I finished the first draft of Impressions, which is now with my writing group and other beta readers for feedback before I start my cycle of revisions, solicit more feedback, and finally begin sending it out to possible literary agents. That the whole revision process lies ahead makes the “I’m finished” a bit less satisfying.
Five and Twenty Tales of the Genie Review
The core of Five and Twenty Tales of the Genie is what it means to be a good king, conveyed through a series of parables delivered by the titular mythological figure.
Around the World in 80 Days (PBS Masterpiece) Review
Above all, Verne’s stories, to me, capture a sense of vast potential.
Charge Review
It is a pleasant change to find a nonfiction book which is heavy on nonfiction and light on narrative.
Types of Stories
Storytelling theory has potential as another tool in the writer’s toolbox, and it was with that mindset that I became intrigued by a 2016 paper purporting to identify six basic emotional arcs which all stories share.
The First Men in the Moon Review
The First Men in the Moon can barely be considered science fiction at all. It is better thought of as adventure/horror with science fiction elements. If you read it in that guise, perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did when I was seeking a classic science fiction book.
The Physicist’s Rabbit Hole
A good storyteller, like a good engineer, needs to know what assumptions to make, and be aware of the assumptions which could undermine a project.
The Shadow Rising Review
Wheel of Time, to a certain extent, works by leaning into tropes and making them more, rather than avoiding or subverting them. The advantage of a story sprawling across fourteen books is that what starts as a trope can be fully developed and made into as unique a part of the worldbuilding as the most inventive, original aspects.
Unsympathetic Characters
The simplest advice for writing unsympathetic characters is to think of the traits that make it hard for you to sympathize with real people.
Nicomachean Ethics Review
After reading philosophers’ ideas of morality and ethics from Plato up to Camus, I remain convinced that Aristotle’s core idea – virtue is the mean between two vices – is the most insightful, and the most useful, standard of ethical behavior we as humanity have.
