Mirriam Neal's Blog, page 4

A Few Good Reasons to Watch ‘Trollhunters’

Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite show is Prison Break which is why when I began watching Trollhunters and said it tied with Prison Break as my favorite, it sent people into a kind of mild shock. Granted, it’s a Guillermo del Toro show, but it’s an animated show for kids – not… Continue reading A Few Good Reasons to Watch ‘Trollhunters’ →

A Brief Guide to Mansplaining

It happens on a near-daily basis, both on the internet and out and about in daily life. I say something – anything, really; an opinion, a fact, a remark about a book or a comic character or a historical figure – and it happens. I think my knowledge of things must have some kind of… Continue reading A Brief Guide to Mansplaining →

Han Aloneguy: Unnecessary Backstory, and Other Delights (Spoilers Everywhere)

If you know me at all, you probably know I love Star Wars. Both extended universe AND new canon. You also probably know I sort of hated Rogue One and love the new trilogy, so going into Solo I figured it was about fifty-fifty; I might love it or I might hate it. I hated… Continue reading Han Aloneguy: Unnecessary Backstory, and Other Delights (Spoilers Everywhere) →

Three Things that Are Not Character Traits

Ah, characters. They can be difficult little hooligans sometimes, am I right? We all know this, and I sympathize. I stop sympathizing, however, when I pick up a book and discover the pages are full of one-dimensional cardboard cutouts standing in for REAL characters, who had other places to be (I guess). Authors like Cassandra… Continue reading Three Things that Are Not Character Traits →

A Staff, a Sling, and Five Rocks

Who else takes pride in their individuality? I know I do. Being something Other, going against the flow, has always been important to me for reasons I’ve never been able to put my finger on. Being unique is important to me, although it used to be moreso. Nowadays I don’t think about it nearly as… Continue reading A Staff, a Sling, and Five Rocks →

A Villain’s Mind: The Pain in the Neck

Remember that A Villain’s Mind series introduction? It’s ba-ack; and ironically we aren’t starting with a full-on villain (per se). Let’s get to it. I have a favorite type of antagonist. He’s not the over-arching villain (usually) – generally he’s a secondary character, someone with whom the MC clashes frequently. They’re kind of a ‘bad… Continue reading A Villain’s Mind: The Pain in the Neck →

Ways to Grow Your Writing

Here’s the deal. There are many new, budding writers out there who have no idea what they’re doing. They’re fragile – they’re newborn writers and they’re flying blind, wanting to create all sorts of cool things with no idea how to do it. They can be easy to make fun of; I see the cliches… Continue reading Ways to Grow Your Writing →

& You’ll Be in a World of Pure Imagination (or, a brief workspace tour)

Things happen when you sprain an ankle and have a hard time hobbling anywhere – they pile up. Things pile up on desks and chairs and the floor and by the time you can walk easily again, your once-organized chaos has reverted back to a simpler form: catastrophe. Now that my foot has healed, I… Continue reading & You’ll Be in a World of Pure Imagination (or, a brief workspace tour) →

How to Spot Bad Writing When It’s Shooting You in the Face: A Commentary

That wasn’t going to be the original title but I threw it out as a joke and it was accepted so here we are. Having finished two of my newly favorite TV shows, Trollhunters and The West Wing (to be fair I didn’t finish The West Wing, I stopped watching after Sorkin left and it… Continue reading How to Spot Bad Writing When It’s Shooting You in the Face: A Commentary →

How to Wing It, Literarily

Yesterday a friend asked me if I had any advice on writing without an outline. I’m a panster. For anyone who doesn’t know, writers are typically divided into two camps – plotters and pansters. A plotter knows everything down to the last detail. They have pages and pages (and pages) of outlines for the series,… Continue reading How to Wing It, Literarily →