E.B. Dawson's Blog, page 17

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris I first watched this movie on a plane. Airplanes and traveling are a source of great comfort to me. In a sense they are the only real “home” that I have because I have moved and traveled so much. Maybe that is the reason I can be pretty picky about how I […]

The Giver

The Giver I was super excited when I heard they were making a movie out of “The Giver,” one of my favorite books. I became a little apprehensive when I saw that they casted so old. But I knew from the beginning that they would market it to the young adult crowd in the wake […]

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Avengers: Age of Ultron I might end up reviewing both Avengers movies here (don’t judge me!). They are inter-related, after all. I went to see the sequel with my friend soon after it premiered. We were just a few minutes late, but I found out that we didn’t miss much. Coming out of the […]

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings Confession#1 I saw the movies first. I had never heard of The Lord of the Rings until the movies came out. When I saw the first movie I fell instantly in love. I didn’t read the books until 2004, after the third movie was released in theaters but before the extended […]

Childhood’s End

I read the first couple chapters of this book in high school and was intrigued. But I never finished it. It left an impression on me for years to the point where I thought I had read the whole story. Needless to say I had a bit of a shock coming. My dad did not […]

Why Life is Not Made of Magical Moments

I am not saying that magical moments don’t happen, or that they aren’t wonderful and worth holding onto. But they shouldn’t be what you live for. Unfortunately, this is too often what films sell us. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that every film should hit us with the grim reality of […]

Context and Why It’s Important

My parents’ bedroom and my father’s office are situated side by side at the end of the hall in the back of their house. Sometimes you can catch them having conversations around the corner. The other day I was sitting just down the hall when I heard my mother’s voice. “Can I trust you? I […]

How Seasons Have Made Me a Better Writer

I grew up with two seasons: rainy and more rainy. Then later on in southern California it was hot and dry and then chilly and dry. The first time I experienced winter was after my parents moved to Idaho. But I was only visiting for Christmas and only had to put up with it for […]

What is a “Literary MVP” and Why Do I Love Them?

I have been thinking a lot about genres–partly because I am asked to clearly define the genre of each book I write, partly because as an author genre partially defines me, and partly because I do a lot of writing research. You may or may not find it surprising that it is difficult for me […]

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing can be a powerful tool, and I’m not even just talking about “little did he know.” (Stranger Than Fiction anyone? lol) There is the obvious foreshadowing that is thrown in the reader’s face to intentionally cause suspense, anticipation, and make the fulfillment more climactic. But then there is another form of foreshadowing. It is […]