L.Y. Levand's Blog, page 4
March 5, 2016
Book Review: Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
This week we have a book review! For any of you who haven't read the book before, there are mild spoilers. Nothing much to worry about if you've seen the movie, but just in case. You've been warned. ;)
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was pretty disappointed with this. I have almost never said this, but I actually liked the movie better.
I enjoyed the first part, mostly (there was some content I thought could have been left out that would not have affected the story in a negative way), but once Tristran made it across the wall, it seemed to...degenerate, I suppose is the word.
The style is reminiscent of The Hobbit, but without as much characterization. You never truly get inside Tristran's head, which I suppose is my biggest complaint. He just does random things, and you never really understand why, or even get to know him. He was like a stranger through the whole thing. There was very little in the way of relationship development as well. He starts out with the star hating him, and at the end they're married, with almost nothing to develop the relationship between.
Tristran never seems surprised by anything that happens to him, and everything seems to go his way from the get-go. Sure, there are people after the star. But they never seem to be in any actual danger. There's always a convenient way of escape or helper nearby. There aren't any surprises (though that might be from seeing the movie first) and most everything could be predicted. From Tristran's heritage, to the relationship with the star.
And then the ending...it couldn't have ended happily, with the couple returning to Stormhold to live for many years. It had to go further, and say that Tristran died of old age, and the star would stare up the sky, sad. What a mournful ending.
I would have guessed this book was for children, were it not for the sexual content. It was simplistic in nature, without a complex plot, and often skipping large chunks of time that could have been spent developing characters.
All that said, it wasn't a bad book. Just not my kind of book, is all. If you're looking for a quick, easy fantasy read and don't have a problem with two sex scenes (one could have been left out entirely and implied to have happened, and the second, while certain elements were necessary for the story, could also have been implied) and less than the usual happily-ever-after.
View all my reviews
Stardust by Neil GaimanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was pretty disappointed with this. I have almost never said this, but I actually liked the movie better.
I enjoyed the first part, mostly (there was some content I thought could have been left out that would not have affected the story in a negative way), but once Tristran made it across the wall, it seemed to...degenerate, I suppose is the word.
The style is reminiscent of The Hobbit, but without as much characterization. You never truly get inside Tristran's head, which I suppose is my biggest complaint. He just does random things, and you never really understand why, or even get to know him. He was like a stranger through the whole thing. There was very little in the way of relationship development as well. He starts out with the star hating him, and at the end they're married, with almost nothing to develop the relationship between.
Tristran never seems surprised by anything that happens to him, and everything seems to go his way from the get-go. Sure, there are people after the star. But they never seem to be in any actual danger. There's always a convenient way of escape or helper nearby. There aren't any surprises (though that might be from seeing the movie first) and most everything could be predicted. From Tristran's heritage, to the relationship with the star.
And then the ending...it couldn't have ended happily, with the couple returning to Stormhold to live for many years. It had to go further, and say that Tristran died of old age, and the star would stare up the sky, sad. What a mournful ending.
I would have guessed this book was for children, were it not for the sexual content. It was simplistic in nature, without a complex plot, and often skipping large chunks of time that could have been spent developing characters.
All that said, it wasn't a bad book. Just not my kind of book, is all. If you're looking for a quick, easy fantasy read and don't have a problem with two sex scenes (one could have been left out entirely and implied to have happened, and the second, while certain elements were necessary for the story, could also have been implied) and less than the usual happily-ever-after.
View all my reviews
February 27, 2016
Seven Articles on Passive Voice
My friend/editor said she thought she knew what was getting to her about my story. I was a little deflated that something was getting to her at all, but I wanted to know what it was that bothered her. How could I fix it, otherwise?
Then she announced that I used a lot of passive voice in my writing.
My first response was "huh?" my second response was "what in the world is that??" I vividly remember my confusion; she had to pull up articles explaining it, because she couldn't make sense of it for me (I was still confused, by the way). I felt quite stupid; it seemed like something an author should be well acquainted with, but I had never heard of it.
And that's why I put this together. One, so I could make sure I understood it myself, and two, to help other people who might be having similar problems. So I found a bunch of informative articles on it, including some stuff on the proper use of passive voice (turns out there is a way to use it correctly), what it is, how it compares to active voice, and some examples on how to switch from passive to active in your writing.
You might be wondering why passive voice is important (or, rather, not using it often is important). Passive voice is like a roundabout way of saying something. That's how it reads to me, anyway. In the first link below, the first example of passive versus active voice reads like this:
Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (active)
At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. (passive)
The second example doesn't seem right, does it? It sounds rather stilted, and it distances you from what's going on. That's one of the reasons why you don't want to use it too much in your writing. You want your reader right there, involved in what's happening, and active voice is more likely to do that.
If you're not sure what passive voice is, here are a few examples:
Examples of Active and Passive Voice
The differences between passive and active voice:
Active Voice Versus Passive Voice
This gives some examples on using the passive voice appropriately:
Passive Voice
Some simple tips and tricks to help you avoid using passive voice:
How To Avoid Using the Passive Voice
Here are seven examples and how to fix them:
7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How to Fix Them)
A look at passive voice and identifying it:
Passives
A handout found on UNC's website:
Passive Voice
Do you have a tendency to use passive voice?
Then she announced that I used a lot of passive voice in my writing.
My first response was "huh?" my second response was "what in the world is that??" I vividly remember my confusion; she had to pull up articles explaining it, because she couldn't make sense of it for me (I was still confused, by the way). I felt quite stupid; it seemed like something an author should be well acquainted with, but I had never heard of it.
And that's why I put this together. One, so I could make sure I understood it myself, and two, to help other people who might be having similar problems. So I found a bunch of informative articles on it, including some stuff on the proper use of passive voice (turns out there is a way to use it correctly), what it is, how it compares to active voice, and some examples on how to switch from passive to active in your writing.
You might be wondering why passive voice is important (or, rather, not using it often is important). Passive voice is like a roundabout way of saying something. That's how it reads to me, anyway. In the first link below, the first example of passive versus active voice reads like this:
Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (active)
At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. (passive)
The second example doesn't seem right, does it? It sounds rather stilted, and it distances you from what's going on. That's one of the reasons why you don't want to use it too much in your writing. You want your reader right there, involved in what's happening, and active voice is more likely to do that.
