Laura VanArendonk Baugh's Blog, page 56
April 9, 2013
On Today’s Slavery — the End It Movement and a 5k
So, I signed up for a 5k run to raise funds for International Justice Mission. Now, you have to realize what this means. I don’t run. Even when I was doing insane interval training, I never ran.So you know this is a good cause. I got a lot of comments (more via Facebook rather than [...]
The post On Today’s Slavery — the End It Movement and a 5k appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
March 28, 2013
Rape in Life and Fiction
Now that’s not a pretentious blog post title or anything….. As I write this, society (or at least social media) is still reeling with the verdict from the Stuebenville rape case, in which two high school athletes (illegally drinking) sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl (illegally drinking) and were convicted with minor sentences, possibly never carrying [...]
The post Rape in Life and Fiction appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
March 23, 2013
Japanese Folklore Panel in Indianapolis
Did you ever want to know the difference between a mononoke and an ayakashi? Do you know how to escape a kappa, if one wants to eat you? Have you ever wondered if you were missing some in-jokes in your favorite anime or Asian film? (Yes, very likely.) Japanese Folklore: An Anime, Manga, and Film [...]
The post Japanese Folklore Panel in Indianapolis appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
March 4, 2013
Fantasy, and Why We Need It
Today I intend to justify fantasy as a genre. Not that it needs justified, no more than any other genre, but I’m going to anyway. But first, I’m going to tell you a story. Schmaltz I’ve taken only one real writing class, if we don’t count that Creative Writing hour every Wednesday afternoon in third [...]
The post Fantasy, and Why We Need It appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
February 27, 2013
The Music of the Spheres
Working on a science-fiction short and surprising myself with how much I’m enjoying it. One of my writers’ group last night commented that a character was “a mix of a symphony conductor and Han Solo” — and I’m pretty happy with that description. I went searching today for some title ideas, and I happened across [...]
The post The Music of the Spheres appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
February 25, 2013
On Today’s Slavery.
Serious post today, folks. While writingShard & Shield, I spent a lot of time researching Greco-Roman slavery, as slavery is integral to one of the cultures in the story. Research always leads one down unexpected roads, and I learned a lot about slavery in other areas of the world and in world history, too. Most [...]
The post On Today’s Slavery. appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
February 22, 2013
Spoiler! People are Funny.
Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense. This quip, variously attributed to Mark Twain or Leo Rosten, is quite true. In story, writers must pay a great deal of attention to motive and consistency. In real life, people are hilariously inexplicable. It’s no secret that I hate spoilers, and this past week [...]
The post Spoiler! People are Funny. appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
February 19, 2013
Ben-Hur: Drama, Conflict, and Parody
I love Ben Hur. Yes, it’s become fashionable in recent years for critics to wave their hands disdainfully at the film which was previously held in such esteem. Fine, theycan have their pretense of superior taste. And okay, sure, trends in acting have changed in the last half-century. But I still love the film. No, [...]
The post Ben-Hur: Drama, Conflict, and Parody appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
February 6, 2013
Decisions, Decisions: Self-Published or Hybrid Author?
It’s a great time to be a writer, because we have more choices in how we conduct our careers: traditionally-published, self-published, or a hybridization of both? But with the freedom of choice comes the weight of having to choose. Self-Publishing, Traditional Publishing, and the Hybrid Author I’ve self-published two books, with a third in progress [...]
The post Decisions, Decisions: Self-Published or Hybrid Author? appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
February 4, 2013
Achievement Unlocked! Goals Met (And Some I Didn’t Know I Had)
A while back I wrote a humorous post about goals which would let me know I’d “made it” (whatever that means) in my writing career. Since then I’ve passed some pretty impressive personal milestones, and while I wrote that post primarily for my fiction writing, it would be wholly ungrateful of me not to acknowledge [...]
The post Achievement Unlocked! Goals Met (And Some I Didn’t Know I Had) appeared first on Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
