J.J. Hanna's Blog - Posts Tagged "blog"
15 Things to Put in a Letter
Recent life circumstances have made it so that I will be writing plenty of letters in the future. Yes, I do mean so-called "snail mail." As I was looking for inspiration for these many letters I will be writing, I came to the realization that the list I was hoping for of things to put in a letter was lacking. So, as any writer would do, I decided I should write that list. . .
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Read more here:
https://jjhanna.wixsite.com/author/si...
3 Things to Consider when Writing a Villain
As a kid, I was inspired by a commentary on the making of Kung Fu Panda, where Ian McShane, the voice of Tai Lung, says something along the lines of, “I love playing villains. They always have the best lines.”
I couldn’t agree with him more. From a writer’s perspective, villains are a lot of fun to write. You get to explore the dark parts of humanity you normally suppress.
But when it comes to creating the perfect antagonist for your hero, what are some things you need to consider?...
Read more: https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
I couldn’t agree with him more. From a writer’s perspective, villains are a lot of fun to write. You get to explore the dark parts of humanity you normally suppress.
But when it comes to creating the perfect antagonist for your hero, what are some things you need to consider?...
Read more: https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
Argus Panoptes: the Hundred Eyed Giant
Let’s get one thing straight: mythology is weird. As I embark on the journey of talking about mythology, I just wanted to make that clear. I couldn’t make this stuff up.
Today, I’m going to talk a little about Argus Panoptes. In the Greek myths, he was a giant who served Hera, the queen of the gods, and wife to Zeus, who was best known for his ability to throw lightning. It should also be mentioned here that Zeus was notorious for being unfaithful to Hera, and many of the Greek myths start out the same way: Zeus had an intense crush on someone else, and he wanted to act on it.
But where does Argus (sometimes spelled Argos) fit into all of this?
At the time of Argus’s myth, Zeus’s current flame was for a nymph named Io. . .
Read more: https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
Today, I’m going to talk a little about Argus Panoptes. In the Greek myths, he was a giant who served Hera, the queen of the gods, and wife to Zeus, who was best known for his ability to throw lightning. It should also be mentioned here that Zeus was notorious for being unfaithful to Hera, and many of the Greek myths start out the same way: Zeus had an intense crush on someone else, and he wanted to act on it.
But where does Argus (sometimes spelled Argos) fit into all of this?
At the time of Argus’s myth, Zeus’s current flame was for a nymph named Io. . .
Read more: https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
Villain Types: The Carefree and Cruel
We’ve seen them in film. We’ve seen them in books. This villain is evil for the fun of it. They’re cruel for no other reason than that they can be because nothing stands in their way. They don’t care about the consequences if they do get caught, they don’t care about the public’s opinion of them. They are the epitome of the “I don’t care” mentality, and they make it known.
A few well-known villains of this nature are the Joker from the Dark Knight Trilogy and Jubal Early from Firefly.
The Joker’s actions are planned enough that he can intentionally mess with Batman’s head, but he doesn't have enough rhyme or reason to have a predictable nature.
Read more: https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
A few well-known villains of this nature are the Joker from the Dark Knight Trilogy and Jubal Early from Firefly.
The Joker’s actions are planned enough that he can intentionally mess with Batman’s head, but he doesn't have enough rhyme or reason to have a predictable nature.
Read more: https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
Creating Culture: Types of Societies
A while back I started a series about creating culture in your novels, and did a fairly large overview of various aspects of culture. To see that overview, go here.
Before we can go any further with culture, I’m going to give a brief overview of the major types of societies.
Foraging
Foraging, otherwise known as “hunter/gatherer,” is often described as the first step to a community. These groups of people were usually small, including one or two families (children, parents, grandparents, maybe cousins). They traveled a lot because they followed the food. In this type of society, the males were the warriors and hunters, and the women were the artists, cooks, and foragers. . . .
Read more about Horticulture, Agriculture, Pastoralism, and Industrialism here:
https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
Before we can go any further with culture, I’m going to give a brief overview of the major types of societies.
Foraging
Foraging, otherwise known as “hunter/gatherer,” is often described as the first step to a community. These groups of people were usually small, including one or two families (children, parents, grandparents, maybe cousins). They traveled a lot because they followed the food. In this type of society, the males were the warriors and hunters, and the women were the artists, cooks, and foragers. . . .
Read more about Horticulture, Agriculture, Pastoralism, and Industrialism here:
https://www.authorjjhanna.com/single-...