If you're not sure what passive voice is, here are a few examples:
Examples of Active and Passive Voice
The differences between passive and active voice:
Active Voice Versus Passive Voice
This gives some examples on using the passive voice appropriately:
Passive Voice
Some simple tips and tricks to help you avoid using passive voice:
How To Avoid Using the Passive Voice
Here are seven examples and how to fix them:
7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How to Fix Them)
A look at passive voice and identifying it:
Passives
A handout found on UNC's website:
Passive Voice
Do you have a tendency to use passive voice?
February 20, 2016
7 Things A Writer Can Do Without A Computer
I'm 4k behind in one writing project (Metamorphose, for those of you interested) and my editing on both Melisande and Allied came to a complete stop for three days. Why? Because I took a three day business trip with my husband. Some of you lucky people have working laptops you could have taken with you, or don't get motion sick.
I, however, do get motion sick. So badly, in fact, that I've had to take Dramamine after reading in the car for less than half an hour. And even if I didn't, I do not have a working laptop.
What's a writer to do? Well, while I was stuck in a car for hours, I came up with some excellent things a writer can do that don't require computers - or even a notebook. So the next time you're going to be without a computer, or access to other writing tools, don't despair. You can still make progress!
1. Work on the plot for a writing project.
I did this quite a bit. I have a long-term project I'm working on (it's my favorite) that I don't expect to even start writing for another few years. Because it's such a complex story, I've been working on it for about ten years now. When I don't have a notebook to write in or a computer to type on, I work on the plot of the story by imagining different outcomes if I change certain parts. I can also examine various aspects of the events I plan to happen, and make sure they mesh with the rest of the story. One of the most fun parts of doing this is you can change anything you want, without having to write it down. Nothing is concrete, and you're free to change or create as you please.
2. If you're writing fantasy, world-build.
The first day of our trip, I asked myself a question. How do the people in this fantasy world tell time? The standard answer would be by the position of the sun, or using a clock. But considering the culture of this people, I decided they were unlikely to have used mechanics to design something like a clock. Using the sun is fine for telling a general time, but what about exact times? Minutes, hours?
With the type of culture this group of people have developed, they were likely to have used natural, organic ways to tell time. Since it was a fantasy world, I could create as I pleased. And I did. The people of this world now have a form of clock called a time tile. I can't tell you too much about it, because it's going to be part of a book, but it's organic in nature and uses colors to indicate what time it is.
This is something you don't need access to a computer or writing materials to do. You can develop the world around your characters.
3. Sync book scenes to music.
It sounds a little silly when put that way, but it's actually a lot of fun. One thing I did have access to on our trip was an MP3 player loaded with music. Since I could never read or write on family road trips, I had to entertain myself on the six to eight hour drive to California from Oregon. One of the things I would do often was take a scene from a book I was working on, and imagine it as a scene from a movie, with the music in my headphones as the soundtrack.
Visualizing your scenes this way can make them more vivid to you, and aid you in describing them later. It can also help motivate to write once you can get to a computer again. I'm always excited to write when I do it, because epic music really makes book scenes amazing.
4. Plan a blog post.
I planned this blog post while we were gone. Originally, before we left, I was upset and a little panicky that I wouldn't be able to get a blog post written, or do any other writing while I was gone. But then I realized that while I might not be able to do the actual writing, I could decide what it was going to be about, and decide what was going to be covered in it.
If you have a blog, you can do this, too. It's easier to take notes, of course, but they're not strictly necessary. You can even plan out a whole series of them, if you have a good memory for it.
5. Experience new places and things.
While not necessarily writing, experiencing new places and things will give you more resources to draw on when you are writing. As an example, my husband and I were caught in a snow storm. I had never been caught in one before, since I grew up in a warmer climate. I'd never gone into a grocery store with a clear parking lot, and come out to a half inch of snow on the ground. I also hadn't been on a highway while it was snowing so hard. This experience will enable me to write about being caught in a snowstorm more accurately than I would have if I hadn't experienced it myself.
So be mindful of what's going on around you. The land, the plants, the weather. This will give you experiences and sights to draw on later.
6. Design writing prompts.
I took pictures with my phone. Not a ton, but I did take a few. Why? Because I have a Facebook page dedicated to writing. There are writers who have liked my page, and my job is to help them or entertain them. One of the ways I decided to do that for next month was to design writing prompts. So whenever I saw something I thought would make an intriguing writing prompt, I took a picture.
You don't have to have a Facebook page to benefit from this. You can take a series of pictures and pick writing prompts for them yourself. This alone is an exercise in creativity, and if you also use those prompts, you get even more benefit. A new book idea, perhaps?
7. Rest and relax.
A writer rarely stops thinking. And because a writer rarely stops thinking, they rarely stop writing. But one of the things every person needs to do once in a while is just rest. I try to tell my husband this once a week or so: if you keep yourself rested, you'll work better afterward. It may seem like resting is wasting time, but it's not. You work more efficiently if you're rested than you do if you're exhausted. The time you take to rest may very well enable you to work faster, allowing you to get the same amount of work done as if you'd pushed on while exhausted - but with the bonus of you feeling better while you do it.
So the next time you're without a computer or other writing tools, take the opportunity to rest your brain, too.
I, however, do get motion sick. So badly, in fact, that I've had to take Dramamine after reading in the car for less than half an hour. And even if I didn't, I do not have a working laptop.
What's a writer to do? Well, while I was stuck in a car for hours, I came up with some excellent things a writer can do that don't require computers - or even a notebook. So the next time you're going to be without a computer, or access to other writing tools, don't despair. You can still make progress!
