Elizabeth Russell's Blog, page 18

Sabrina Fair by John Milton

I’ve always been curious about this poem. I love the artwork and Play/Films it has inspired, but I confess that the classic-ness of the poem eludes me. Maybe it’s because it’s John Milton – I’ve never been able to really enjoy him. This poem is nice, and pleasant to read, but it doesn’t stir my … Continue reading Sabrina Fair by John Milton →

NANOWRIMO Challenge Day 5

Day 5 already! Even though it’s the 8th of November.

New Fairy Tale Facebook Group

I just started a Fairy Tale Facebook Group for the Fairy Tale Blog. A place for writers and readers to talk about stories, build community, and mutually recommend great authors, films, and stories! Same stuff you find here, just even more! Visit and request to join. Under the first question, mention that you say the … Continue reading New Fairy Tale Facebook Group →

Redefining Genre

So, my brother and I got very fed up last night with genre. Take romance and psycho-thriller for example. One describes how a film makes you feel, the other describes how characters change throughout the film. Romance is about two people who meet and fall in love. When we hear the word romance, we know … Continue reading Redefining Genre →

NANOWRIMO Challenge Day 4

Well, this is a bit late in the day, but I’m just proud of myself for actually doing it! I decided to repeat exercise 3 since I had so much difficulty with it yesterday.

Nanowrimo Challenge Day 3

My nonsensical lines for this exercise, although I kind of failed on the caesuras…

NANOWRIMO Challenge Day 2

Stephen Fry’s second exercise: This was my attempt. It was more difficult than I anticipated, so most of it’s just silly and nonsensical. But it was fun to do! I think the hardest part was following his command not to rhyme! I see no reason to exclaim or cry The little bird has only bent … Continue reading NANOWRIMO Challenge Day 2 →

Writing Descriptions 101

There’s a lot of advice out there about writing descriptions. About keeping them to a minimum, about making sure they don’t cut into the action, about not over-painting a picture. It’s all well and good, and has valid points. BUT, knowing how to write a long, detailed, poignant description is still a very important skill! … Continue reading Writing Descriptions 101 →

My NaNoWriMo Poetry Challenge

So, I’ve decided to go a different direction this year with NaNoWriMo. I’m reading Stephen Fry’s book The Ode Less Traveled, Unlocking the Poet Within, and I’m loving it! Every day I’m going to read some of it and write a new poem/verse. I’m hoping to improve my ability to write poetry, which is a … Continue reading My NaNoWriMo Poetry Challenge →

The Art of an Artist – To Ever Improve!

As I’ve been editing the final draft of my latest novel, Trinian – An Epic Fantasy, the editing process affects the way that I watch and read other stories. What I mean is, as I edit and pay attention to character development, all I notice when I watch a movie is the character development. And … Continue reading The Art of an Artist – To Ever Improve! →