The hardest part of writing for me has always been to come up with a story premise. I often get characters or setting, but nothing for them to do, nowhere for them to move. I’ve had some thoughts on this subject lately, some inspiration if you will, from a couple different sources. Maybe you’ll benefit, too.
Richard W. Kaeuper, Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 32
Someone remind me: Why do we consider romances chick lit and war stories to be for men?
The Santa Clara Review wants to hear from you!
Founded in 1869, the Review is a literary and art publication that features music, poetry, art, non-fiction and fiction work. The publication is based at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA.
The submission deadline for the next issue is…
(Source: orwell.ru)
For some reason I feel most inclined to write and get ideas for writing this time of year.
It’s also a time I feel like reading classic ghost stories. Any recommendations? Two of my favorites are Roald Dahl’s collection and Ancestral Shadows by Russell Kirk.
I mentioned that Chris Wickham’s meaty Framing the Early Middle Ages would be good for those looking for a thesis topic. It occurred to me that it could also give some inspiration for world building.
The book surveys a variety of European cultures in turbulent times, which is usually the type of backdrop used for fantasy stories. It could give you ideas on how to structure economies and political factions, for instance.
(Source: chesterton.org)
I tweeted these forever ago, but the internet just noticed and I figure I should probably at least put them on my blog. I’m glad people are finding them useful.
Here they are, a mix of things learned from directors & coworkers at Pixar, listening to writers & directors talk about their craft, and…
#7 and #11 are big for me.
I’m about halfway through the Songs of Love and Death anthology, edited by George R. R. Martin, with stories by Cecelia Holland, Jim Butcher, Jacqueline Carey, etc. I think it would be a good read for those who play Bioware games mainly for the romances. You’ve got your fantasy or sci fi angles but with heavy romance aspect. There are definitely good stories here. I was reading mainly for Cecelia Holland, but have enjoyed some of the others as well.
It’s probably my first time reading stuff out of the romance genre since stealing peeks at my mother’s bodice ripper books when I was a teenager (I can’t be the only one who did that). It was an interesting cross cultural experience. I actually liked some of them, up to certain points, though I’ll always prefer stories that are heavier on action. The successful romance writers are good writers, to be sure. The problem with romance writing for me is that the very things I hate are the things their fans want to see.
Take one story called The Marrying Maid by Jo Beverley. I sort of liked it, despite what seemed to me to be some cliche’ and schlocky aspects. There were interesting tie-ins with English history and folklore. And then, the bedroom scene- when the heroine went from virgin to total ecstasy in two lines despite being under considerable duress. This is what the readers of these stories want, so it’s what the authors give them. I don’t understand why, and it’s kind of a shame because it makes me not be able to believe in the story anymore, and it’s what makes other people lampoon the genre. I guess it’s a rhetorical question, but wouldn’t people prefer something that’s closer to reality, so that you can actually put yourself in the protagonist’s shoes?
Louis L’Amour (via iratherthinkheknewanyway)
O_O I had a huge Louis L’Amour collection as a teenager and was just thinking today that I need to go back and re-read some of his stuff to get some inspiration for a Fallout New Vegas fanfiction story I’ve been noodling on. He’d probably roll over in his grave at that, but now here he is on my dash. It’s fate, Louie. We miss you. Sacketts live forever.
(Source: booksandnerds)
(Source: mehreenkasana)