1. Work on the plot for a writing project.
I did this quite a bit. I have a long-term project I'm working on (it's my favorite) that I don't expect to even start writing for another few years. Because it's such a complex story, I've been working on it for about ten years now. When I don't have a notebook to write in or a computer to type on, I work on the plot of the story by imagining different outcomes if I change certain parts. I can also examine various aspects of the events I plan to happen, and make sure they mesh with the rest of the story. One of the most fun parts of doing this is you can change anything you want, without having to write it down. Nothing is concrete, and you're free to change or create as you please.
2. If you're writing fantasy, world-build.
The first day of our trip, I asked myself a question. How do the people in this fantasy world tell time? The standard answer would be by the position of the sun, or using a clock. But considering the culture of this people, I decided they were unlikely to have used mechanics to design something like a clock. Using the sun is fine for telling a general time, but what about exact times? Minutes, hours?
With the type of culture this group of people have developed, they were likely to have used natural, organic ways to tell time. Since it was a fantasy world, I could create as I pleased. And I did. The people of this world now have a form of clock called a time tile. I can't tell you too much about it, because it's going to be part of a book, but it's organic in nature and uses colors to indicate what time it is.
This is something you don't need access to a computer or writing materials to do. You can develop the world around your characters.
3. Sync book scenes to music.
It sounds a little silly when put that way, but it's actually a lot of fun. One thing I did have access to on our trip was an MP3 player loaded with music. Since I could never read or write on family road trips, I had to entertain myself on the six to eight hour drive to California from Oregon. One of the things I would do often was take a scene from a book I was working on, and imagine it as a scene from a movie, with the music in my headphones as the soundtrack.
Visualizing your scenes this way can make them more vivid to you, and aid you in describing them later. It can also help motivate to write once you can get to a computer again. I'm always excited to write when I do it, because epic music really makes book scenes amazing.
4. Plan a blog post.
I planned this blog post while we were gone. Originally, before we left, I was upset and a little panicky that I wouldn't be able to get a blog post written, or do any other writing while I was gone. But then I realized that while I might not be able to do the actual writing, I could decide what it was going to be about, and decide what was going to be covered in it.
If you have a blog, you can do this, too. It's easier to take notes, of course, but they're not strictly necessary. You can even plan out a whole series of them, if you have a good memory for it.
5. Experience new places and things.
While not necessarily writing, experiencing new places and things will give you more resources to draw on when you are writing. As an example, my husband and I were caught in a snow storm. I had never been caught in one before, since I grew up in a warmer climate. I'd never gone into a grocery store with a clear parking lot, and come out to a half inch of snow on the ground. I also hadn't been on a highway while it was snowing so hard. This experience will enable me to write about being caught in a snowstorm more accurately than I would have if I hadn't experienced it myself.
So be mindful of what's going on around you. The land, the plants, the weather. This will give you experiences and sights to draw on later.
6. Design writing prompts.
I took pictures with my phone. Not a ton, but I did take a few. Why? Because I have a Facebook page dedicated to writing. There are writers who have liked my page, and my job is to help them or entertain them. One of the ways I decided to do that for next month was to design writing prompts. So whenever I saw something I thought would make an intriguing writing prompt, I took a picture.
You don't have to have a Facebook page to benefit from this. You can take a series of pictures and pick writing prompts for them yourself. This alone is an exercise in creativity, and if you also use those prompts, you get even more benefit. A new book idea, perhaps?
7. Rest and relax.
A writer rarely stops thinking. And because a writer rarely stops thinking, they rarely stop writing. But one of the things every person needs to do once in a while is just rest. I try to tell my husband this once a week or so: if you keep yourself rested, you'll work better afterward. It may seem like resting is wasting time, but it's not. You work more efficiently if you're rested than you do if you're exhausted. The time you take to rest may very well enable you to work faster, allowing you to get the same amount of work done as if you'd pushed on while exhausted - but with the bonus of you feeling better while you do it.
So the next time you're without a computer or other writing tools, take the opportunity to rest your brain, too.
February 13, 2016
Author Resources: Parts of Castles
This week for our author resources we're going to look at different parts of a castle! I didn't realize how many pieces there were to a castle until I started learning about them; it was far more complex than I thought. They could be very elaborate and complicated, with many different layers intended to protect them from invaders.
This list is intended as a reference for people writing fantasy. If you're going for historical fiction, I would suggest you use this only as a starting point; there's a lot more to learn if you want it to be historically accurate! (One of my favorite sites for castle information is this one.)
Allure: An allure is also known as a wallwalk. This is the part of a castle that allows defenders, soldiers, and inhabitants to look out over the curtain wall.
Armoury: An armoury was a place to store weapons and armour, as the name suggests, and could be located in the main keep. As primarily a defensible location, castles had need of weapons and armour within reach.
Loopholes: Loopholes, or arrow loops, were narrow windows or slits that archers could shoot from while being sheltered by the walls.
Bailey: A bailey is an open space between the castle walls and the castle itself, where necessary daily business was done, such as gardening and animal tending. There may be more than one bailey, in which case they may be referred to as the upper and lower baileys, or the inner and outer, as well as named according to their direction (west bailey and east bailey, for example).
Barbican: A barbican is a form of defense, usually past the outer edges of a castle, and used as an outpost or as a defense of a gate or bridge.
Bartizan: A bartizan was an overhanging turret on a wall, often furnished with loopholes or arrow slits. They could be square or round, and are most often found on corners.
Bastion: A bastion, or bulwark, is a protrusion from the curtain wall formed of two faces and two flanks. It could be used to protect the curtain wall or other bastions along it.
Berm: The berm is the flat area between the moat or ditch and the outside of the curtain wall.
Buttress: A buttress is a structure built to provide more support to a building, such as a building that lacks enough support for the weight of the roof, which pushes walls outward. There are many types of buttresses, such as the flying buttress.
Courtyard: A courtyard was an open space within the curtain wall.
Chapel: The chapel of a castle was used by all castle inhabitants for worship and prayer, and was often divided into two parts, one for the lord and other high-ranking personages, and one for the servants.
Crenelations: The correct term for battlements, crenelations are ramparts built along the top of walls and towers. Merlons are the solid portion of the crenelations, and crenels are the spaces between, used for firing arrows.
Cross wall: The crosswall was another architectural support system, meant to help hold up the curtain wall from the inside, or interior walls. This also gave any attackers another wall that they needed to break through.
