innovation

Petrify!

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Medusa | Greece

Basic Facts:

  • What happened after the death of Medusa? Her head was put onto Athena’s shield, the Aegis. The name of the shield has been used in multiple fantasy and video game scenarios characters can equip.
  • Medusa’s image is still used in modern-day culture…anyone ever heard of Versace?
  • Many artists have taken the time to paint Medusa…like Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini, and Hubert Gerhard.
  • Medusa was the only one of her sisters who was not immortal.
  • Although seen as a villain in the stories, Medusa’s image is said to represent large ideas such as philosophy, beauty, art and even feminism.

Murder In The First Degree

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When someone is convicted for murder in the first degree, that means they planned out this particular death and executed their target. While there are many levels of first degree murder, this is the general idea. How does that relate to writing? Well, let’s talk about how planning out the death of one of your characters may come in handy.

First of all, you should ask yourself a series of questions before you decide to stick a knife in one of your characters. One being: has this character served their purpose in the telling of your story? Or maybe, has it become difficult to write in a character after a revelation in the plot? Or as simple as day, are they the ultimate sacrifice type of character?

If you’ve answered any of these questions with a whispered “yes,” I think it’s time to cut a character out.

As mad as we get when the tables are turned and we’re the reader, a character’s death comes with purpose. There have been so many book deaths that were needed to fuel emotion in the story, or further the plot. (Always kill a character to further the plot.) The characters we hate to lose are usually the ones who get killed off. Sometimes the character needed to serve a quick purpose and needs to be written off…in the most dramatic way possible, aka death.

Don’t feel obligated to keep all of your characters; they won’t all see the finish line.

Fighting Game For Writers!

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We are big advocates for demolishing writer’s block. We’ve talked about a variety of methods, websites, and apps to use against a writer’s worst nightmare. Here is a new one for you: Fighter’s Block.

So, after playing around with the online app for a few levels, I can officially declare this as a fun way to defeat writer’s block. There’s only a select amount of characters you can choose from and there’s only one enemy unlocked but there are little details in the structure and immersion of the game which makes it worthwhile.

Let’s break it down!

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Cute pixel sprites go up against each other in a game that challenges you to write, write, write before your character’s health reaches zero. You start off by choosing your hero (you can choose between Red or Karen, Quin is locked until you reach level 11) and your word goal for that particular level. Once you click fight, the battle has begun.

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You’ll notice the health bar of your character slowly (or quickly) diminishing if you’re not typing. As you write, the character’s health is regenerated and the enemy’s lowers.

To add more flair to your experience, you can customize your fighting background and writing difficulty to challenge yourself. The theme can be changed to different color schemes that can better your playing/writing experience. With the opponent you can easily change its speed and attack which works against you as you’re writing.

Your writing space can also be customized. From font to the display of your text box, this game is perfect for any writer looking for new ways to get back into the swing of things.

A Greek Hybrid

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Chimera | Greece

“Fire-breathing hybridization of a lion, goat, and snake.”

Basic Facts:

  • The chimera is female. Unless you love Greek mythology and knew that already, some may think the chimera is genderless.
  • Offspring of the Chimera are the Sphinx and the Nemeian lion, a huge lion that had an impenetrable hide.
  • She was killed by Bellerophan, a hero sent by a King…what a likely story.
  • Other classical writers thought the Chimera represented a Lycian volcano.
  • If you like constellations, Pegasus and Chimera may have once opposed each other in the stars, but is usually associated with the Capricorn.

Memories

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Inspired by a post found on Pinterest, we’re talking about the good and bad behind utilizing flashbacks in your writing. There’s an art behind it, and always a purpose.

Use a flashback to propel the story. Giving backstory to the plot or character can really help your reader understand and comprehend why the plot is unfolding the way it is or why the character’s personality is molded into the current personality (always in correspondence with the plot.)

Don’t spend too long in the flashback. If you’re wandering around and talking about unnecessary details then you’re spending a whole chapter wasting your reader’s time.

Does the flashback serve the “current” time any justice? If it does, keep it. Like we’ve discussed – use it in conjunction to the story line of your story’s present. The flashback could lose its meaning.

Flashbacks are great for any genre…but our personal favorite is the one that gives you the chills. Adding suspense, chilling clues, a haunting past…makes for a helluva scary tale.memories.gif

Another Mermaid?!

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As a lover of anything ocean-related, it was bound to happen when we would talk about a sea creature we are all familiar with. Let’s jump right in!

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Ceasg | Scotland

“Mermaid that grants three wishes when captured.”

