M.L. Desir's Blog, page 61
June 17, 2017
Things I Wish I Knew Before Self-Publishing
REBLOGGED from another author, the one and only, (to my knowledge — lol) Ryan Lanz!!!
6 Little-Known Facts About Yasuke, the All-Powerful Black Samurai of Feudal Japan
REBLOGGED from another author! This post shares information about Yasuke, a samurai of black African origin who worked for Japanese warlord, Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century. Wow. Just wow! #HistoryGeek
He Was an Enslaved African Soldier Given Into the Care of an Italian Missionary
The origins of Yasuke are shrouded in mystery, but historians believe the African soldier was born in 1555 in what was then Portuguese Mozambique. He was reportedly sold into slavery following the fa...
June 14, 2017
(A lack of) diverse representation
REBLOGGED from another author! Thank you, Marketing Otter. “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” Viola Davis (Emmy acceptance speech)
(Feature image generated by Twitter user @ChienJenn)
Yesterday’s release of Ghost In the Shell, a Hollywood adaptation of the popular Japanese anime and manga, was faced with outrage and criticism over the film’s casting of Scarlett Johansson a...
June 13, 2017
Quotes to Write By – Day 27
Writing high fantasy is not for the hobbyist. It takes perseverance, cleverness, and lots of dedicated time.
I’m currently completing the second phase of world building for a high fantasy series that’s been haunting my waking and dreaming hours for quite some time. About three years actually. Adara Trosclair, for whom this blog is named after will make her appearance in the second book. I see main character in this first book clearly. She’s not like Adara, who is charismatic, sweet, and girly...
June 12, 2017
Quotes to Write By – Day 26 . . . with a Freebie!
In a previous post, I discussed Octavia Butler’s thoughts on inspiration vs habit. Habit is worth cultivating. Inspiration when it comes to writing will do little for the writer. Writing every day or as much as one can is a best practice.
Initially, I planned on continuing the Quotes to Write By series for 60 days. However, I may have to take a small hiatus by day 30 in order to focus on writing a dark fantasy with sword and sorcery elements, which means I will excuse myself from all social...
An Interview with Daniel José Older
Reblogged from Readtowritestories.com. The author, Michael, did a great job at interviewing Older on his thoughts on the necessity for diversity in publishing.
Daniel José Older is the author of the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, the Young Adult novel Shadowshaper. His essay, “Diversity Is Not Enough: Race, Power, and Publishing,” addresses the institutional bias of the publishing industry.
Daniel José Older is the author of the Bone Street Rumba urban fantas...
June 11, 2017
Quotes to Write By – Day 25
Last night, I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning. A picture book idea came to me and I simply had to write it! I completed the first draft within four hours at 1275 words. I’ve always loved picture books and adore the time I share with my two youngest sons reading them and reveling in the characters and stories. I’ve never had a picture book published and would love for that to happen.
Picture books aren’t easy to write though. I think they’re much harder than chapter books and novels. Why?...
June 10, 2017
Quotes to Write By – Day 24
Otavia Butler has been called the Queen of Sci-Fi and with the worlds, themes, and characters she has created and written about, the title is well-deserved. She unfortunately died on February 24, 2006. Due to the white male dominated world of science-fiction I had recently learned of her existence a few years ago. A few years too late.
My first taste of Butler was “Wild Seed”, a unique science-fiction novel about two shapeshifters — Doro and Anyanwu — who are drawn to one another in a bizarre...
June 9, 2017
Amazon Has A Fake Book Problem
Wow. I had to REBLOG this! I haven’t had a chance to finish reading all of this juggernaut of an article, but I can’t wait to! Thanks to the author, David Gaughran for writing this.
June 7, 2017
Quotes to Write By – Day 23 Writer vs Author?
Quote #23 “Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.” Sidonie Gabrielle[image error]
Gabrielle
Based on this quote, I want to be an author.
Other differences between what makes an author and what makes a writer are illustrated in this graphic from this interesting read:
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However, due to the ease of publishing, everyone and anyone can publish a book, thus earning the...
