Mirriam Neal's Blog, page 9

Ten Totally Unromantic Romance Clichés That Need to Go Very Far Away

I’m as romantic as the next person, but let’s face it – it’s hard to find a well-written romance in fiction these days. From poorly-written triangles to relationships based solely on sex, it can be difficult to find any kind of fictional romance that doesn’t make me want to slam the book against my forehead… Continue reading Ten Totally Unromantic Romance Clichés That Need to Go Very FarAway

The Book Sacrifice Tag

“I’m doing a blog tag about least-favorite books,” said Arielle yesterday. “Tag me in that,” I demanded immediately, and she obligingly did so. I’m not one for blog tags and haven’t been in a very long time, but I’m also a bitter literary critic – and who am I to pass up an golden opportunity… Continue reading The Book SacrificeTag

The Antagonist Report

We all know the basic formula ‘Hero vs. Villain,’ the simple brand of storytelling that has survived the test of time. It’s straightforward, full of conflict, and gives us epic tales of good versus evil. But as much as I love a good Hero vs. Villain tale, there’s something I love more – stories in… Continue reading The Antagonist Report

less of that, thank you

“I hate revising.” Such has been my staunchly-held battle-cry for years. After all, it is one thing to spend a year deep in creation, and another thing entirely to go along cleaning up your own mess. You must decide what to keep and what to cut, what to tweak and what to radically revise. I’m… Continue reading less of that, thankyou

become

Victoria Erickson said, “If you want gardens, become the gardener.” I was washing the dinner dishes on the second of January when this phrase floated back into my head. I’d been trying to come up with my word for the year, to no avail. My word for 2016 was ‘better,’ because better is something… Continue reading become

wishes & hope

We are ready to shed the old year. We are more than ready to step into the new year, to see everything it has to offer, to see what it holds, and we hope and pray that – more than anything – it looks up. Already we can see the gentle curve of time as… Continue reading wishes & hope

The Artist’s Secret Weapon

Before you ask where I was, I’ll tell you: I had the Flu from Hell and was laid up for the last week, hence the lack of posts. (At some point I’d like to reach the point where I have enough posts queued up where you don’t suffer, even if I am. Cough. But we’ll… Continue reading The Artist’s SecretWeapon

Writing Hack #1: Making Your Plot Hole Work For You

Here’s the thing – I’m very, very bad at keeping track of my plot details. I can remember the overarching theme, I can remember what minor character #237 had for breakfast, but there are times when, after re-reading a manuscript, I’ll wonder what on earth I was thinking, and how could I get this far… Continue reading Writing Hack #1: Making Your Plot Hole Work ForYou

Rogue One: A Star Wars Failure

If you’ve been around my blog since last December, you probably know I’m an avid Star Wars fan and have been since I was a kid. You might also know that Vader is my son and I’ve written a two-part series on him which you can read HERE #shamelessselfpromotion. I grew up reading Star Wars… Continue reading Rogue One: A Star WarsFailure

speak to me!

Today, my internet squad, I place fate in your hands. By which I mean, now is the time to speak up! Is there a specific topic niggling in the back of your mind that you’d like to see discussed? Is there something I post too much of – or something I don’t post nearly enough… Continue reading speak to me!