Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 98

Wordles for my novels!

I made some Wordles. Actually, I did this before, but I didn't save them. Click to see a larger version - you'll be sent to the main site. It's an application that transforms a large chunk of text (in this case, a novel) into a cluster of the most common words. Larger words appear more often in the text. You can then play with the layout to some extent, mainly the orientation of the words,

Siegfried Sassoon, "Editorial Impressions"

Editorial ImpressionsHe seemed so certain 'all was going well', As he discussed the glorious time he'd had While visiting the trenches. 'One can tell You've gathered big impressions!' grinned the lad Who'd been severely wounded in the back In some wiped-out impossible Attack. 'Impressions? Yes, most vivid! I am writing A little book called Europe on the Rack

"Water Music" free read!

I've put a new, downloadable free read up on my website. It's my first published story from December 2000, lesbian erotica titled "Water Music."You can download it here.When I participated in a reading for this anthology, at Bluestockings in New York City, not only did I meet other writers whom I still correspond with today, I was also privileged to see my story interpreted in American Sign

Line Editing, Up Close and Personal

I spent a large portion of the month of April revising The Duke and the Pirate Queen; some of the revisions responded to my editor's comments, some responded to a workshop critique, and some came from my fevered brain.I thought it would be interesting to share some of the line edits I made in the manuscript.Original version:Imena was far more devious than he'd predicted.Revised version:Imena was

Dialogue Tricks

This post was originally written for Lauren Dane's Writerly Wednesday.The first time I tried to write a novel (the one I started over and over and over again), I workshopped it with a very small group of friends. One wrote journalistic nonfiction, one was writing, essentially, memoir, and one was a published poet and writer of mainstream literary fiction. As you can imagine, I learned all sorts

What Does the Reader Need To Know?

Research is fun. Fun. Fun.However, research for the writer's sake isn't always needed for the reader's sake. I get questions about this a lot.The writer may need to know the mechanics of a specific task. For example, in 1901 in New Jersey, where does ice come from? How often does the ice man deliver? What does the heroine do with the ice after it's brought to her house? The reader, however,

Top 5 Violent Hot Space Opera Babes

And now for something completely different.Sometimes, you just need to watch some women blow things up.Today I'm going to recommend some violent and also hot space opera babes. Traditionally, these are done as top fives, so that's what I did.1. Princess Leia, Star Wars. Like, duh. I think she was the hottest in her bounty hunter costume in Return of the Jedi. Quote: "I don't know where you

"Nation, Race, and Empire," George Robb

British Culture and the First World War by George Robb. Chapter One, "Nation, Race, and Empire"During WWI, "Nationalism attempted to focus conflict outward--against a German foe inevitably constructed as a degenerate, barbaric 'throwback'...As successful as such ideas were in garnering support for the war effort, they created problems of their own since 'the nation,' as defined, clearly could not

Geoffrey Dearmer, "The Turkish Trench Dog"

The Turkish Trench DogNight held me as I crawled and scrambled nearThe Turkish lines. Above, the mocking starsSilvered the curving parapet, and clearCloud-latticed beams o'erflecked the land with bars;I, crouching, lay betweenTense-listening armies peering through the night,Twin giants bound by tentacles unseen.Here in dim-shadowed lightI saw him, as a sudden movement turnedHis eyes towards me,

Siegfried Sassoon, "Reconciliation"

ReconciliationWhen you are standing at your hero's grave,Or near some homeless village where he died,Remember, through your heart's rekindling pride,The German soldiers who were loyal and brave.Men fought like brutes; and hideous things were done; And you have nourished hatred, harsh and blind.But in that Golgotha perhaps you'll findThe mothers of the men who killed your son.--Siegfried Sassoon,