Mirriam Neal's Blog, page 13

//the dying of the light – update + snippets

We’re nine days into JuNoWriMo, and I should have a total of 25,000 words to show for it by the end of today. It’s been a harder – but strangely more productive – JuNo than the last one, mainly thanks to several weeks of bad sleep. I don’t know if the classic portrait of the… Continue reading //the dying of the light – update +snippets

//heroes and novel hearts

Yesterday I was chatting with Lauren about The Dying of the Light (NaNo ’15-JuNo ’16). I’d recently made a loose chart with three categories: white, grey, and black. Then I listed each character in one of the categories, with arrows pointing to other categories, indicating if they changed from antagonist to protagonist, or protagonist to… Continue reading //heroes and novelhearts

//and it’s right around the corner

Tomorrow marks the first day of June. It also marks the beginning of my ninth ‘Writing Month.’ (Once NaNo rolls around, I’ll feel respectable. Ten is a good number to have tucked in your belt.) That being said, this is the first time that I’m continuing my NaNo novel (The Dying of the Light) into… Continue reading //and it’s right around thecorner

//all the fun of the faire

On Saturday, I celebrated the last vestige of my birthday (yes, my birthday was a month ago, your point) by doing something I’ve always wanted to do: I went to a Renaissance Faire. (I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb yelling ‘RENAISSANCE FAIRE’ but it was lost in translation somehow, and after… Continue reading //all the fun of thefaire

//I don’t want a female James Bond

This past week, actresses Gillian Anderson and Priyanka Chopra have expressed interest in playing James Bond. I mulled over the idea of a female James Bond for a few days, wondering why I didn’t like the idea. I’m all for female action heroes. I’m all for seeing a badass female superspy take over the silver… Continue reading //I don’t want a female JamesBond

//an afternoon discussion about psychopathy, Paul, spiritual enlightenment, divine intervention, and other things.

Partially out of preparation for my upcoming psycho-thriller Nihilum and partially out of sheer curiosity, I recently acquired the book ‘The Wisdom of Psychopaths’ by Kevin Dutton. In his book, Kevin, a research psychologist at Oxford, delves into psychopathy and the positives of such a state, as well as the negatives. As soon as I… Continue reading //an afternoon discussion about psychopathy, Paul, spiritual enlightenment, divine intervention, and otherthings.

//the sympathetic villain

The Rurouni Kenshin live-action trilogy is one of my favorite movie series ever, featuring an incredible cast of characters. Among these incredible characters is Shishio, the over-arching villain featured in the second and third movies. Shishio was once a samurai in service to the shogun. He slaughtered his way to infamy in the service of… Continue reading //the sympathetic villain

//SCWH: Requiem (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself)

“Would you mind talking more about your last statement?” “You didn’t mention psychological horror!” “What about Frankenstein and other classics?” I had enough responses to the last post (after just twelve hours, guys! Whoa!) that I realized I needed to write a followup post and discuss some of the topics readers brought up. I decided… Continue reading //SCWH: Requiem (I’m sorry, I couldn’t helpmyself)

//should Christians write horror?

“I WANT TO WRITE A BLOG POST ABOUT SOMETHING TO DO WITH STORIES.” I was sitting with my feet propped up on the windowsill, staring at a blank page. Arielle, always eerily at the ready with an answer (seriously, it’s basically a superpower) said, “WRITE ABOUT WHETHER YOU THINK CHRISTIANS SHOULD WRITE HORROR.” Well, I… Continue reading //should Christians writehorror?

//perfect day

The weather isdelectable – just warm enough that the cool breeze feels heavenly. Mom, my younger sister, and I shop for food first – pita bread, lettuce, and a gallon of beautiful, ripe strawberries in a cardboard box. As we head back to the parking garage to stash the food, we pass by a couple… Continue reading //perfect day