Basic Facts:

  • The ceasg is a fancy (if you’re not Scottish) word for ‘mermaid.’
  • In Gaelic, they’re known as maighdean mhara or maid of the sea.
  • She’s half-woman and half-salmon. But a little different than the long tail, we’re used to seeing.
  • She can get married but she’ll always go back to her first love: the sea. If she bears a male offspring, they’ll usually become a sailor – a damn good one.
  • Defense is needed. It’s simple: don’t acknowledge them, show them respect, no eye contact, and don’t go with them if they ask you to.

The Meme To End All Memes

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Everyone has their memes to get them through the day. We have so many personal favorites to spice up our posts, we thought it was about time we shared some with you all. Plus, it’s nice to sit back and laugh at the accomplishments (or lack thereof) when it comes to working on our writing. Let the memes begin!

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First of all, we are starting with the meme everyone can relate to: I have an idea, but haven’t started it yet. Mainly because it’s a tough one to go home after a full day’s worth of work, and put your eyes on a screen if that’s all you’ve done for the work day. Fear not, Lisa Simpson understands your feelings more than you probably know.

 

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Next up, we’ve got a meme for our writers who like the darker side of things. Jim Halpert always mirrors our emotions even at the strangest of times. Writing about things you wouldn’t usually write about (i.e. murder) could be quite alarming for those who don’t know you as a person…or even for those who do know you.

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It’s happened to every writer in the history of writing: making characters suffer and enjoying every second of it. Don’t feel bad about this. J.K. Rowling probably made the same face when she was killing off characters in Harry Potter. It’s every writers’ guilty pleasure.

 

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We know what you’re thinking…another meme about killing off characters?! Well, yeah. It’s a guilty pleasure. Plus, nothing is better than building something beautiful then tearing it apart to make another character stronger after they’ve been broken. There’s reason behind the madness…I swear!

 

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Then after everything has been said and done: here comes the editing. Sure, you wrote it now…but who made it sound so awful? Definitely not you! Someone must have written it while you were sleeping or something. All in all, editing isn’t fun. And this face is very relevant.

 

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But this is the most important one. Because why are you reading this post when you should be writing? 😛

Keeping Up with the Lit

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Cue the old school Keeping Up with the Kardashians theme song (you know, the one with the whistles) and get ready for this post of true importance: LITERARY EVENTS.

If you’re trying to get your face and your name out in the world…maybe attending literary events can help you show face but also expand your knowledge and help inspire you.

On a larger scale, there are a plethora of events to attend. Events like BookExpo America, Comic-Con International: San Diego, PEN America World Voices Festival, YALL Fest, LA Festival of Books, Hay Festival of the Arts, National Book Fair (for our US – based followers), Edinburgh International Book Festival, Miami Book Fair Festival, Agatha Christie Festival, FLIP (Festa Literaria Internacional de Paraty), Brooklyn Book Festival, Texas Book Festival. These are seen to be some of the best mainstream conventions, expositions, and festivals.

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Don’t forget there are the smaller ones local to your region. Like library, university/college, or standalone events, hosted by region/state organized groups or affiliates. These can be far more intimate. If you’re interested in asking questions/getting advice on a one-on-one scenario, a local event might be up your alley.

Venture out of your writing room and gain some exposure or learn some new writing techniques.

Everybody Knows

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One of my personal favorites from Greek Mythology that still resonates in many other cultures even to this day.

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Pegasus | Greece

“Winged stallion that helps heroes conquer deadly foes.”

Basic Facts:

  • Pegasus has a brother! Being born by Medusa, Chrysaor is the brother of Pegasus. With the death of Medusa came two.
  • With its hooves, Pegasus created a spring for Hippocrene (also translated to “horse spring.”)
  • Speaking of translations, Pegasus loosely translates to “spring, well” and includes the origination of Pegasus (location-wise.)
  • A job for the flying horse? Zeus had Pegasus carry his thunderbolts.
  • The image of Pegasus has been used time and time again within logos or emblems.

Imperfectly Perfect

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If your character comes off as perfect, maybe it’s time to rough them up a bit. Add some physical flaws or habits to your character to include some flair.

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  • Blemished skin
  • Chipped tooth/teeth
  • Fidgets constantly/can never sit still
  • Grinds teeth
  • Skin is red/irritated
  • Dark under eye circles
  • Eyebrow scar
  • Uneven dimples
  • Broken/crooked nose

These flaws were picked from a Tumblr post, meaning there are more points! These are our highlights!