Curtain Wall: The main wall enclosing the castle, the curtain wall was built to act as a fortification. A curtain wall was a stretch of wall between two towers, and was usually connected to the gatehouse.
Drawbridge: A movable wooden bridge meant to rest over a ditch or moat, the drawbridge would be lifted up to prevent easy access to the bailey. It was lifted using rope or chain, and fastened to the curtain wall with hinges.
Dungeon: The dungeon of a castle was used to hold prisoners, and could be located either in the towers (since they were the most secure locations) or below ground, which were also secure.
Forebuilding: A projecting fortification to protect the entrance and/or stairway to the keep or dungeon.
Galleries: A passage built into the walls of the keep, galleries could be used to allow movement around the upper levels, as well as provide a vantage point for watching the hall below and attacking, should the hall be taken by enemies.
GateHouse: The gatehouse was the main entrance to the castle, where the drawbridge and portcullis were located. Generally considered the weak point of a castle wall, the defenses of a gatehouse could be elaborate.
Hall or GreatHall: Considered the heart of the castle, the hall was one of (if not the) largest of the rooms in the castle. This was generally where banquets and meetings were held.
Keep: The central or main tower of a castle, the keep was the final line of defense in an attack of a castle. It house living quarters, store rooms, and sometimes even the main well of the castle.
Machicolations: Similar to balconies, machicolations were parapets extending over the curtain wall. They had holes, called murder holes, in the floor through which defenders could drop things such as rocks on the heads of attackers.
Moat: A moat could be filled with water or kept dry, and surrounded the whole castle. It was meant as a form of defense, and if it was filled with water was meant to be too deep for wading through. If the maot (or ditch) was dry, it could be filled with wooden stakes.
Motte: The motte was part of a motte and bailey castle, and refers to the mound of earth upon which a tower was built.
Oubliette: An oubliette was a particularly nasty type of dungeon, different from the average dungeon because it was a narrow hole in the ground, claustrophobic, and reached only through a trapdoor high in the ceiling. Prisoners were often put in and forgotten about.
Palisade: A palisade was the forerunner of the curtain wall, and was made of wood in a type of fence.
Portcullis: A portcullis was most often used to protect the main entrance of a castle, and was a heavy, grilled door that descended vertically.
Postern: The postern gate was meant as a secret exit from the castle, and could be used to escape during a siege, or attack an enemy.
Rampart: Ramparts developed in curtain walls, but began as mounds of earth or rubble that were used as defenses. Structures were often built on top to offer a platform and protection during battle.
Stables: Stables were where the horses of the castle were kept and cared for.
Watergate: A watergate was a gate that opened directly onto open water, allowing the people of the castle access to water transport, and also allowing the delivery of goods via the same.
Well: The well of a castle was vitally important in times of siege, as it could guarantee the survival of those inside. The well was sometimes located within the main keep so it could be protected, but could also be located near the kitchens for convenience.
Yett: A yett is much like a portcullis, in that it is latticed and used to protect an entrance. But a yett, unlike the portcullis, opens like a gate or door, rather than moving up and down vertically.
Again, this is only for reference, and if you're writing historical fiction you'll probably need more detailed information, including which parts of a castle were common for your time period and location. But this should give you something to go on. :)
This list is intended as a reference for people writing fantasy. If you're going for historical fiction, I would suggest you use this only as a starting point; there's a lot more to learn if you want it to be historically accurate! (One of my favorite sites for castle information is this one.)
Allure: An allure is also known as a wallwalk. This is the part of a castle that allows defenders, soldiers, and inhabitants to look out over the curtain wall.
Armoury: An armoury was a place to store weapons and armour, as the name suggests, and could be located in the main keep. As primarily a defensible location, castles had need of weapons and armour within reach.
Loopholes: Loopholes, or arrow loops, were narrow windows or slits that archers could shoot from while being sheltered by the walls.
Bailey: A bailey is an open space between the castle walls and the castle itself, where necessary daily business was done, such as gardening and animal tending. There may be more than one bailey, in which case they may be referred to as the upper and lower baileys, or the inner and outer, as well as named according to their direction (west bailey and east bailey, for example).
Barbican: A barbican is a form of defense, usually past the outer edges of a castle, and used as an outpost or as a defense of a gate or bridge.
Bartizan: A bartizan was an overhanging turret on a wall, often furnished with loopholes or arrow slits. They could be square or round, and are most often found on corners.
Bastion: A bastion, or bulwark, is a protrusion from the curtain wall formed of two faces and two flanks. It could be used to protect the curtain wall or other bastions along it.
Berm: The berm is the flat area between the moat or ditch and the outside of the curtain wall.
Buttress: A buttress is a structure built to provide more support to a building, such as a building that lacks enough support for the weight of the roof, which pushes walls outward. There are many types of buttresses, such as the flying buttress.
Courtyard: A courtyard was an open space within the curtain wall.
Chapel: The chapel of a castle was used by all castle inhabitants for worship and prayer, and was often divided into two parts, one for the lord and other high-ranking personages, and one for the servants.
Crenelations: The correct term for battlements, crenelations are ramparts built along the top of walls and towers. Merlons are the solid portion of the crenelations, and crenels are the spaces between, used for firing arrows.
Cross wall: The crosswall was another architectural support system, meant to help hold up the curtain wall from the inside, or interior walls. This also gave any attackers another wall that they needed to break through.
Curtain Wall: The main wall enclosing the castle, the curtain wall was built to act as a fortification. A curtain wall was a stretch of wall between two towers, and was usually connected to the gatehouse.
Drawbridge: A movable wooden bridge meant to rest over a ditch or moat, the drawbridge would be lifted up to prevent easy access to the bailey. It was lifted using rope or chain, and fastened to the curtain wall with hinges.
Dungeon: The dungeon of a castle was used to hold prisoners, and could be located either in the towers (since they were the most secure locations) or below ground, which were also secure.
Forebuilding: A projecting fortification to protect the entrance and/or stairway to the keep or dungeon.
