L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 17

Camping (Flash Fiction Fridays #33)

Note: This is one of those snippets that might easily be expanded into a short story in the next collection (e.g., The Sheep Dragon).

The serious expression on Katie’s face might almost have been menacing if she hadn’t been so tiny. Timmy had checked with a few of the maids to make sure that he wasn’t simply overestimating how big a child her age should be. Nope. The maids had all agreed. Katie was tiny and adorable – not that he’d tell her that. Since she had become his apprentice, she had don...

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

So, I finally got around to watching Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.

I enjoyed the movie, and I can see why it won all the awards it did. However, I have to admit that there was something that prevented me from perhaps enjoying the movie as much as other people did, and it boils down to a simple difference in philosophy, albeit one that might as well be axiomatic in how fundamental it is.

Nihilism.

Being able to experience everything, everywhere, all at once has turned the ‘villain’ ...

Role Reversal (Flash Fiction Fridays #32)

Katie looked down at the scruffy, ragamuffin of a boy who had been left at the gates of her castle with little more than a cheese sandwich and a banana. His eyes were red, but he’d scrubbed his cheeks as best he could to hide any evidence of tears.

“So…” Katie began. “You mother left you here?”

The boy nodded.

“Because you’re a necromancer?”

The boy held her gaze even as he blinked back fresh tears. He used one ragged sleeve to wipe at his face. “There was a plague in my village. Everyone was so...

Rebirth (Flash Fiction Fridays #31)

The teenage girl took another painful, laboured breath and allowed the smile to slip off her face. Her parents had gone home for the day, so she could finally stop pretending that every breath wasn’t agony. If it wasn’t for her parents, she would have stopped fighting years ago. But they loved her so much, and she just… she couldn’t bear the thought of making them sad. Even if it was hopeless, even if every treatment attempt only added to the pain, she’d keep fighting, just so she could keep tho...

Almost a Hamster

Want to know something interesting? When I first came up with the idea for Cosmic Delivery Boy, Cuddles was not a guinea pig. Instead, he was a hamster.

So why did I make him a guinea pig? The answer is actually pretty simple. I wanted an animal that could, theoretically, blend in as a pet in Australia if necessary (e.g., if he ever decides to pay Mr Edwards or Simon a visit). However, you can’t own hamsters as pets in Australia, but you can own guinea pigs. Thus, Cuddles became a cosmic guinea ...

Systemic Risk

With recent events in the banking sector, I think there is a wonderful discussion to be had regarding what does and does not constitute systemic risk. Unfortunately, financial education is (arguably deliberately) not at all something that schools focus on during high school. Even in university it is relegated solely to those disciplines that specialise in it.

Yet I would argue that understanding the banking sector and the financial sector at large is critically important in any functioning de...

Body Language and Gestures For Non-Humanoid Characters

Body language and gestures can play an important role in characterisation. We can see this via some of the characters from The Unconventional Heroes Series.

Gerald, for example, is often depicted as nervous, anxious, and fearful. This isn’t done solely through words but also through his body language and gestures. Conversely, Avraniel’s body language and gestures suggest a character who is confident to the point of being brash, a person who prefers actions over words and who will gladly wade kne...

My Lawnmower Died

My lawnmower died the other day.

I’ll admit that I’ve got a soft spot for the old battler. I bought him (I’ve always pictured my lawnmower as a crotchety old man who is rather fonder of booze than he should be) for $120 around eight years ago.

I lived in a place with a smaller yard back then, so I decided to just get the cheapest lawnmower I could find. It just so happened to be an electric mower (the kind you plug into an extension cord). It wasn’t a big deal at the time, but I eventually ...

First Plot Outline Completed

I have completed the first plot outline for Two Necromancers, a Fortress, and a Titan. It comes in at roughly 7000 words. I’m pretty happy with the general broad strokes of the story, but I will be doing a second plot outline because I want to iron out a few kinks before I sit down and start writing the actual first draft.

For comparison, the plot outline for Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City was roughly 6000 words. I should point out that the length of a plot outline does not co...

Insults from One Author to Another

How might authors go about insulting each other? Here are a few possibilities.

Want to know why all of your characters are so boring? It’s because they’re all self inserts. Yes. I’m calling you boring.You know how an author can never write a character smarter than themselves? It’s no surprise all of your characters are idiots.You were so busy asking yourself if you could use a thesaurus that you never stopped to ask if you should. I know that’s a Jurassic Park reference. Your writing belong...