Tuesday, August 29, 2017

So Your Character is from Greece ... Featuring Lisa @ My Bookshelf Dialogues, Artemis @ The Radical Creative, and Zizeloni @ Zizeloni van Kat



It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's  So Your Character is from Uruguay ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

Greece has influenced Western culture greatly. There's Greek architecture and Greek and Latin mottoes and symbols for my country. It's hard not to know about Greece. I'm a huge Greek mythology buff. XD I also very much enjoy Greek cuisine like baba ghanoush and baklava. But there's so much about Greece I didn't know which is why I'm so happy to have these ladies on the blog today!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Writing Lessons from Movies: The Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl




It's crazy to think that the writers of the Pirates of the Caribbean based its main idea from an iconic ride at Disney World. I'd went to this ride way before this movie was made and I was surprised when Disney announced was turning it into a film. Going back just last year, they've upgraded this ride with Jack Sparrow. Now it's become one of Disney's most famous live action franchises. 

When I first saw this movie at thirteen, the skeleton pirates scared me to death and I actually had to leave the theater. (Yes, I was a sensitive child.) But now I love this film not just for its jokes and creativity, but for its many good writing points. Out of all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films I stand that this one was the best written.

Warning: Spoilers.



Friday, August 25, 2017

Tori's Tips for Convention Preparation




The biggest conventions are upon us in just a few short weeks and I will be attending DragonCon and Anime Weekend Atlanta, two of the biggest conventions of the southeast United States. I've been attending conventions for five years now in both Georgia and Florida from the tiny JapanCon in Kennesaw to the massive DragonCon in downtown Atlanta. 

Eventbrite (they have some great tools to help you plan events like conventions) inspired a post about how I prepare for conventions. I know a lot of you have been curious about conventions as well and this is a Friday, my whatever post day, so I thought this would be a good time to share.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

So Your Character is From Uruguay ... Featuring Ruty @ Reading Dreaming



It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's  So Your Character is from Portugal ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

I honestly didn't know much about Uruguay before this post either. I could find it on a map ... and that's just about it. XD I'm so glad to have Ruty on the blog!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Villain Necrologies and Debacles: Studio Ghibli Edition




Villains meet their demises in so many different ways. For some this means death, for other this means an unfortunate incapacitating situation. Writers put a lot of thought into how their antagonist finally fails, but which way is best for your villain? That all depends on so many different circumstances, including audience and genre. This is what inspired my series "Villain Necrologies & Debacles." Over time, I'll be analyzing different animation studios, franchises, and more. These posts are meant to show you what sort of defeats have been done whether common or uncommon, perhaps inspire some villain defeats of your own, or you can just enjoy the morbid humor. Check out last month's DreamWorks Animation Edition!

Studio Ghibli is one of Japan's most famous animation studios. Its films have won Oscars along with numerous other awards. Weirdly, this studio's movies often don't have a formal antagonist. Often their films consist of a character dealing with their own internal struggles or outer struggles that aren't a certain being. The few antagonists the animation studio does have are very memorable. I'm mostly going with their fantasy/sci-fi/steampunk movies because those are the ones I've watched. 

Warning: Spoilers for all of the villains in these movies. 

Friday, August 18, 2017

The Voices of YA Tag and the Cookie Book Tag!




I'm finally getting to another set of tags! Yays! All of these are book themed. I try to theme all of my tags when I do more than one. XD 

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

So Your Character is From Portugal ... Featuring Marta @ The Book Mermaid, Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much, & Joana @ Bookneeders





It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's  So Your Character is from Italy ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

I honestly didn't know much about Portugal before this post. I could find it on a map, I knew Christopher Columbus came from there, and I like making Portuguese stew but that's just about it. I'm so glad to have these ladies on the blog!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Sass versus Subtly: A Discussion about the Popularity of Snark





Sassy and snark. I've never really cared for these descriptors, but these are popular buzzwords these days. Characters across media, especially on Pinterest and Tumblr, are praised for their sass and snark.

Am I the only one that has a problem with that?

Friday, August 11, 2017

Beautiful People #27: Cohen (Silhouette)





It's time for this month's Beautiful People! Yay! This is a link-up hosted by Paperfury and Further Up and Further Inwhere you answer questions about your characters. I participated in Beautiful People for the last three years every month. Pretty crazy. XD This link-up has been just so helpful with character development. 

Cohen is a new character I'm developing for my NaNo novel Silhouette. This BP fits perfect for him. His story is adult science-fiction (Writing an adult fiction. Scary. XD) and he comes from a 1900s tech trio of planets connected by space elevators and he's currently in a mining colony as is his sentence. The planet is unsuitable for humans so him and his other inmates have had their souls transferred into special ceramic bodies to survive the conditions. If you'd like to participate in this link-up yourself, check out either Paperfury or Further Up and Further In to see how. Here we go!

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

So Your Character is from Italy ... Featuring Emily @ Little Black Sheep




It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's  So Your Character is from Bolivia ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

My dad's side of the family has direct Italian origins, so I grew up with a lot of stories about his Sicilian grandparents and eating a lot of authentic Italian food. I'm so glad I found Emily so I can learn even more about this amazing country!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)


Saturday, August 5, 2017

Monthly Summary: July 2017




This month was so crazy! Good crazy though. I did so many new things I hadn't before and made so many memories for years to come. Yes it had it stressful moments, but the majority was absolute bliss. Any time I'm surrounded by people who love and care about me it's a slice of heaven for me.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Realm Makers 2017 Report




This was my third time attending Realm Makers and the ninth conference I've ever attended! This year I went to a part of the United States I've never been to and had so many other unique experiences. This trip will definitely be a great memory for years to come. 

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

So Your Character is From Bolivia ... Featuring Rebekah DeVall





It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's  So Your Character Has a Broken Bone ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

I actually have a cousin who married a guy who grew up in Bolivia as a missionary kid. This is the closest connection I have to Bolivia besides some Bolivian currency for my collection. I'm so glad to have found Rebekah so I could learn more about this South American country!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)