Galleries: A passage built into the walls of the keep, galleries could be used to allow movement around the upper levels, as well as provide a vantage point for watching the hall below and attacking, should the hall be taken by enemies.
GateHouse: The gatehouse was the main entrance to the castle, where the drawbridge and portcullis were located. Generally considered the weak point of a castle wall, the defenses of a gatehouse could be elaborate.
Hall or GreatHall: Considered the heart of the castle, the hall was one of (if not the) largest of the rooms in the castle. This was generally where banquets and meetings were held.
Keep: The central or main tower of a castle, the keep was the final line of defense in an attack of a castle. It house living quarters, store rooms, and sometimes even the main well of the castle.
Machicolations: Similar to balconies, machicolations were parapets extending over the curtain wall. They had holes, called murder holes, in the floor through which defenders could drop things such as rocks on the heads of attackers.
Moat: A moat could be filled with water or kept dry, and surrounded the whole castle. It was meant as a form of defense, and if it was filled with water was meant to be too deep for wading through. If the maot (or ditch) was dry, it could be filled with wooden stakes.
Motte: The motte was part of a motte and bailey castle, and refers to the mound of earth upon which a tower was built.
Oubliette: An oubliette was a particularly nasty type of dungeon, different from the average dungeon because it was a narrow hole in the ground, claustrophobic, and reached only through a trapdoor high in the ceiling. Prisoners were often put in and forgotten about.
Palisade: A palisade was the forerunner of the curtain wall, and was made of wood in a type of fence.
Portcullis: A portcullis was most often used to protect the main entrance of a castle, and was a heavy, grilled door that descended vertically.
Postern: The postern gate was meant as a secret exit from the castle, and could be used to escape during a siege, or attack an enemy.
Rampart: Ramparts developed in curtain walls, but began as mounds of earth or rubble that were used as defenses. Structures were often built on top to offer a platform and protection during battle.
Stables: Stables were where the horses of the castle were kept and cared for.
Watergate: A watergate was a gate that opened directly onto open water, allowing the people of the castle access to water transport, and also allowing the delivery of goods via the same.
Well: The well of a castle was vitally important in times of siege, as it could guarantee the survival of those inside. The well was sometimes located within the main keep so it could be protected, but could also be located near the kitchens for convenience.
Yett: A yett is much like a portcullis, in that it is latticed and used to protect an entrance. But a yett, unlike the portcullis, opens like a gate or door, rather than moving up and down vertically.
Again, this is only for reference, and if you're writing historical fiction you'll probably need more detailed information, including which parts of a castle were common for your time period and location. But this should give you something to go on. :)
February 5, 2016
Author References: Cooking From Scratch
Homemade noodles that I made a few weeks ago. You can see the coating of flour. Have you ever developed a medieval- or pioneer-age story setting, and then tried to describe it? Wasn't easy, was it? There's a whole host of details to consider, and one step to understanding what it would be like would be understanding the complexity of cooking everything from scratch.In a medieval or pioneer style world, there would be very few items mass-produced for easy consumption. Those few items might be things like flour and sugar. Obviously there would be more than that, things like dried or salted meat and canned fruits and vegetables (if pioneer is what you're going for, anyway), but there wouldn't be things like instant noodles, frozen produce, or TV dinners.
I'm not going to go into what kinds of food would be likely in that kind of world (that would require a whole post, I think) because this is on cooking from scratch - the result of not having access to convenience foods. I'd like to go over every recipe you could possibly use in this situation, but I've had to face the facts. That's not possible, partially because there are an insane amount of recipes out there, and partially because even if I could manage to try them all, authors have a habit of stepping outside the box. You know, creating weird fruits, vegetables, and animals that don't actually exist, and therefore have no applicable recipes.
So, to solve this issue, my plan is to give you an idea of what cooking without convenience foods is like. Then you can apply that experience however you see fit. To get started, we'll take an example. Let's use a pasta dish.
Pasta is a favorite convenience food for many. It's easy to boil it in water and mix it with a canned or jarred tomato or creamy sauce. But what if you had to do it all from scratch, with ingredients like tomatoes, milk, flour, butter, spices, eggs?
My husband and I watch Naruto. A lot. The main character loves a dish called ramen, which is long noodles in a meat broth soup. So, naturally, I wanted to make it myself.
The soup recipe I use can take all day to cook. That's not an exaggeration. Here's a sample of the process:
Place meat (chicken or beef) in pot.
Fill with water and season with salt and garlic powder.
Place on stove, and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until meat is cooked through and tender.
Place portion of broth in smaller pan, and bring back to boiling.
Dice ginger and place in tea ball. Add peppercorns to tea ball.
Once broth is boiling, add tea ball, cinnamon stick, and white pepper. Steep for ten to fifteen minutes.
The third step is the longest, and takes hours. And this, of course, is not counting the noodles. The process for those goes something like this:
Mix water with kansui (alkaline water or salt; I use baking soda baked in the oven).
Add to flour and knead until hands and arms ache.
Set aside in damp cloth for at least half an hour.
Roll until thin, and slice into noodles with a knife.
If you don't have broth ready to use, or haven't mixed up and had the pasta dough setting under a damp cloth when you start, you're in for a long, hard process. This, ladies and gentlemen, is for one meal. And that's not even the full list of instructions. Nor does it cover the challenges.
The reason the pasta dough sits covered in a damp cloth? It's impossible to roll it out thin if you don't. It springs back on itself. Seriously. You also use a lot of flour for this. Why? Because the noodle dough is incredibly sticky, and you have to coat the entire work surface and rolling pin so it doesn't stick. And the kneading? Yes, you have to go until your arms ache. This can take time, and even then it may not be enough.
To make matters more interesting, this recipe assumes an electric stove, as well as the presence of all ingredients. I usually buy them at the store. A pioneer or medieval character, however, would find it more difficult. They may not have access to ginger, cinnamon sticks, or peppercorns at all. They may have to harvest garlic from a garden. They might have to use salted or cured meat rather than fresh. There's also the likelihood of them not being able to save any leftovers, due to absence of refrigeration. They may not have a tea ball, and would have to fish out the ingredients.
