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Sherlock Holmes (2009) dir. Guy Ritchie

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being a writer with writer friends is just:

writer: *unhinged idea*

writer friend: *encourages unhinged idea*

writer:  😈 

writer friend:  😈 

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SAS Rogue Heroes

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Connor Swindells as David Stirling in SAS: Rogue Heroes.

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Fuckable Fictional Priests

Day 10: Christian Bale in something called Flowers of War.  Bonus picture of him as Hot Jesus in some made-for-TV piece of trash called Mary, Mother of Jesus.  I mean, I *might* be a believer if Jesus looked like that.  And I could fuck him. 

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Big Ben & the Elizabeth Tower as seen from a snowy Trafalgar Square

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Falling snow between pine trees by Anastasiia Yanishevska

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5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Romance

These Common Pitfalls Can Ruin a Romance Novel

Lust is about looks, love is about connection - romantic love, and romance, is somewhere in the middle. Creating this unique and potent experience as a writer is one of the most challenging parts of the craft (at least I think so). There are a million writing blogs, magazines, and gurus out there eager to tell you how to write better romance, but less information on how people most often go wrong.

The truth is that it’s rarely down to writing technique. With the screams of legions of plummy literary types in my ear, I’ll gently remind you that some of the most technically brilliant authors don’t make a living from their books. That doesn’t take away from their talent, of course, it’s a symptom of one thing; they’re writing for writers, most popular, widely loved authors write for readers. The very best, for example, Terry Pratchett and Barbara Kingsolver, do a bit of both. I’m boring you with this for a reason; the biggest mistake romance authors (or arguably any author) can make is to prioritize prose over storytelling.

The Importance of a (Good) Story

With the exception of very few, very esoteric, books which have gained cult acclaim, the majority of the novels you see in libraries and shops have a story. Storytelling is the heart of fiction writing, and in the romance genre, it is doubly important because the relationship is the story.

When writing horror, atmospheric descriptions may smooth some rough edges, in thrillers the plot is often an excuse for heart-racing action. In most novels, the story is the skeleton on which the book hangs - it’s hard to have a firefight or a haunted night without the shadow of a story, after all. If the writing falls short, the plot will seem bare and lifeless, but the structural integrity should keep it upright… should.

Read More

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Today is Friday. Tomorrow is Christmas. So here’s a photo of polar bears at an abandoned Soviet weather station on Kolyuchin Island. You make your holiday amazing.

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This December, we’re helping raise money for Polar Bear International. Spread the word! If you’re in the US or Canada and have a few extra bucks, throw some their way. They’re doing good work to protect some good bears.

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Photo by Dmitry Kokh

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types of conflict - world building

person vs person - between two people - a hero and a villain - the mc's goal is obstructed by another person - Victor Hugo's les misérables

person vs technology - a person faces technology - between a person / group of people and an object of science - technology refers to science over magic - Mary Shelley's frankenstein

person vs nature - a person faces nature - the effects of nature on the human world - the mc's goal (long- or short-term) is obstructed by an element of nature / a natural force - John Green's a fault in our stars

person vs society - a person faces a collective group of people - a smaller group of people vs a large group of people - their goal is obstructed by this group of people - Suzanne Collins' the hunger games

person vs supernatural - a person faces a supernatural subject - this tends towards the magic, although similar to person vs. technology in a sense - fate, magic forces, otherworldly beings, religion, deities - Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson

person vs self - conflict between a person and their inner self - may be conflicted with their own feelings - can have two opposing goals - Fyodor Dostoevsky's crime and punishment

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Ending the year much like I began it sick and in the ICU.

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Our holiday updates of Duty continue!

Ross gets answers to one mystery but finds another cause for concern closer to home.

Read Chapter 20 ("An Artful Affair") here.

Read Chapter 21 ("Purpose") here.

(Thanks for reading!)

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Me vs the porn bots constantly in my notifications

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Lmao you’re an adult, you shouldn’t be using the word squick. Use trigger. Use your grown up adult words to explain how you feel instead of leaning on a cutesy uwu term that no one outside of tumblr uses. It’s embarrassing.

Idek if this is serious or ironic honestly

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How the French do Christmas. Joyeux Noël! 🎄

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Good Morning from Scotland 

Life’s a beach, North Ayrshire sunrise 

📸bear_stella_smith on Instagram