have done nothing to it. That said, if a book was turned into a movie and the movie turned out to be better than the book (happens, though rarely), … Read More Does a book becoming a movie ruin the book?

Plot Contrivance – Character Balance Rule.

Simply put, whenever a character dies or is killed off, usually they need to be replaced. There is rarely a gap. Either a mentor is replaced by a comforting friend, or a family member is replaced by a lover, or a future disciple. While the replacing character doesn’t usually take on the role of the previous person, they are intended to fill the void. … Read More Plot Contrivance – Character Balance Rule.

The Plot Formula

Okay, so today I’m going to go over a few formulas I have for a good story, as well as a couple of character study aspects. Let’s start with the formulas shall we? Dark/Sad ending =/= bad movie. Okay I know a lot of us grew up on Disney stories and fairy tales and are used to the happy endings. So when we get a … Read More The Plot Formula

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Inter-species Fantasy Romances

There is a strange phenomenon that I’ve found somewhat consistent in many stories that involve humans being around other sentient beings. If a romance is involved, the gender of the non-human is usually the opposite to that of the writer. We see this in many stories, including but not limited to… Lord of the Rings City of Angels Twilight Underworld True Blood Magnifica (Yes, … Read More Inter-species Fantasy Romances

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To illustrate or not to illustrate?

It’s a question that has plagued many a fiction writer. Should you add illustrations to your novel? Should you include images of your characters on the cover of your book or should you restrict all imagery to symbols and leave the rest to the reader? To be honest, I’ve heard credible arguments on both sides of the isle and they both have good points. … Read More To illustrate or not to illustrate?