If you have a story set in a time where there are no convenience foods, even breakfast can be a challenge. You want eggs? Either you or a nearby neighbor better have chickens. Why? Because supermarkets are not a thing, and neither is refrigerated transportation. So if you want eggs for breakfast, you have to take care of those chickens first.
Want bread? Better learn substitutes for, or how to use, yeast. And how to knead that dough, how long and when it needs to rise, as well as how in the world you're supposed to cut nice, thin slices off the thing when you're done.
To help you out, I've compiled a list of from-scratch recipes for you to look at. Ideally, you should try them yourself if you want to describe it, BUT they do take a good amount of time, and looking at recipes and tips for them will at least give you something to work with:
Pioneer Bread
A list of pioneer recipes
A list of medieval recipes, translated
Orange marmalade
Gooseberry pudding
Brown onion soup
Macaroni with cheese
There are many other recipes you can search for online if your setting has different needs. If, for example, your setting is on a lake, you'll probably want to look at recipes for cooking fish. If you have fruits, vegetables, or meats that don't really exist, then they may also give you ideas for how your characters would use them. If, for example, you look at the recipe for orange marmalade, you could use something similar for another type of fruit that you made up.
One of the things you need to remember is that cooking only with base ingredients takes a lot of time and effort. If you want to have spaghetti and meatballs, and you don't have access to packaged spaghetti, you have to make it yourself. You'll also have to make the sauce from tomatoes and spices, as well as the meatballs. You can't have a pioneer or medieval character drive to the supermarket and buy a jar of sauce.
Like I said last week, if your characters don't have access to convenience foods, then there's got to be someone in every household whose job it is to keep everyone fed - and that's likely a full-time job. At the very least, you'll need some knowledge of what kinds of food they'll be eating. If your character does any cooking, however, you may need more details on how they're prepared.
What kinds of foods do you like to use in your writing?
January 30, 2016
New Blog Series! Author Resources
I was baking bread when I got the idea for it. Yes, baking bread. Ever since I got married, I've been very excited about cooking most things from scratch. It's healthier, you know. ;) Anyway, I had learned to make noodles from scratch a week or two before, and was thinking about how much time all of it took. I realized that there was a very good reason for women in the past to spend most of their days at home. If they didn't, no one ate. It takes almost all day to cook three meals from scratch. And this is with modern appliances like an electric stove and a microwave, not to mention the ability to store leftovers in the refrigerator.
This was a detail I hadn't thought of before. Women from older times, no wonder they often didn't get much schooling. No wonder they had to stay home so much. If they didn't, their families suffered and possibly didn't get enough good food to eat. By the time they had an opportunity to study during the day, they were probably too tired to take it.
This thought gave me the idea for a new blog series that I hope will be both fun and informative.
Not on cooking, although that will feature, but on little details that we often don't think about in our writing. As always, it's going to be geared toward fiction writers in general and fantasy writers in particular, but my hope is that other writers will find it helpful as well. This series will be primarily a resource for writers, writers who need to know things like how to bake bread, practical self-defense maneuvers, and basic sewing. Not for themselves, but for their characters.
If there is a subject you'd like to learn about, comment below and I'll see what I can do!
This was a detail I hadn't thought of before. Women from older times, no wonder they often didn't get much schooling. No wonder they had to stay home so much. If they didn't, their families suffered and possibly didn't get enough good food to eat. By the time they had an opportunity to study during the day, they were probably too tired to take it.
This thought gave me the idea for a new blog series that I hope will be both fun and informative.
Not on cooking, although that will feature, but on little details that we often don't think about in our writing. As always, it's going to be geared toward fiction writers in general and fantasy writers in particular, but my hope is that other writers will find it helpful as well. This series will be primarily a resource for writers, writers who need to know things like how to bake bread, practical self-defense maneuvers, and basic sewing. Not for themselves, but for their characters.
If there is a subject you'd like to learn about, comment below and I'll see what I can do!
January 27, 2016
Review of Shadowplay by Tad Williams
Hey, look. I actually wrote a review!
Shadowplay by Tad Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Okay, so overall I liked this book. In fact, there are really only a few things keeping it from being five stars.
1: That ending, though. Cliffhangers annoy me. Luckily, I have the next book already, so I don't have to suffer through an agonizing wait. But just dropping Ferras Vansen through a portal/door/thing and leaving Barrick, and then ending the book with Vansen finding out where he is and then passing out? There are worse endings, I'm sure, and it's not going to stop me from finishing the series. But I still found it a little irritating.
2: Constantly switching characters. I'm an author. I get that sometimes, when dealing with a complex plot and a large cast of characters, you need to do a certain amount of character switching in order for the story to make sense. Especially if events in one place are going to have a large impact in other places. I still, however, found it grating to have to figure out what character we were with every few pages, or, sometimes, twice on the same page. It would interrupt (for me) the flow of the story, and take me from a place and character I was invested in at that moment, and suddenly drop me in another place where I had to orient myself. It didn't disrupt to the point that I couldn't orient myself, couldn't adjust to the switch, or got overly frustrated, but it wasn't one of the more pleasant aspects of the book.
3: Questionable content. There isn't much by most standards. Fewer than ten words (I believe; I wasn't counting) that I'd call bad. But more than the first book. There's also reference to some sexual ideas and behaviors. This isn't necessarily a reason for knocking off a star, though. It's nothing too explicit, nothing that a mature teenager (in my opinion) couldn't handle. Concerned parents would find it relatively easy to go through and mark out things they don't feel their children are ready for, though there would be very little to worry about.
Now I have to say what I liked about it, because fair is fair.
1: Characters. I like most of the characters, and find it easy to want to know what happens to them. Most of them. I have a rather strong dislike of Barrick, mostly because he acts like such a martyr. But I quite like Briony, and Qinnitan, Chert, Opal, and even Tinwright. I think my favorite, though, might just be Ferras Vansen. He annoyed me a little bit through this book, mostly right after crossing the Shadowline with Prince Barrick. But he improved, and I think I relate most to him. After him (or perhaps making it a tie, I haven't decided yet) is Princess Briony. She's smart, passionate, and can be a bit mouthy while also genuinely caring for people. She's also realistic in that she gets frightened, wants to get revenge on the people who captured her father and stole her throne, and can be very ignorant about some things (the success of her disguise, for example).
