Natasha Deen's Blog, page 65

Wednesday Whoa

I'm at YouthWrite this week, working with young authors and all I can say is that if they are any indication of the future of writing, then we're in very good hands!

Things My Allergies Taught Me

Writing while hopped up on meds may seem like a good idea, but reading the pages the next day may cause my eyes to bleed. Sometimes “do not operate heavy machinery” will be defined as my toothbrush. The walls are closer and harder than they appear. Just because the meds compensate for the pollen allergy does not give me the right to stuff myself silly with stuff I usually can’t eat. The moving cursor on the computer screen really isn’t that interesting—it’s just a side effect of the meds.

The Difference Between A & B

Last week, I watched Mega Piranha and it got be wondering about the difference between A & B movies (or perhaps, better stated, the difference between a well-acted versus not-so-well-acted movie, since there are some REALLY stellar B-movies & some horribly stinky A-one). 

I know there’s the usual factors in a good versus a bad movie: better costumes, stronger plot, more money on special effects, but as I watched the Mega P., I began to wonder if part of the difference is this: w...

Worth Reading: The Wronged Princess–Kae Elle Wheeler

I'm not finished this book yet, but had to drop in a review. The Wronged Princess is probably one of the most charming adaptations for Cinderella that I've seen.
I know I should like the hero & heroine best, but I have to say my favorite characters are the queen & fairy godmother. The interaction between the two is hilarious, not to mention the sly humor that is sprinkled throughout the book...Not to say that Cinderella & Prince Charming aren't great characters--it's a delicious t...

Mechanical Monday: Regular Nouns, Plural

Finally, a grammar tip I can understand: For most nouns, the singular is turned to a plural by adding an “s,” (song –> songs).

Other tips:

Words that end in ‘x’ ‘sh’ ‘ch’ ‘s’ ‘z’ –> add an ‘es’ (box –> boxes)

Words that end in a consonant + ‘y’ –> drop the ‘y’ and add ‘ies’

My New Favorite B-Movie

Tried to convince my husband to keep Mega-Piranha on the PVR, but he wasn’t having any of it. I think the movie traumatized him. I, on the other hand, am still giddy with delight over scenes like when the soldier falls into the water and the two scientists try to save him, when the hero battles the fishy hoard with a series of aerobic kicks, when the fish launch themselves at building—that then explode…genius. This movie’s right up there with Caw!

Friday Freebie: Nice but…

I love Toby Keith’s I wanna talk about me song but I have two huge problems with the video: 1) the inclusion of the pimp/hookers (uh, video dudes, maybe check the stats on violence against women & vulnerable sectors before you use that demographic) and (2) The ONLY colored girl in the video is a hooker.  What’s up with that? Take a look and decide for yourself.

Wednesday Whoa: Soul Seducer ~ Alicia Dean

Definitely worth reading—Dean is one of those authors where you read their stuff and wonder what goes on in their twisted imaginations (and if you’re an author, you envy their twisted imagination).  Soul Seducer manages to weave murder, domestic abuse, and serial killers with questions about the after-life, the true nature of death, and the ties that bind (and tear) us apart.

As a reader, the book offered enough questions and cliff hangers to keep me reading. As a writer, I have a lot of...

Mechanical Monday: Adverb Clauses

Argh, this is when I don’t get grammar, it gets me…so adverbs are words that end in “ly,” like “shortly, quickly, etc.” HOWEVER, adverb time clauses are dependent clauses (read: they don’t make sense on their own, they need another part of the sentence) which have little to no “ly” words from what I can see":

When I grow up (that’s the dependent adverb clause because it doesn’t stand on its own…“when you grow up…what?”), I will be be a teacher.

It also works in the opposite: “I will be a...

Monday Mechanics: Will vs. Going To

I read that when using a future tense, “will” expresses a willingness, “going to” expresses a prior plan, and either is used for predictions…interesting and a little confusing given how often we interchange the verb…it makes me wonder if the best way to figure out which verb to use is to substitute the word “intention.”

Why did you buy the crate?  I’m going to buy a dog (as in, I’m hoping to buy a dog) versus I will buy a dog (as in  it’s my intention to buy a dog)…

To be honest, th...