#Writers&039; Narrative

[rozmorris]

What's editing - and how do editors work with writers? Interview at Writers' Narrative magazine

Why is editing so important for writers? Why is it publishing’s biggest – and best-kept – secret? How do editors work with writers to ensure clarity and consistency – and yet preserve the writer’s unique voice and flavour? What if the writer disagrees about changes the editor wants to make? How do we keep a dialogue going throughout the editing process so the writer doesn’t feel they’re losing…

[haveacupofjohanny]

Seasons of Story: Closing the Chapter on 'The Devil That Haunts Them'

🎧 Tune in to the final May episode, 'Seasons of Story,' exploring this multi-genre trilogy in 'The Devil That Haunts Them.' Join me as I celebrate the profound impact of sisterhood and Dominican heritage in storytelling. 📚💫 #Literature #Podcast

As we bring our enlightening May series to a close, join me in “Seasons of Story: Closing the Chapter on ‘The Devil That Haunts Them’,” where we traverse the ever-changing landscapes of genre and emotion embedded in my trilogy. This series has been a voyage through my evolution as a storyteller, intertwining the eerie tendrils of horror with the serene reflections of historical fiction. In our…

[bookblast]

The Sabres of Paradise, the book that inspired Frank Herbert’s Dune – Spotlight

More and more articles about The Sabres of Paradise, the book that inspired Frank Herbert’s Dune  are appearing online. Direct film adaptations provide the biggest boost to the popularity of a book and its sales, so Dune is doubtless doing very well indeed. But what about books based on other books that were famous at the time they were written? The Sabres of Paradise was published in 1960 and…

[ancientroyalblood]

Crafting Compelling Endings: The Art of Resolving Storylines

As writers, the conclusion of a story holds immense power, leaving a lasting impression on readers. Crafting a compelling ending isn’t just about tying loose ends; it’s about delivering a satisfying resolution that resonates. This guide aims to explore the intricacies of creating impactful conclusions that leave a lasting emotional imprint. Understanding the Essence of Endings: Endings serve as…

[femgeniuses]

A Conversation with Sharon Dodua Otoo

A Conversation with Sharon Dodua Otoo

by Latra Demaci  

[srishtikawrites]

I apologise.

  To the ones who loved me and cared for me,

I’m sorry.

I guess I was too occupied in figuring out what went wrong, too occupied in blaming you, too occupied in beating myself up, that maybe I was not good enough, that I forgot to apologise for my behaviour.

Maybe until now I had not forgiven you, for the things I blamed on you. Neither did I forgive myself for not keeping up to our bargain.

But…

[writersbeware]

Writer’s Block Woes

            I developed a love of writing as a young teen. There was plenty of fodder since my family was not exactly pleasant to live with. My characters were all girls my age who felt unloved. All believed that they had either been kidnapped or adopted and yearned for escape. Some of them tried, actually made it one night away thanks to finding a culvert in which to shelter, but none of them…

[rehmanjafar]

Close to 7 years

Close to 7 years

With over 550 blogs published in the last 6 years (this blog will be 7 years old in this July) I’ve been terrible at updating this site in the recent times. The last post was four months ago which is a long-long time. Anyway, I want to say I’ve had a writer’s block but let me be very honest. I’ve been writing and I’ve been saving endless drafts but these writings and little pieces don’t really…

[mereinkling]

Free Storytelling Class

If you are a storyteller—and if, like me, you’re interested in screenwriting—there is a free class you may find valuable. John Paul the Great Catholic University focuses on degrees related to the creative arts. They are currently offering a five session “crash course” discussing the key elements of storytelling. And the teachers apparently possess genuine credentials, being “veterans of Pixar’s…

[lalobalives]

Announcing a New, FREE Series: Writing Experimental Essays

Announcing a New, FREE Series: Writing Experimental Essays

What are experimental essays? What do they look like? How can experimenting with form add nuance and deepen your personal essay writing? In this Free/Donation-based class, we’ll be covering a different kind of experimental essay every session. In the first session, on February 17th, we’ll answer the questions: What are experimental essays? What do they look like? Dates are the third Wednesday…

[authorajalexander]

Narrative Style: The Heart of Storytelling & Why It Also Matters in Memoir - Written By Kristen Lamb

Narrative Style: The Heart of Storytelling & Why It Also Matters in Memoir – Written By Kristen Lamb

My favorite blogger Kristen Lamb has published a post about narrative style, the heart of storytelling. Thank you so much for another educational blog post, Kristen.

Narrative style is the beating heart of writing. While our voice might remain consistent from a blog to a non-fiction to a fiction, narrative style is what keeps our work fresh and makes it resonate.

Developing a strong narrative…

[rozmorris]

Too much TV might spoil your… prose writing

Too much TV might spoil your… prose writing

I’m aware the title of this blogpost might sound like old-fogey nagging, but it has a serious point. And, to reassure you, the cure is easy. We learn storytelling from just about anything, and much of it without realising. TV and movies are a huge part of our lives and while they’re great teachers for some aspects, they’re not so good for others.     There are several common issues I see in…

[lonelyleliel]

Kill Your Darlings (or torture them) - VPD - Entry 3

Kill Your Darlings (or torture them) – VPD – Entry 3

The Violet Project Diaries – Entry 3 – Kill Your Darlings (or torture them)

The chaos is what we want to show our characters responding to. We must also be brave enough to show that they may never learn how to flow with the chaos of life or releasing expectations for things they can’t control or simply taking responsibility for what is within their control. If our darling aren’t working…

[thebizza]

Lurlina’s Intimates

Image by ElinaElena from Pixabay 

Lurlina’s Intimates

“Welcome to Lurlina’s Intimates. My name is Lurlina,” sang Lurlina musically over the soft sound of Muzak being piped in overhead. The store was so empty that every note, every windbreak to breathe between the notes could be clearly heard.