2: Depth of plot. There is a lot going on in this book. A LOT. It has the potential to be mightily confusing, but it's not. You can see the middle of the story, and glimpses of why it's happening, but you have to follow the thread of the story to get your answers - and there are a lot of questions that need them. There are a lot of questions about why certain things are happening, and because of the depth to the series, you assume there are answers that will be forthcoming.
3: The skill in presenting events as we need them. I dislike head hopping. That said, it was (probably; I can't read the author's mind) necessary to give readers the information needed for the story to make sense. And it does. Despite the complexity of the plot, it's relatively easy to follow and connect the dots. You have the information you need, for the most part, in order to understand what's happening.
View all my reviews
Shadowplay by Tad WilliamsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Okay, so overall I liked this book. In fact, there are really only a few things keeping it from being five stars.
1: That ending, though. Cliffhangers annoy me. Luckily, I have the next book already, so I don't have to suffer through an agonizing wait. But just dropping Ferras Vansen through a portal/door/thing and leaving Barrick, and then ending the book with Vansen finding out where he is and then passing out? There are worse endings, I'm sure, and it's not going to stop me from finishing the series. But I still found it a little irritating.
2: Constantly switching characters. I'm an author. I get that sometimes, when dealing with a complex plot and a large cast of characters, you need to do a certain amount of character switching in order for the story to make sense. Especially if events in one place are going to have a large impact in other places. I still, however, found it grating to have to figure out what character we were with every few pages, or, sometimes, twice on the same page. It would interrupt (for me) the flow of the story, and take me from a place and character I was invested in at that moment, and suddenly drop me in another place where I had to orient myself. It didn't disrupt to the point that I couldn't orient myself, couldn't adjust to the switch, or got overly frustrated, but it wasn't one of the more pleasant aspects of the book.
3: Questionable content. There isn't much by most standards. Fewer than ten words (I believe; I wasn't counting) that I'd call bad. But more than the first book. There's also reference to some sexual ideas and behaviors. This isn't necessarily a reason for knocking off a star, though. It's nothing too explicit, nothing that a mature teenager (in my opinion) couldn't handle. Concerned parents would find it relatively easy to go through and mark out things they don't feel their children are ready for, though there would be very little to worry about.
Now I have to say what I liked about it, because fair is fair.
1: Characters. I like most of the characters, and find it easy to want to know what happens to them. Most of them. I have a rather strong dislike of Barrick, mostly because he acts like such a martyr. But I quite like Briony, and Qinnitan, Chert, Opal, and even Tinwright. I think my favorite, though, might just be Ferras Vansen. He annoyed me a little bit through this book, mostly right after crossing the Shadowline with Prince Barrick. But he improved, and I think I relate most to him. After him (or perhaps making it a tie, I haven't decided yet) is Princess Briony. She's smart, passionate, and can be a bit mouthy while also genuinely caring for people. She's also realistic in that she gets frightened, wants to get revenge on the people who captured her father and stole her throne, and can be very ignorant about some things (the success of her disguise, for example).
2: Depth of plot. There is a lot going on in this book. A LOT. It has the potential to be mightily confusing, but it's not. You can see the middle of the story, and glimpses of why it's happening, but you have to follow the thread of the story to get your answers - and there are a lot of questions that need them. There are a lot of questions about why certain things are happening, and because of the depth to the series, you assume there are answers that will be forthcoming.
3: The skill in presenting events as we need them. I dislike head hopping. That said, it was (probably; I can't read the author's mind) necessary to give readers the information needed for the story to make sense. And it does. Despite the complexity of the plot, it's relatively easy to follow and connect the dots. You have the information you need, for the most part, in order to understand what's happening.
View all my reviews
January 23, 2016
Expressing Emotions, Part Seven: Excitement
Like indifference, excitement is relatively easy to show when you're writing your characters. Unlike indifference, however, it's not so easy to show it without using the word itself. Many authors use the word excitement along with descriptions of the character's physical behavior, such as "her hands were shaking with excitement" or "she was bouncing with excitement." But it is possible to show excitement without doing so:
Physical differences
shaking handsshining eyesbouncing or quivering feeling in stomachuncontrollable smileflushed cheeks
As with most other emotions, the physical signs are far less compelling than a character's behavioral signs. Physical differences, taken on their own, could mean a multitude of things. It's when they're paired with behavior that it's more obvious:
Changes in behavior
bouncing up and downinability to sit stilldifficulty sleepingshows of impatienceexcessive energydifficulty finishing understandable sentencesexclamations ("Oh! Oh!")exuberant gesturing
Not all characters will show excitement in immediately recognizable ways, and many may show only one or two signs of it. This, perhaps, is why it's so easy to add "in excitement" at the end of a description of them. You may be able to avoid this in several ways:
making it obvious your character has waited a long time for somethinggiving them something concrete that they are anticipatinghaving another character call them excited in dialogue
If you have an example of showing excitement in a character, post below!
Physical differences
shaking handsshining eyesbouncing or quivering feeling in stomachuncontrollable smileflushed cheeks
As with most other emotions, the physical signs are far less compelling than a character's behavioral signs. Physical differences, taken on their own, could mean a multitude of things. It's when they're paired with behavior that it's more obvious:
Changes in behavior
bouncing up and downinability to sit stilldifficulty sleepingshows of impatienceexcessive energydifficulty finishing understandable sentencesexclamations ("Oh! Oh!")exuberant gesturing
Not all characters will show excitement in immediately recognizable ways, and many may show only one or two signs of it. This, perhaps, is why it's so easy to add "in excitement" at the end of a description of them. You may be able to avoid this in several ways:
making it obvious your character has waited a long time for somethinggiving them something concrete that they are anticipatinghaving another character call them excited in dialogue
If you have an example of showing excitement in a character, post below!
