Mirriam Neal's Blog, page 3

More than Stardust

It would be hard to know me for more than a few days before figuring out I love David Bowie – if it even took that long. A glance at my room would show two framed pictures on the wall, and another painting of Jareth placed over my desk. A Jareth figurine stands on the… Continue reading More than Stardust →

I’m a YouTuber Now (Kinda)

While I tend to talk about writing on this blog, I’m actually an artist. It’s what I do, it’s where my revenue comes from, and I talk about it everywhere but here – which is a little odd, honestly. If you want to hear more about art here, let me know! That said, I’m here… Continue reading I’m a YouTuber Now (Kinda) →

How to Write a Psychopath

Fiction is enamored with psychopaths. The concept of an emotionless, calculating genius is a fascinating one, and one I’m always down to see – except it’s almost always wrong. Off the top of my head, I can think of one good example of a Hollywood psychopath, and it is Cillian Murphy’s character Jackson Rippner in… Continue reading How to Write a Psychopath →

Know Your Novel, Part One: Welcome to Eden, Wyoming

Wade sauntered over to the side of the road, and for the first time got a glimpse of where he was. Brown, weedy grass stretched over endless rolling hills as far as he could see, on all sides of him. He turned to look at the sign he’d run into, and sure enough, the front… Continue reading Know Your Novel, Part One: Welcome to Eden, Wyoming →

Ye Stars That Shudder (snippets)

Several years ago, while I was writing The Fading of the Light (the first novel in my futuristic science-fantasy Samurai Robin Hood retelling) I joked, “Just wait until I put a spin on King Arthur. ‘Camelot & Aliens.'” A few months ago that joke came full circle as I began to write Ye Stars That… Continue reading Ye Stars That Shudder (snippets) →

Sheltered (?)

‘I unfollowed her from Instagram because I was starting to question some of the things she said.’ I read that comment on an article about a current bestselling book by a Christian author. Said author has some beliefs that don’t exactly line up with what Jesus said, but I’m not here to talk about her.… Continue reading Sheltered (?) →

An Autumn Tag

It’s no surprise to anyone that I love Autumn. I am every basic autumn meme you see floating around the internet, and I don’t even mind. Everything about autumn is perfect, especially in the PNW. It began to feel like fall a little over a week ago, and I went from shorts to leggings in… Continue reading An Autumn Tag →

The Art of Clutter

There’s been a big shift toward minimalism in the last few years. Everywhere I look I see people simplifying their homes, switching to monochromatic schemes of black and white and grey, seeing my Instagram feed fill with pictures of elegant, bare-bones rooms. There have been a few times where I wished I was more drawn… Continue reading The Art of Clutter →

Why I Love ‘The Last Jedi’

I’ll be honest – it’s taken me nine months to write this because I really didn’t want to. The reasons are twofold: one, I’m extremely emotionally attached to this movie and attacks against it feel way more personal than they should (Alexa play My Immortal) and also, I don’t want to devalue critic’s opinions of… Continue reading Why I Love ‘The Last Jedi’ →

How to Twist a Plot (and how to not)

There have only been two plot twists in the world to blow me over. (The plot twist in Ted Dekker’s ‘THR3E,’ experienced when I was fifteen, and the plot twist in Teen Wolf season 3 when I was nineteen.) Those two plot twists have stuck with me like no others. It’s not because I’m some… Continue reading How to Twist a Plot (and how to not) →