Book Reviews, Writing Tips, and other Non-Cliche Things
(Photo by Ravi Pinisetti on Unsplash) He didn’t want to go. If I learned anything from Infinity Wars *Spoilers ahead*, it was how to make character deaths sad. Most tragic by far was Peter Parker, who in his last moments, begged his mentor and father-figure Tony Stark to not let him die. From his death we can… Continue reading Some Thoughts On Death (Avengers: Infinity War)
(Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash) I am a big fan of fairytale retellings. It's one of my favorite subgenres, and I have eight retellings floating around in my head on my own. My favorite published fairytale retellings has got to be the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. The Lunar Chronicles is a series including four… Continue reading Book Review – The Lunar Chronicles
(Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash) It is the third and final week of discussing creating magic systems. Click here to read about choosing a hard or soft magic system. Click here to read about creating limits and costs. Today we are talking about how your magic systems relates to the world. The Implications of Magic When… Continue reading Creating a Magic System (Part 3)
(Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash) Last week we started our three part series about creating magic systems. We discussed the overall feel of the magic, and the strengths and weaknesses of how much you define your system. This week, we are going to be discussing the shape of your magic system, and how the types of… Continue reading Creating a Magic System (Part 2)
(Photo by Mervyn Chan on Unsplash) Unique magic systems are my favorite part of fantasy. It forces characters to solve problems creatively. It creates rich and vibrant worlds. But too many stories have magic thrown in just because it is a fantasy story. Too many stories have cookie-cutter magic systems. Too many stories don't think out what… Continue reading Creating a Magic System (Part 1)
(Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash) From a High Tower by Mercedes Lackey is the story of a young Air Master named Giselle. Its part Rapunzel retelling, part Annie Oakley retelling, and 100% awesome. Giselle grew up in an abbey tower—isolated to protect herself and others until she can control her powers as a powerful air elementalist. When… Continue reading Book Review – From a High Tower
(Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash) I don't like classical books. (*Audience gasps of surprise and outrage*) I find many of them difficult to read, prose-wise. I'm am reading Moby Dick right now, and I don't understand why anyone would like the dense prose and rants about whales every three chapters. The last chapter I read was entirely… Continue reading Why I (Begrudgingly) Admit Classic Books are Useful
(Photo by Michael D Beckwith on Unsplash) Shattering the Ley is a fantasy book written by Joshua Palmatier. It is set in a world with such advanced magic that it almost seems like it is a science fiction. Although there are many point-of-view characters, the main narrative tells the story of Wielder (magician) Kara Tremain as she grows… Continue reading Book Review – Shattering the Ley
(Photo by Cederic X on Unsplash) Last week I talked about four of the nine fairy tale retellings I have stashed away. Today, I am talking about the other half... my Beauty and the Beast retellings! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. It may have something to do with characters constantly sacrificing their own happiness… Continue reading My Fairy Tale Retellings (Part 2)
(Photo by Liana Mikah on Unsplash) In her latest blog post, NC Stokes mentioned that her favorite retelling are mine. Thanks NC! They are my favorite too. I thought people might be interested in knowing what these retelling are. Here are four of the ten retellings I have stashed away in the back of my mind to be… Continue reading My Fairy Tale Retellings (Part One)
Amy's Quill 