Book Reviews, Writing Tips, and other Non-Cliche Things
(Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash) So, you may noticed that I haven't posted in a while. That is because of I have been super busy being a freelance writer. (If you missed my last post, I'm a freelance writer and editor now! You can check out my website at acaylor.com. Hire me!) I was planning on keeping… Continue reading Rant About Theme: 2016 Trolls movie (and a housekeeping update)
(Photo by Peter Hershey on Unsplash) I am not a pantser. If I don't know where a scene is going to go before I start writing, I end up staring at my screen after three sentences. Some people are the opposite. If they plan ahead, they feel constrained and uncreative. I'm guessing that Sean Russell falls in this… Continue reading The Initiate Brother and Plot Promises (Spoilers)
(Photo by Rikki Austin on Unsplash) Wicked is the the talk of my house. It has been a week since we last saw it, but the songs are still playing in the background. We still are talking about it, and humming it, and mentally writing fan fiction setting up Glinda with another Winkie. Well, that last one is… Continue reading Five Reasons Why I Loved Wicked
(Photo by Mario Calvo on Unsplash) There is little more satisfying than seeing a character you have watched over the course of a series have an emotional breakthrough. When two characters who have danced around their feelings for each other for two seasons go on a date. When the standoffish character who definitely DOES NOT CARE about… Continue reading Don’t Rush It
(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 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 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 Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash) There are a lot of reasons to have a flat character. Too many arcs happening in a story clutter the narrative. It's hard to show side characters changing without going into their POV. But there are also opportunities that come from having a side character grow and change during a story that… Continue reading Two Ways to Take Advantage of Character Arcs
Amy's Quill 