M.D. Missaiel's Blog

Creative Liberties in Historical Depictions in Art

Last week, an Egyptian-made historical TV series titled "El Malek" (or "The King" in Arabic) was scheduled to air on Egyptian television among a slew of other highly anticipated new shows that usually debut every year in the Ramadan season. "The King" follows the ancient Egyptians' revolt against the foreign Hyksos colonizers, and the title character is Egyptian King Ahmose I who triumphantly repelled the Hyksos back to Canaan and recovered a liberated united Egypt under his rule in the 16th ce...

Who Decides Architectural Styles?

As the year 2020 comes to an end, many of 2020's problems do not. A global pandemic remains at large, with the only promise being a slow vaccine roll-out. A great depression lingers and will only worsen with an inevitable eviction crisis and an imminent lockdown. Systemic racism and police brutality remain unresolved. An outgoing U.S. president, who still has the power to help mitigate those issues, has chosen to wield his power of the executive order to dictate the architectural style of all fu...

Writing for Short-Term and Long-Term Messaging

As an individual planning for a sustained future accounts for short-term and long-term outcomes, an author planning for durable relevance accounts for short-term and long-term audiences. To be a timely bestseller, the generic universal elements should not come at the expense of topical relevance. Likewise to be a timeless classic, time-specific elements should not overpower an eternally resonating message. The most forgettable and least compelling narratives are mass-produced low-quality stories...

Writing for Short-Term and Long-Term Messaging

As an individual planning for a sustained future accounts for short-term and long-term outcomes, an author planning for durable relevance accounts for short-term and long-term audiences. To be a timely bestseller, the generic universal elements should not come at the expense of topical relevance. Likewise to be a timeless classic, time-specific elements should not overpower an eternally resonating message. The most forgettable and least compelling narratives are mass-produced low-quality stor...

Writing a Conflict in a Utopian Story

(MINOR SPOILERS: Best to read after reading The Alternate History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)

Every plot needs a conflict, and every novel needs stakes. But how can you write a conflict into a utopia? What kind of struggle would a protagonist face in an alternate universe 1000 years more advanced than our own? In writing The Alternate History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, I was so clear on the central message and theme of progress throughout history that I comfo...

The Case for History

Hitler tried to invade Russia in 1941 only to be defeated by the same Russian winter and same scorched-earth tactic that defeated Napoleon’s similar plan over a century prior. It is hard to know how and why Hitler did not learn from Napoleon’s failure. It is unlikely that he did not know history or about Napoleon’s very similar yet ill-fated campaign. Perhaps he arrogantly thought his powerful troops and advanced technology could not possibly be met with Napoleon’s defeat. But in any case he...

Vitruvius and Early Architectural Education

Vitruvius, one of the earliest architectural theorists, writes his book specifically addressed to the Roman Emperor, in an effort to educate about architecture and dismiss any misconceptions associated with the trade. Vitruvius’s constant references to Greek practice (including pages 24, 25, and 31) reveal his tendency toward traditional techniques and conservative approach to his career. Denying the simplicity of architecture, Vitruvius states the architect must, as agreed by everyone until the...

First Art Show Experience

Artists are either rehearsing or performing, and those two mindsets are not limited to the performing arts, but visual arts as well. It has been two years since my first and only blog post, same since my latest Instagram post, and several months since the last time I updated the web site with new artwork. Though more active in the meantime, creating, sketching, and designing, I found myself more comfortable in the rehearsal stage, only sharing on personal social media circles and in personal c...

Publishing My Web Portfolio

Having finally dedicated some time (only four weeks to be exact) to prepare my web portfolio after almost two years, it is not hard to look back and wonder why I did not do this two years ago.

A good freehand drawing professor of mine would say, "It didn't take you twenty minutes to sketch that drawing; it took you three months and twenty minutes." He was referring to the two months since we joined the class, and what he meant was we had been learning and adapting the new skills over the cour...