Amanda Meuwissen's Blog - Posts Tagged "fiction"
My Top 5 Favorite Books
I’m sure many of you immediately think of a few titles when considering your favorite books, but WHY are those your favorites? I’m going to list the what and why of my top 5 favorite books, and I’d like to invite all of you to comment and do the same.
1. Good Omens – by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
2. Memnoch the Devil – by Anne Rice
3. Invisible Monsters – by Chuck Palahniuk
4. Ender’s Game – by Orson Scott Card
5. Twilight Watch – by Sergei Lukyanenko
Now, I have a pretty good mix, but you’ll notice that they all have some sort of fantasy or sci-fi element to them (no surprise from me) and in many cases are part of a series. Another thing several of these books have in common is the reveal moment. You know, when an author writes the big reveal of the plot in such a perfect way that the clues do their job without spoiling things until just that moment before the truth is plainly presented before you.
Like in Fight Club, when they’ve given you all those clues to know that the Narrator was Tyler all along, but it’s right before he actually says so that you go *gasp* oh god! I didn’t list Fight Club only because I prefer the film and the film’s ending (as does the author) but I love his novel Invisible Monsters for another of those similar reveal moments. Ender’s Game has it as well, AND Twilight Watch, so that reveals how much I enjoy a good mystery that isn’t easy to solve, but needs to be weaved like a complicated cross-stitch.
I also don’t necessarily love the first book in a series more than the others. Ender’s Game is the first, but Twilight Watch is #3, and Memnoch the Devil is #5.
Good Omens I love for the relationship between the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale. I’m a sucker for witty banter and character relationships that are ambiguous or against the norm. In Memnoch the Devil, a morally ambiguous character meets God and the Devil, and explores Heaven and Hell, both of which are presented in a way I could easily believe as real.
I like to be transported as far from normal life as possible, which all of these titles do for me. What about you? What books resonate with you and why do you love them?
1. Good Omens – by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
2. Memnoch the Devil – by Anne Rice
3. Invisible Monsters – by Chuck Palahniuk
4. Ender’s Game – by Orson Scott Card
5. Twilight Watch – by Sergei Lukyanenko
Now, I have a pretty good mix, but you’ll notice that they all have some sort of fantasy or sci-fi element to them (no surprise from me) and in many cases are part of a series. Another thing several of these books have in common is the reveal moment. You know, when an author writes the big reveal of the plot in such a perfect way that the clues do their job without spoiling things until just that moment before the truth is plainly presented before you.
Like in Fight Club, when they’ve given you all those clues to know that the Narrator was Tyler all along, but it’s right before he actually says so that you go *gasp* oh god! I didn’t list Fight Club only because I prefer the film and the film’s ending (as does the author) but I love his novel Invisible Monsters for another of those similar reveal moments. Ender’s Game has it as well, AND Twilight Watch, so that reveals how much I enjoy a good mystery that isn’t easy to solve, but needs to be weaved like a complicated cross-stitch.
I also don’t necessarily love the first book in a series more than the others. Ender’s Game is the first, but Twilight Watch is #3, and Memnoch the Devil is #5.
Good Omens I love for the relationship between the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale. I’m a sucker for witty banter and character relationships that are ambiguous or against the norm. In Memnoch the Devil, a morally ambiguous character meets God and the Devil, and explores Heaven and Hell, both of which are presented in a way I could easily believe as real.
I like to be transported as far from normal life as possible, which all of these titles do for me. What about you? What books resonate with you and why do you love them?
Every writer should play with head canons
What is a head canon? Well, it’s one of those terms that I’m sure people would argue over, but it tends to come up in fanfiction to refer to things we don’t actually know to be true in the canon of a story, like Harry Potter for example, but because of what we do know, in our minds we believe this (whatever it may be) to also be true.
Still using Harry Potter, as most people are familiar with it, since I always wished there was more Marauders in the books, a head canon could be a whole plot line idea for a story about them going out in their animal forms causing a ruckus or doing some prank, that we can easily believe might have happened or could happen in actuality because everything about it is still in line with real canon.