“Can I help you find something- oh! I remember you!” she added, beaming, with a wink. “Vic, isn’t it?…

[ancientroyalblood]

Navigating Point of View: Choosing the Right Perspective for Your Story

The narrative perspective you choose for your story is like the lens through which your readers view the world you’ve created. It shapes their connection to characters, their understanding of events, and the overall experience of your narrative. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the world of narrative perspectives, exploring the different options available to writers and helping them make…

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 039

Episode: Futari wa Precure 39 - “Sparkling Tears! Dripping Sweat! A Chaotic Wedding” Date watched: 20 May 2018 Original air date: 14 November 2004 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/VB9fE4E

Someone on the writing staff decided to give several of the one-and-dones a little more love.

Episode 37 was great! Episode 38 was bad! Episode 39 is right in the middle, ending up as a decent but forgettable episode with a couple memorable points. One of the things it does is give the above 4 characters some dialog and narrative purpose. Natsuko and Kyoko you’ll probably remember because they featured in the R&J episode (ep 37) after being fake Black and White, the other two are Taniguchi Seiko on the left, the girl who was rejected by Kiriya in ep 18; and Kashiwada Mayu, Nagisa’s lookalike from way back in episode 4. All their skills come together in this as the class prepares a quilt for Ms. Yoshimi’s wedding, and that’s nice of the writers to bring them back. I just wish Seiko and Mayu had been more prominent in the intervening time, and a couple of side characters not shown here, because for the most part I forget who I’m supposed to remember from previous episodes (like the lacrosse team captain that I keep forgetting to mention is voiced by eventual Cure Heart). Not to derail too much and discuss future shows but I feel like Heartcatch had a much better take on recurring characters. I think I mentioned that before, too.

Back to it! So over in the Dark Zone, Regine is really starting to realize something is unusual about Porun, but while Juna kind of considers her words, Belzei doesn’t seem to care. Still, Juna goes out to cause trouble this week.

At school, Ms. Yoshimi reveals that she’s getting married soon! All the girls in her class are elated by this news, but over lunch, Honoka mentions that it’s happening so soon because her fiance is moving to America for work shortly, and this leads to the students worrying that she’s going to leave with him. After they go back and forth for a bit, Honoka and Nagisa decide to do the smart thing and just ask her, and Ms. Yoshimi tells them that she’ll be staying in Japan while her future husband moves. With that out of the way, the class wants to get her a wedding gift but they’re not sure what to do. Later that day at Honoka’s house, Nagisa and Honoka explain what a wedding is to Mepple, Mipple, and Porun, and Nagisa gets the idea to make a quilt from a quilted pillow Honoka has lying around. The next day she brings this idea to the class and they all like it. Mayu sketches out a design, Seiko and an unnamed other student research the process in the library, and Kyoko and Natsuko state that they’re experienced with sewing for cosplay. (This is a curious reversal of ep 37 where they tried to downplay their extracurricular activities). Everybody gets to work on a piece of the quilt, and at home, Nagisa attempts to sew her part but keeps pricking her finger.

I honestly think this is one of the few times we ever see blood in this franchise.

Luckily her mom comes in and gives her some tips, and thinking about weddings leads Nagisa to fantasize about marrying Fujipi in what be one of the strangest sequences.

NAGISA WHERE ARE YOUR HANDS.

There are a few fun gags during the construction of the quilt. When the girls are working after school one day, Ms. Yoshimi looks in and they pretend they’re practicing a dance. During a time crunch, Nagisa accidentally sews her patch to her skirt. But finally they finish, and it’s the big day. Our protagonists go to deliver the quilt to the wedding reception, while Juna is disguised as a waiter because I guess he knew they were going to be there? He crashes in on them and they bemoan that he’s attacking them on a very important day, to which he responds that he only cares about the two of them, returning the power of the Prism Stones so darkness can consume everything. This doesn’t sit well with the cures, but he taunts them about Porun’s non-presence. They respond that they can beat him without Porun on this very special day and they launch a very powerful Marble Screw.

They blow Juna away and the wedding proceeds flawlessly. As Ms. Yoshimi (new surname unknown) and her husband walk down the steps, the girls of the Sakura Class present them with the gift.

Ms. Yoshimi reveals that her husband no longer needs to move for his job, and tosses the bouquet. The Vice Principal nearly catches it but the Principal deters him, so it bounces off of his head and Nagisa catches it.

And thus it concludes.

Once again, it’s mostly inconsequential to the plot. I’m going to keep saying that until something happens that matters. However, it’s an acceptable episode. It has a love story, it brings some forgotten characters to the forefront, and it features Cure Black and White really fighting for what they believe in: protecting their friends, their teacher, the sanctity of love and marriage, and the power of the Prism Stones. Some of the fights in this show, especially in the second half, really feel phoned in, but in this one the conviction the girls felt was tangible. It’s not the pinnacle of the show but it’s good. Oh and the villains are MAYBE FINALLY starting to realize what’s up with Porun. MAYBE.

Next time, a sleepover to remember!