Yesterday was the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s purported birth (we know the day he was christened, but not the day he was born so, as with Most Things William, we’re really just guessing).
In honor of this anniversary, I neither watched one of his plays nor read any of his poetry.
Nope.
I watched Shakespeare in Love.
Travesty! Sacrilege!
Feh. Continue Reading »
Posted in Movies | Tagged gwyneth paltrow, joseph fiennes, movie reviews, Movies, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, shakespeare in love, shakespeare on film, shakespeare's birthday, Shakespeare's plays, Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare | 3 Comments »
I’ve never given much credence to results of “studies” on human social patterns. We’re just too complicated to fit into neat little boxes. However, the other day I learned of one such study which so accurately described me, I had to give it a closer look.
I mention this here because this is the sort of thing that can be used to add depth to the histories of families and characters in my writing.
The study was about birth order and the “middle child syndrome.” Now, “birth order” is not new to me; I heard about it a long time ago but never paid it any attention because, frankly, my family situation doesn’t really fit any common form.
Posted in Culture, Writing | Tagged believable characters, building believable characters, Characters, creative writing, middle child, middle child syndrome, novel writing, Writing, writing tips | 2 Comments »
Over on Facebook, a reader mentioned a scene in FC:1 that she really liked. I like to investigate this sort of specific feedback–the good and the bad–to see what worked and what didn’t work for my readers.
I remembered the scene she mentioned in general, but not in detail. The main reason I wanted to investigate, though, was that her description of it as dialogue-free was not my recollection; I remembered it as being chatty to the extreme, as two swoony teenaged girls prattled on about how divine it was going to be to see Sarah Bernhardt on stage. (For those of you out of the 19th-century loop, Sarah Bernhardt was the Lady Gaga of her day.)
So, I pulled down my copy of The Year the Cloud Fell and tried to figure out what this reader had meant when she referred to the scene’s “”
Posted in Books, Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing | Tagged Characters, creative writing, ebooks, Fallen Cloud Saga, novel writing, novels, self-publishing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 2 Comments »
Now that’s a first.
A novelist friend was complaining about the names she’d picked for her characters (they’re historical ethnic names, and have several diacritical marks). She was wrapping up a long series with these characters, and was looking forward to never having to write those names again.
I thought that was a good topic for discussion. There are lots of bad choices for character names; some annoy the reader, some annoy the writer. Then, halfway through composing my own post, I searched the web for a reference, and got a hit on my own blog.
Oops…I’d already written a post on the topic of character names (and what not to do).
I suppose it was bound to happen; there are only so many one can broach on the subject of writing. Of course, I’m a good enough writer that I could have taken a new tack on an old topic, but I don’t want to recycle subjects…not yet, anyway.
So, instead of boring you with a slightly different discussion on what makes a bad name, how about boring you with a discussion on what makes a good name?
No? All right. Another time, then. 😉
k
Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing | Tagged blogging, character names, Characters, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, novel writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | Leave a Comment »
American life has its rituals. Some are small. Some are big. Some mark a transition from one age to the next. Some are trials by fire, ordeals designed to break us and leave us whimpering, lying in pools of our own sweat and tears.
Buying a car is one such trial.
Posted in Culture | Tagged 2014 Mazda3, car buying, cars, geo storm, mazda, new car smell, new cars | 3 Comments »
Last year, I brought to your attention Ripper Street, the BBC crime drama set in Whitechapel (London) in the years after the Jack the Ripper murders. Last year, the premiere season was showing on BBC America, and I was all atwitter about it.
It’s back for a second season–a good bit of news–but it’s also back in the news.
You see, Ripper Street was canceled at the end of its second season. Even The Guardian was gobsmacked by the news, calling it “Dreadful news for fans of quality drama.”
And I agree. But all is not lost.
Posted in Television | Tagged amazon, BBC, BBC America, creative writing, Jack the Ripper, jerome flynn, matthew macfadyen, peepers dry plate, reviews, Ripper Street, television reviews, Writing | 3 Comments »
In the cold air of evening
Wrens forage on a red-barked tree
Cry here here here
Robins flee from my footstep
Eye me from amid apple blossoms
Coughing rum-rum-rum like old cars in the morning
Juncos steal past below me
Seeking midges mid-air
They leap silently through the gloaming
Sunset breaks the lidded sky
Limns the buds of maples
In the cold air of evening
Posted in Writing | Tagged clustering, creative writing, Poetry, quiet living, Writing, writing techniques | Leave a Comment »
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 