Marie, here. I was recently having a conversation with an author friend about characters that are considered allies to the protagonist, good guys so to speak, and how they don’t have to be friends with the male or female lead. All good guys can’t be good, right? We all love a morally gray character hereContinue reading “Likeable Side Characters?”
Tag Archives: writing advice
Silly Writing
Marie, here. I’m sure everyone has seen something online about how horrible men write women. We may have even mentioned it before. One of Gideon and mine’s favorite things to share with each other are sites or videos that feature examples of this kind of hilarious writing. We honestly find it pretty funny. Even womenContinue reading “Silly Writing”
Fiction Reflecting Real Life
Sometimes, when we talk about fiction reflecting the world we actually live in, we refer to the characters. We show a character in a comic who is terrified when a villain shows up. Maybe that movie superhero freezes instead of stepping up to save the day. Maybe a mother yells at her kid instead ofContinue reading “Fiction Reflecting Real Life”
Paperback Formatting
Marie, here. Ever read a book and the formatting made you cringe? Aurora has mentioned in a previous blog post about how certain fonts irked us. Today I want to talk about formatting, especially with paperbacks. A lot of the classics I read growing up had certain paragraph formatting, line spacing, margin settings, and alignmentContinue reading “Paperback Formatting”
Influencing Readers
Marie here. We often write blog posts here about things we do or don’t want to see in the media. We discuss topics that may or may not be controversial that we read, hear about, or see through various means like television, movies, radio, and books. There is a very good reason for this. AsContinue reading “Influencing Readers”
Withholding Sex
Marie here. Today I want to discuss the topic of withholding sex in relationships. I grew up watching a lot of television and movies, even reading books, where this was a thing. “Uh-oh, he said something embarrassing about you. Guess he won’t be getting any tonight.” As a kid and teenager, I honestly thought thisContinue reading “Withholding Sex”
Reading to Write
Marie here. I often talk about how important it is for authors to read but today I want to focus on one of the many reasons why by relaying a personal story. As a fan of anime since I was eleven, I was excited to find the Vampire Hunter D movies. Badass vampires in anime?Continue reading “Reading to Write”
Not Like Other Girls
Marie here. This is a rant post so be warned! I will admit that in my naive youth I may have used this phrase. I wanted the world to know that my character was different, that she wasn’t a cookie cutter version of girls the world over. Oh, what a fool I was! This isContinue reading “Not Like Other Girls”
Body Language
Marie here. Recently I have been reading web comics obsessively. As in, being distracted from my own writing and reading of novels, obsessively. As a lover of art, I spend hours finding new stories on certain sites that catch my eye with their unique style. The art might draw me in, but the story isContinue reading “Body Language”
What Makes a Short Story?
Hello, readers and writers. Tis I, Marie, your friendly neighborhood beta reader/content editor. I wear many hats, but today I am stepping into my role as beta reader to give my fellow novice writers a few tips on writing short stories. As a reader of many genres for many decades, I can safely say thatContinue reading “What Makes a Short Story?”
Hollow Hills 