Christopher Kincaid's Blog, page 35
April 16, 2020
The Great Pause of 2020
Pandemics strike about once every 100 years, just beyond the memory of most people. The last happened in 1918, and I know of only one person who remembered it. She was around 2 years old at the time. However, most of the media focus is on the economic fallout and the death numbers. While important,
April 11, 2020
What is Iki?
Iki was an ideal that dated to the Edo period of Japan. Its a bit hard to define with any precision. Generally, it was defined as refinement and sophistication. Although it could also be considered as urban and plucky stylishness (Graham, 2014). In this famous work, Iki no Kozo, Kuki Shuzo attempted to define iki
April 5, 2020
3D Print Your Own Anime Figures
Why buy anime figures when you can make your own? 3D printers have dropped in price, so I decided to buy one to experiment with. I used it to make print blocks so I can play around with making my own ukiyo-e and other prints. My workflow involved drawing the design with ink, scanning it,
March 29, 2020
Why are Shonen Heroes so Dense When it Comes to Love?
Shonen brims with love-dense heroes and the females that try to get their attention. The MO of these characters involves unawareness of flirtation, female emotions, and the inability to know how to react to emotional situations. These heroes remain unaware of female affection. For example, Bleachs Ichigo remains unaware of Orohimes affection for him despite how she
March 22, 2020
Locked in by the Coronavirus? Try these 5 Projects!
As the United States closes schools and colleges because of the spread of the 2020 coronavirus, you might suddenly find yourself with a lot of free time. Its rare to have such free time, so take advantage of it! Im a bit of a workaholic, so I look forward to (maybe) having more time to
March 19, 2020
Free eBook Weekend
With so many Americans trapped at home because of COVID-19 (and looking for something to do), I decided to offer all my published books for free from Friday, March 20 until the end of Sunday, March 22nd, including my newly released novel Kanzashi. Head over to Amazon by clicking the book images below to download
March 15, 2020
3 Tips for Writing Better Fan Fiction
Fan fiction lets you practice writing without the difficulties of inventing characters, worlds, and more. It helps you build writing confidence and experiment. It also helps you learn the pleasures and frustrations of a creative life. However, many frown upon fan fiction as second rate writing. After all, fan fiction lacks quality. It lacks originality.
March 8, 2020
28 Historical Facts about Geisha and Geiko
Geisha, or geiko as they are known in Kyoto, symbolize traditional Japanese culture. Their heyday in the early 1900s contributed to the exoticism the West felt toward Japan during the Meiji period. Many of those misconceptions remain about historical geisha. Today, becoming a geisha is much like taking up a vocation. It has its…
March 1, 2020
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
The book Snow Country offers cold prose and interactions appropriate to its name. The story follows Shimamura’s love affair with the hot spring geisha Komako and his developing interest with a young woman named Yoko. The book can be a little difficult to follow if you don’t read carefully. Kawabata writes with spareness and suggestion…
February 27, 2020
Get Your Free Copy of Kanzashi Now
If you want to read Kanzashi for free (in return for a review), head over to BookSprout to learn more. Kanzashi is (finally) available on Amazon! Its available eBook and as a trade paperback. Heres the summary: Mameko never thought shed witness a murder. Her life consists of songs, stories, lessons, and the other social