Head canons can also work if you want to imagine an alternate universe for something. Given what we know of the universe of Harry Potter, if Neville had been The Boy Who Lived instead, how would the story have been different?
Coming up with or writing out head canons doesn’t require you to write a full story, just jotting down notes, in a way, with maybe some paragraphs here or there, or even snippets of dialogue, but you’re really just trying to get the idea out of you as quickly and succinctly as possible. Maybe you’ll come back to it someday to write the story out fully, maybe getting the idea out of you is all you needed to feel that moment of catharsis and that’s as far as it will go. Maybe working out a head canon is what inspires you to consider your next original story. Whatever the answer may be with any given head canon exercise…it’s a lot of fun.
For me, I find that once I start allowing for head canons to come to me, and take the time to write them out, it happens more frequently, which then in turn gets the muse going to come up with ideas for my original works.
Try it out! Suddenly realized that two of your favorite TV shows have a lot in common and one could totally be an alternate universe of the other? Describe to yourself how that would work and what the story would be. Want to consider a what if, such as the hero being the villain and the villain the hero? How would that go? Write it! Give creating a head canon like this a try once and I guarantee it will be your new favorite way to waste time, BUT! Might also help inspire you with your regular writing.
Still using Harry Potter, as most people are familiar with it, since I always wished there was more Marauders in the books, a head canon could be a whole plot line idea for a story about them going out in their animal forms causing a ruckus or doing some prank, that we can easily believe might have happened or could happen in actuality because everything about it is still in line with real canon.
Head canons can also work if you want to imagine an alternate universe for something. Given what we know of the universe of Harry Potter, if Neville had been The Boy Who Lived instead, how would the story have been different?
Coming up with or writing out head canons doesn’t require you to write a full story, just jotting down notes, in a way, with maybe some paragraphs here or there, or even snippets of dialogue, but you’re really just trying to get the idea out of you as quickly and succinctly as possible. Maybe you’ll come back to it someday to write the story out fully, maybe getting the idea out of you is all you needed to feel that moment of catharsis and that’s as far as it will go. Maybe working out a head canon is what inspires you to consider your next original story. Whatever the answer may be with any given head canon exercise…it’s a lot of fun.
For me, I find that once I start allowing for head canons to come to me, and take the time to write them out, it happens more frequently, which then in turn gets the muse going to come up with ideas for my original works.
Try it out! Suddenly realized that two of your favorite TV shows have a lot in common and one could totally be an alternate universe of the other? Describe to yourself how that would work and what the story would be. Want to consider a what if, such as the hero being the villain and the villain the hero? How would that go? Write it! Give creating a head canon like this a try once and I guarantee it will be your new favorite way to waste time, BUT! Might also help inspire you with your regular writing.
Critical thinking is needed for all forms of writing
Every spring I participate as a judge for local Speech competitions in Minnesota. Sometimes I forget how seriously Minnesota takes its Speech season, as we have an entirely different organization than the National Forensics League, doing our own thing on the side with some of our own categories, while also having kids participate in the NFL version when we compete at Regional, State, and National competitions.
Minnesota High School Speech is composed of thirteen categories across interpretive and public speaking styles, some of which have the students write the content themselves. The categories offered include things like Creative Expression, Discussion, Extemporaneous Speaking, Informative Speaking, and Original Oratory.
While I’d love to go into detail on all of these categories, I’m going to stick with one today, which despite not being one I participated in during my high school career, is my favorite.
In Original Oratory, or OO, the speaker presents an originally written speech with the purpose of persuading the audience. As a writer, I am most critical when judging categories like this that involve writing because I think there is a distinct lack of good writers in today’s youth. This belief stems from real life examples of people constantly telling me how ‘good writers’ are hard to find in the work force, and experiences I’ve had as an editor.
I had the pleasure of hearing a speech in the OO category this past weekend about critical thinking and how we need to work toward building up this ability in people now more than ever. Considering how important this skill is for writing a persuasive argument as much as an informative speech or essay, the topic resonated particularly strong with me. Too many times I see people picking sides on an argument without presenting facts, or being willing to listen to rebuttals.
