Blogiversary
One year ago today, I reassigned my blog to focus specifically on writing and the trials and triumphs of my own writing journey as well as those of others. It has been a pretty hectic year. Reviewing books, television shows and movies. Writing posts every few days. And working non-stop on my fantasy series. But I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
This outlet has allowed me to grow into a better writer by way of studying the craft as well as by expanding my network and meeting such incredible people. Seriously writers, the best thing you can do for yourself is to reach out to other individuals like you and commiserate over the happy and sad times. This is how I met friends, critique partners, beta readers and all around good people.
I thought for this special day, I would share with you my five favorite blogs that I’ve written this year.
1- The Dirty Dozen : A list of the twelve cliches I love to hate
2- The Book-Building Sandwich : A method for writing a book that I came up with during lunch
3- Guest Blog: SciFi Flash Fiction : My favorite flash fiction piece for the year so far
4- Hanging On : A review of cliffhangers and what makes them work
5- The Importance of Food : Looking into the affect food descriptions can have on your novel
Hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed writing them! And if we aren’t already connected on twitter, you can send me a tweet or two @rachelhwrites.
Review of Last Resort
When I first saw the preview for Last Resort, I have to admit I thought it looked incredibly cheesy. But I tuned in any way to see for myself how it unfolded. And after the first twenty minutes of pilot episode, I stood up at the commercial and said, “That’s how you start a TV show!” It employed what I have come to dub as “The LOST Method”: Quickly getting you attached to every character for one reason or another and then throwing in several events that make you say “What the hell is going on?”
That’s not where the LOST similarities end either, but I’ll leave those up to you to discover. Like hidden Eastern Eggs. More so than LOST obviously, it has a crime drama feel, with little incidents playing host to each episode while the overarching theme still gets hit home. The Colorado crew is in a perplexing situation given that their own country tried to sink them and now they have to remain holed up on an Island, hoping they can get to the bottom of what happened.
The Captain, the XO and the Lieutenant are the focal characters and the diversity of their personalities is what really makes the story interesting. Captain is headstrong and gusty, XO is kind and sympathetic while the Lieutenant Is feisty with something to prove. They make for an entertaining ensemble at the center of this catastrophe.
If anything, Last Resort is a fresh take on the old war story, putting this submarine crew in a position no other American Military service member ever has been and that’s the ultimate draw. Something familiar but unexpected. And the plot’s complexity and non-linear delivery also create a dynamic that keeps the audience guessing. There are so many villainous characters, it’s hard to know who is the true enemy of these sailors. Is it one of their own? A military man in DC? Their own wives? Who knows!
It can be difficult at times to tell the sailors apart since they’re always in uniform, but more or less, the cast is a well put together group that each brings something new to the table. Even the islanders they run into have a part to play in this debacle. Although the twists are somewhat predictable, they’re not entirely executed in a bad way. The constant reminder of their predicament often leads to a heart-racing situation that isn’t always as it seems.
I’d say because of the intricate story and lingering questions, Last Resort is a keeper. It’s got a great story to tell and surely a long while to do it. A-
Status Update
Hey Blog Readers!
I wanted to fill you in on my blogging plans in case you end up wondering where I’ve gone off to. Starting next week, I will be blogging only on Wednesdays all the way through to December. A solid six weeks or more. Why? Well, I am participating in NaNoWriMo and want to allot myself as much writing time as humanly possible.
I had planned to begin my YA Alt History Mystery WIP on November 1st, but a few heckling friends got me to start early. Last Wednesday I began and as of today I have 20k written. I’m pretty excited by the pace I’ve been writing, but I’m fairly certain it’ll crank down a notch sooner or later. And so that’s why I have decided to change my blogging schedule early. I’ll be posting a review of the new show Last Resort this coming Friday and then begin the Wednesday posting regiment.
So ta-ta for now x)
Character Debates
Bet you’ll never guess where I got this idea from. Oh, so you knew it was from the debate fever over the Presidential election? Darn it, caught me. It’s a good lesson to be learned, though. Debates show someone’s true colors and it reveals their inner character. And I realized what a great exercise this would be for anyone stuck on understanding a challenging character or one they’ve just recently begun to write.
You could have two kinds of debates:
- You versus the character
- The character in question versus another character (new or old)
In the case of you versus the character, it might helpful just to discover what little tics you’ve attributed to this new person from yourself or to see where you’d really clash and what might be difficult to write in the future. As for character v character, this could be useful to flesh out details of what makes the character unique and to show how is s/he compelling.
I did this very exercise just the other day. Now, I’m a bit unorthodox when it comes
to working out dialogue for characters. I’ve said it before, but I’ll admit it again, I talk aloud to myself like I’m in some really sad one act play that no one came to see. It helps me get a grasp on the character and bring them to life. So I didn’t record my character debate, but I used both versions to try and understand a new character better. And it worked. I got into her head and was able to expand my knowledge on her likes and dislikes, her personality, behavior, strength and weaknesses. I’m telling you, it works.
What you’ll need is a medium for the debate. I’ll assume most people will want to write it out, so give each person involved a column and go to town on the issues. Log what each individual would feel or say in response to the topics you’ve chosen that play into your narrative. By the end of the debate, which can really be however long you want or need, I’m betting you’ll know the ins and outs of the character that started off a bit foreign to you. And maybe also, a little bit more about yourself.
Pitch Wars Mentee 2014
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