Starr Z. Davies's Blog, page 9

The Beauty of Character Transformation

*This post may contain book and film spoilers for: Wheel of Time, Mistborn, Kung Fu Panda 3.* Over the last few years, I have learned a lot about the art of storytelling. This in turn has taught me to be more analytical concerning the stories I read. But there is one thing I know for
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ORDINARY: Chapter 4

Students filter through the open doors of the exhibition hall where the cacophony of noise filters out. As we enter the hall, each student gives their name and is handed a glass tablet illuminating their selections. I peer over Mo’s shoulder as he turns his unit on and the holographic results display on the tablet,
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Why do We Hate Endings?

I hate endings. There are so many ways that people describe endings to make them sound so wonderful or beautiful. But we all know the truth. Endings suck. When we begin a story — be it a TV show or short story or novel — there is that exhilarating feeling of excitement that fills us.
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“In Earth’s Service” is Remarkable!

What can I say about the Mapped Space series that will get you to read these books already? I read the first adventure of Sirius Kade — a witty and bold Earth Intelligence Service (EIS) deep cover operative — The Antaran Codex a few months ago and fell in love with the characters and the
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ORDINARY: Chapter 3

3   “Ugene, you’re gonna miss the tram!” Dad says up the stairs. It’s the same tone he uses every time he gets irritated with me. A moment later, I rush downstairs at dangerous speed, my feet hardly touching one step before moving to the next. I grip the railing to keep my balance and
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The Joys of Writing (and reading) Great Stories

Writers know that there is no greater feeling of personal accomplishment and joy than that of the process of writing. It fills us with frustration, love, sadness, anger, and happiness. It consumes us with a tale that needs to be told. For those who don’t write, it can be hard to understand the joy that
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ORDINARY: Chapter 1 & 2

Ordinary: of common quality or rank, something regular or commonplace; of a person with no special or distinctive features. Part One 1   I consider myself an honest person. I try to tell the truth. I have never cheated on anything in my life. But sometimes something happens that pushes all of us to the
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The Powers Series is Progressing!

Some of you have been so unfailingly supportive and dedicated to helping me with this series. It’s been rough shaping Ugene’s journey into something that I feel confident in. But that day has finally come. I am getting closer to the final copy and feel confident that this new course will take Ugene exactly where
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Allegiant: An Underrated Finish to an Overrated Series

Before I begin, I feel I should warn people. This is a complete review of key elements, including the ending of the book. Spoilers will follow. When I commit to reading something, I go all the way. A series has to have unrelateable characters or a boring plot for me to give up — and
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Insurgent Left Me Surging

I love a good story with strong characters that propel me forward. For me, reading or watching movies/TV shows is all about connecting with the characters. The story is just circumstantial. So when I opened to the first page of the Divergent follow-up book, I was excited. Veronica Roth wrote so many wonderful characters in
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