January 16, 2016
Expressing Emotions, Part Six: Indifference
Indifference is comparatively easy in writing. Indifference is just someone not caring. And I'm not talking about someone yelling that they don't care when it's obvious that they do (hence the yelling). I'm talking about someone genuinely not caring about something or someone.
One of the hardest parts about showing indifference is (for me, anyway) keeping that indifference consistent. If you have a character that doesn't care about something, then you need to make certain that what the character does to show that is relatively consistent, or perceptive readers will decide that the character is lying - that they really do care. This may be the case unless you're trying to show a progression of some kind. A change to caring from not caring, or the other way around. That has it's own issues, so for today let's assume your character is consistent in their indifference.
Physical Differences
Like many of the other emotions we've covered so far, behavior is more key to the showing of indifference than physical signs. Behavior is more enduring, lasts longer, and can be a consistent thread throughout your story, rather than a one-off showing. However, behavior is usually easier to hide (think looking at a romantic interest's pictures on Facebook - behavior - as opposed to blushing furiously and stammering during conversation - physical differences). Physical differences are often made without our conscious consent:
glassy eyeseye rollingcrossed armsstaring into spacerelaxed postureyawning
Changes in Behavior
If you need to show a consistent indifference toward something or someone, then behavior is (depending on circumstances) probably your best bet. Something to watch out for when using these to show indifference, though, is that many can also be used to show ignorance. So be sure you know which it is, and use character dialogue and context to make it clear for your readers:
flippant about subject or person's feelingsinconsiderate, whether deliberate or accidentalrefusal to talk about or address issues (it's not worthy of their time, etc.)boredomno interest in actively learning about subject or person
not noticing changes or differences
not spending time thinking about the person, subject, or thing
As I said, showing indifference is relatively easy. It's just a character not caring about something. These are a few examples, but one thing to keep in mind is that, like real people, characters have very unique ways of handling things. So if you choose another way of showing your character is indifferent, just make sure that it's obvious enough for readers to grasp. (If you have a unique one I'd love to hear it, by the way!)
One of the hardest parts about showing indifference is (for me, anyway) keeping that indifference consistent. If you have a character that doesn't care about something, then you need to make certain that what the character does to show that is relatively consistent, or perceptive readers will decide that the character is lying - that they really do care. This may be the case unless you're trying to show a progression of some kind. A change to caring from not caring, or the other way around. That has it's own issues, so for today let's assume your character is consistent in their indifference.
Physical Differences
Like many of the other emotions we've covered so far, behavior is more key to the showing of indifference than physical signs. Behavior is more enduring, lasts longer, and can be a consistent thread throughout your story, rather than a one-off showing. However, behavior is usually easier to hide (think looking at a romantic interest's pictures on Facebook - behavior - as opposed to blushing furiously and stammering during conversation - physical differences). Physical differences are often made without our conscious consent:
glassy eyeseye rollingcrossed armsstaring into spacerelaxed postureyawning
Changes in Behavior
If you need to show a consistent indifference toward something or someone, then behavior is (depending on circumstances) probably your best bet. Something to watch out for when using these to show indifference, though, is that many can also be used to show ignorance. So be sure you know which it is, and use character dialogue and context to make it clear for your readers:
flippant about subject or person's feelingsinconsiderate, whether deliberate or accidentalrefusal to talk about or address issues (it's not worthy of their time, etc.)boredomno interest in actively learning about subject or person
not noticing changes or differences
not spending time thinking about the person, subject, or thing
As I said, showing indifference is relatively easy. It's just a character not caring about something. These are a few examples, but one thing to keep in mind is that, like real people, characters have very unique ways of handling things. So if you choose another way of showing your character is indifferent, just make sure that it's obvious enough for readers to grasp. (If you have a unique one I'd love to hear it, by the way!)
January 15, 2016
As Promised!
I'm actually ON TIME! Yay me! (I have several announcements to make so stick with me to the end - at least, if you want to know more about that romance novelette I promised for February. ;))At the beginning of the year I posted a list of titles that I expected to drop in the first six months of 2016. The first title on that list was Ashrinde.
As someone who hasn't ever really had a deadline before, I've been very concerned that I might not be able to make it and get a new novelette ready for publication every month for the first half of the year. I am happy to say that, at least for January, I am on time.
Ashrinde went to beta readers on the twelfth, and I was very pleased with what they had to say (and rather pleased with myself, too, I may add!). It was a bumpy road. When I first picked up the rough draft, I was disheartened. It needed a lot of work. But after an almost line-by-line rewrite, I was finally unashamed enough to send it out. I found a way to make characters more relatable (I had a particularly hard time with Ashrinde) and even built in a surprise or two. ;) The beta readers were complimentary, so after a few more passes to fix any lingering issues, I've taken the next step.
As far as my own writing goes, I'm very proud of Ashrinde. It's far from the perfect story I'd like, and my skills could always use improvement. But for me, it's a special milestone because it showcases the improvements I've made in my craft.
Like Isolde and Festival, Ashrinde is shorter in length, falling into the novelette category rather than novel or even novella. But it is a little longer by almost four thousand words. It takes place in the same world, and you'll even get to see a character from earlier novelettes make an appearance.
As of this writing, it's under review with Amazon for publication. Unless something untoward happens, Ashrinde should be available for purchase soon. Once it goes live I will be linking to it in this post, so keep an eye out!
EDIT:
Ashrinde is now live, and has been linked in this post! *does happy dance*
Second!
As of the thirteenth, the outline for that romance novelette I promised is complete. I expect to start writing on it next week (or tomorrow, if I'm feeling daring), and hopefully have it published by Valentine's Day. Like the others, it's only one piece of a story; I am determined to do this love story justice. In other words, I'm not going to make it super rushed in order to squeeze it into 10k. I can promise (I think) at least two more installments on this particular thread of story.
All of that to tell you that I have chosen a title for it! After much consideration, and in the interest of staying with my one-word-title theme, I have chosen to call it Allied. Make of that what you will, I'm not telling anyone anymore about it until the process has actually started. Or maybe even later. We'll see.
And that's the end! Happy Friday everyone!
