cyallowitz

[cyallowitz]

Revisit: The Rejection Letter: Inspiration, Pain, and Kindling

Posted on January 19th, 2013, this is a fun one.  Not really much else to add to it since it’s right to the point.  People who weren’t following me back then might get a kick out of the final question though. For some reason, I began thinking about all of the rejection letters I have received since I first began submitting my writing in high school.  That was 17 years ago and I gathered a lot of…

[cyallowitz]

Happy National Ice Cream Day

Perfect time of year for this holiday.  At least for this part of the world where we have summer.  So: What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?  (Gold Medal Ribbon from Baskin Robbins) What’s your least favorite?  (Mint chocolate chip) What’s the weirdest flavor you have tried?  (Buttered popcorn flavor . . . Ew.)

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Goal Post: Hot, Busy, and Aching

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Revisit: Windemere: The Silent Character

Published on January 13, 2013, this feels like another post where things that now feel obvious just dawn on me.  I would eventually go on to talk a few times about the setting being as much of a character as the heroes and villains.  For anyone curious about Windemere’s early days, check out Beginning of a Hero for free. Art by Alison Hunt I keep thinking about the character posts that I will be…

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Poetry Day: Greed Rondelet

Homunculi from Fullmetal Alchemist (I stumbled onto this set of 7 rondelets about the Seven Sins.  It’ll cover the whole summer.  Now, a rondelet is a 7-line poem where the first line is repeated on line 3 and 7.  The refrain lines are usually 4 syllables and the other 4 lines are 8.  These were tough, so I hope I got them right.  I’ll be putting this explanation and the same picture at the start…

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Inspiration vs. Craft: Finding Ideas and Developing Them

Greetings to one and all. Beem Weeks here with you again. This month, I’m looking at the difference between inspiration and craft. Though they are …Inspiration vs. Craft: Finding Ideas and Developing Them

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Revisit: Runaway Characters

First posted on January 9, 2013, I like how it was creating goblin society and dryad breeding practices that stirred this topic.  Not Kira Grasdon constantly forcing me to reevaluate her path or Queen Trinity shifting further away from true villain with every revision.  It was goblin civilization and tree fairy copulation . . . Man, I was in for a brutal awakening later on if those two things…

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Today I am with Teagan R. Geneviene for Her Life Changes or Reinventions Feature

Yes, I am on the road visiting Teagan and participating in her Life Changes or Reinventions Feature. Teagan has invited several bloggers to write …Today I am with Teagan R. Geneviene for Her Life Changes or Reinventions Feature

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Teaser Tuesday: Enemies to the End

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen This is a scene from The Compass Key.  It’s one of my favorites because it stems from a crazy point of the original game.  I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to capture the emotions of Luke Callindor and the Lich facing off for what might be their final battle and how it went down. I think I really took the Lich for granted when I wrote him in that I didn’t…

[cyallowitz]

Indie Author Culture. Part 1: Do We Exist?

I am delighted to join the Story Empire team, and I hope readers will find my first post enjoyable and interesting. Do you call yourself an indie …Indie Author Culture. Part 1: Do We Exist?

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Revisit: Crushers of Souls and Puppies

This went live on January 2, 2013 and it comes off as fairly naive.  I seem so simplistic in my view on villains and what makes one good.  Not sure why I lacked any nuance, especially since I had to have been working on making Queen Trinity a 3-dimensional bad guy.  Guess this shows how much I changed because I don’t think I can agree with big chunks of this post.  Then again, I seem to mention a…

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Tale of the Kihansi Spray Toad

The Kihansi spray toad once lived in a 5-acre area at the base of the Kihansi River waterfall in Tanzania.  The females can grow to 1.1 inches long and the males up to 0.75 inches long, which means you can fit a lot into such a tiny space.  Also, they fertilize internally, so they give birth to live young instead of eggs outside of the body.  More importantly they are extinct in the wild. The…

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Goal Post: Summer Break Is Overrated Anyway

Well, I went back to work for our summer Life Skills program.  I have to give up thinking it’s going to be easier than the regular school year.  We hit the ground running and don’t really stop until the end of the day.  It’s only 5 hours instead of 7, but we cram a lot of activities into that time.  I thought I could eat a decent lunch of tahini and strawberries on a pita with a few snacks.  That…

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Revisit: No Fun in Perfection

This was posted December 26, 2012 and I love the opening warning.  Even in my haggard state, I was able to make some sense.  Pretty sure I’ve touched on this subject a few times afterwards, but it’s funny how it all started when I had the flu or something. Google Image Search (Note: I’m writing this with a 100+ fever, so bear with me here.) I read a fantasy book where the main character was…

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Poetry Day: Serum

Yahoo Image Search (This is about a character I dreamt up long ago.  Haven’t figured out how to use him, but I have noticed other characters have been made with his blood powers since I first thought him up in 2000.  At least, I’ve become aware of them.  Still, I might find a way to get him in there at some point.) A disturbing thought Who slipped into a lucid dream And remained In my waking…

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Where Am I? #WriteTip

During the Fourth of July weekend, many folks were on the road, listening to music or daydreaming while stuck in traffic. Nothing at all interesting …Where Am I? #WriteTip

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Revisit: The Next . . .

Published on December 19th, 2012, this is a very important post.  One that I wish I remembered before today since I think it holds even more true today.  We keep looking for the ‘next’ person to take the mantle of someone instead of letting newer artists be the first of their own name. Many times I have been asked who I write like. Do I want to be the next Tolkien, Lewis, Jordan, etc.? I never…