Critical thinking is described as “the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.” Being objective may be one of the more difficult things for us humans, especially when an issue is important to us, or something we feel very strongly about. But all the more reason that we need to step back, weigh both sides, consider facts, and try to think objectively before forming opinions—or maybe even changing our opinions.
It was a relief to hear a maybe not even sixteen year old young man present a speech on this argument, and do so with critical thinking applied to how he wrote his speech and attempted to persuade me. The kids who ranked lower in that round failed to apply what this boy’s speech was about—the need for evidence and objective reasoning.
Human beings are emotional creatures. As a fiction writer I embrace and accept that emotion is often what drives whether or not someone enjoys my stories, but critical thinking has a place in fiction too. Whether we’re writing to inform or persuade someone, we still always present a thesis, back it up, and then form a conclusion.
In fiction, your readers will ask themselves, maybe subconsciously, maybe directly, whether or not they care about your thesis (what the story is about), whether or not you gave adequate reasons for them to agree (enjoyed the plot and building climax), and whether or not your conclusion (the story’s ending) was satisfying. It’s only if they can answer ‘yes’ that they will leave your work having truly enjoyed it.
Consider critical thinking when writing anything, when commenting on others’ work, when engaging in conversation, no matter the topic. We might be emotional beings, but we’re also intelligent, so the next time you present writing to the world, hand-written or typed, to any audience, ask yourself whether or not you did so objectively and applied critical thinking to what you said. Chances are you’ll be more persuasive, more informative, and more engaging if you did.
Minnesota High School Speech is composed of thirteen categories across interpretive and public speaking styles, some of which have the students write the content themselves. The categories offered include things like Creative Expression, Discussion, Extemporaneous Speaking, Informative Speaking, and Original Oratory.
While I’d love to go into detail on all of these categories, I’m going to stick with one today, which despite not being one I participated in during my high school career, is my favorite.
In Original Oratory, or OO, the speaker presents an originally written speech with the purpose of persuading the audience. As a writer, I am most critical when judging categories like this that involve writing because I think there is a distinct lack of good writers in today’s youth. This belief stems from real life examples of people constantly telling me how ‘good writers’ are hard to find in the work force, and experiences I’ve had as an editor.
I had the pleasure of hearing a speech in the OO category this past weekend about critical thinking and how we need to work toward building up this ability in people now more than ever. Considering how important this skill is for writing a persuasive argument as much as an informative speech or essay, the topic resonated particularly strong with me. Too many times I see people picking sides on an argument without presenting facts, or being willing to listen to rebuttals.
Critical thinking is described as “the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.” Being objective may be one of the more difficult things for us humans, especially when an issue is important to us, or something we feel very strongly about. But all the more reason that we need to step back, weigh both sides, consider facts, and try to think objectively before forming opinions—or maybe even changing our opinions.
It was a relief to hear a maybe not even sixteen year old young man present a speech on this argument, and do so with critical thinking applied to how he wrote his speech and attempted to persuade me. The kids who ranked lower in that round failed to apply what this boy’s speech was about—the need for evidence and objective reasoning.
Human beings are emotional creatures. As a fiction writer I embrace and accept that emotion is often what drives whether or not someone enjoys my stories, but critical thinking has a place in fiction too. Whether we’re writing to inform or persuade someone, we still always present a thesis, back it up, and then form a conclusion.
In fiction, your readers will ask themselves, maybe subconsciously, maybe directly, whether or not they care about your thesis (what the story is about), whether or not you gave adequate reasons for them to agree (enjoyed the plot and building climax), and whether or not your conclusion (the story’s ending) was satisfying. It’s only if they can answer ‘yes’ that they will leave your work having truly enjoyed it.
Consider critical thinking when writing anything, when commenting on others’ work, when engaging in conversation, no matter the topic. We might be emotional beings, but we’re also intelligent, so the next time you present writing to the world, hand-written or typed, to any audience, ask yourself whether or not you did so objectively and applied critical thinking to what you said. Chances are you’ll be more persuasive, more informative, and more engaging if you did.
