Tara Maya's Blog, page 50

Writing Quote: The Refinement of Observation

"The poet seems to proceed from a faith that the refinement of observation is an inherently satisfying activity. To see is joy and scruple, privilege and duty."

- Mark Doty, "The Art of Description: World Into Word"

When Should You Read Literary Novels?

Puddlepaws, the Gratuitously Adorable Kitten, from The Initiate



None of this post will apply if you regularly read (or write) in the literary genre.



I love literary writing...in small dribbles. There are are certain gorgeous books, with such exquisite sentences and turns of phrase that they seduce my inner logophile into rapturous sighs of bliss. I can usually make it half-way through such a book before I realize I'm...bored.



The rest of the journey is a slog. Often, I'll find that...

Countdown to the Release of Wing, Book 5 of The Unfinished Song

You've been waiting.



You've been asking.



You deserve to know...



When is Wing coming out?!


And the answer is: Oct 12, Friday, 2012.

If you aren't on the list to receive a free copy, go sign up now and I'll squeeze you in!

The Hobbit And the Lego Hobbit Trailer

And at last you can build your own Lego hobbit habitats... I know you've been waiting for that as long as I have!









You can also play Lego Lord of the Rings. Lego games, by the way, are awesome. I don't have this one yet, but I've played Lego Raiders of the Last Ark and Lego Star Wars, and they were really fun. It's strange that watching videos of toys should be that enjoyable...really strange, now that I think about it...but it is.

That Dread Brought On By The Middle Of A Book

Over at Six Words for a Hat, Scott, who writes both fast and well (damn him) is in the middle of a manuscript:

Thirty-thousand words puts me somewhere in the middle of the novel, or somewhere toward the sixty percent mark if I stick with the plan of making it a 50,000-word novella. In either case, I’m now in the middle of the middle. I discovered this project middleness not by figuring the word count of the draft, but rather by noticing that I have been feeling a powerful sense of disquiet...

Introducing New Assistant

Hey
everyone! My name is Katie Earley and I’m Tara’s shiny new assistant.
I’m here to help launch Book 5 of The Unfinished Song series and take
some other pesky tasks off of Tara’s plate so she can focus on what she
does best: writing.





A little about me…

I
live in Louisville, KY with a sweet husband, cutest 1-year-old ever,
anxious mutt, fluffy cat, and quiet fish. I have a BA in English from
Centre College and a Creative Writing minor. I lovelovelove
Jane Austen, Harry Potter, Arrested De...

How To Write A Series - 01 - Introduction

The most successful books -- and movies -- are part of a larger whole. A series.



I'm writing one myself, twelve volumes long. (Secretly, I'm hoping you knew that.) I happen to be right in the middle of the series, which is a tough place to be.



For one thing, it means I'm working on more than one book at a time. Book 5 is in revisions, being "polished"; I've completed the rich outline for Book 6; and I'm blocking out the outline for books further out... all at the same time. My heart is wit...

Space Shuttle Flying Over Hollywood Sign

The space shuttle flies over Hollywood.





Time for my Close-up!





On its way to a second career at the California Science Center.

Putting the 'Epic' in Epic of Gilgamesh

Tolkien is usually credited with kicking off the fantasy genre, but if Ancient Summaria had had a higher literacy rate than 0.000001% back in the 18th Century (we're talkin' BC here), it might have been the Epic of Gilgamesh.



This epic has all the qualities we now consider epic fantasy. Behold and marvel:




1. The mighty hero.
You can't deny Gilgamesh is a badass. He's not a perfect man, which makes him a perfect hero. Like many a fantasy hero, he's a king but one who, inexplicably, leave...

Hero vs Everyman

Let's say you have a character, Jane, who is having some problems in her marriage. You might have Jane sitting at a cafe, sipping her latte and ruminating over her divorce. At the next table, she overhears a bickering couple. What happens next?



Jane's reaction to the bickering couple will depend on where her character stands on the Hero/Everyman spectrum. Orson Scott Card discusses this in his book on Characters. As readers, we want to identify with a protagonist. The protagonist has to...