Icy Sedgwick's Blog, page 49
September 11, 2016
3 easy ways to use authentic emotions in your writing
Emotions are the bridge that connects the writer with the reader. In her 52 Dates for Writers, Claire Wingfield points out that fiction really needs authentic emotions. That’s not just for your characters – that’s also for your readers. Instalment 7 of 52 Dates for Writers revolves around problem-solving for you as a writer. Dates...
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September 9, 2016
Your Money or Your Life: A Free Story
I crouch in the bushes at the side of the road with only a dead body at my feet for company. I nudge the corpse with the toe of my stolen boots. It rolls into the ditch behind me, hitting the frost-frozen earth with a hollow thump. Good riddance, if you ask me. The full moon gazes...
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September 8, 2016
Magical Plant Folklore: Larkspur, Periwinkle and Wormwood
Magical plants often have a long association with particular qualities, such as protection or help in romantic affairs. Rowan was often planted as a protection against witchcraft, and the use of roses in love magic persists in the link between roses and romance. We’ve looked before at super toxic plants, as well as common garden...
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September 7, 2016
3 easy ways to use transport in your fiction
Transport may seem like a necessary evil to get you from A to B. But have you ever used it as a plot point? A character quirk? Or a means of world building? You can use one, or all three, to round out your fiction in a more unexpected way! This post was inspired by...
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September 4, 2016
What do interesting houses say about your characters?
Houses can be an absolutely central part of any story. Hell, they even form a sub-genre of their own through the haunted house story! But are houses just the locations through which your characters move? Are they nothing more than sets? Or can you actually use houses as part of your character design? Can houses...
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September 1, 2016
Can death play a positive role in your storytelling?
Think of death for a moment. Did you picture a tall guy in a hood with a scythe? Or Neil Gaiman’s funky Siouxsie Sioux character? Or was it a more sombre abstract notion of pain and loss? Death can be, and is, all of these things, and much more, but it can also be a...
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Avoid death in the family with these 5 superstitions
Death superstitions provide a common theme throughout folklore. It’s hardly surprising. Before the advent of modern medicine and health and safety, communities may have felt more at the mercy of life’s whims. Following superstitions gives an element of control. I’ve covered death superstitions around cemeteries, but these are some more general areas of ‘best practice’...
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August 29, 2016
Should you boost the roles of minor characters?
Most people watch the guitarist or the singer at a live gig. The drummer, and often the bassist, get a lot less love. They’re a lot like the minor characters in your stories. They’re important to the plot, but not the stars of the show. This is post 3 in my series based on the serialisation...
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5 things an editor wants writers to think about
Editors can sometimes get a bad rap among writers. After all, no writer wants to be told their precious book baby needs work! But working with an editor can be an educational experience, so I asked my own editor, the wonderful Nerine Dorman, a few questions! Find out how writers can get the most out of...
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August 26, 2016
Is food important to your character design?
Food is an important part of human activity. You might be breaking bread with a former enemy, enjoying a meal with old friends, or scrabbling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. But how much focus do you actually put on food when you’re designing your characters? Food can be a tremendous way to improve your...
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