L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 61
August 21, 2015
My First Story
I can only vaguely remember the first proper story that I ever wrote. I was either in kindergarten or first grade, and the story itself was rather more violent than was probably appropriate for a child of that age. I believe it involved space pirates, grenades, and a great deal of poorly described violence and explosions.
Regardless of whether or not that story was good (and I suspect it was, even for a child, not particularly well written), what I remember most clearly is how my parents reac...
August 5, 2015
A Conversation
“I have often wondered why so many endorse plain speech in writing,” said the first writer.“Should writers not aspire to greater things than mere colloquialism? Should they not seek prose that overflows with both eloquence and sophistication?”
The second writer laughed.“Are you an idiot? What’s the point of writing something if nobody can understand what you’re saying?”
Yet the first writer was not amused, saying with a stern expression,“Why should a writer mollycoddle the reader? If the read...
July 27, 2015
Some Thoughts On Character Development
Characters are one of the most important parts of a good story. Having interesting and engaging characters can go a long way toward capturing the attention of readers. Indeed, readers may even ignore a story’s flaws if they like the characters enough.
One way to create better characters is through proper character development, which occurs when characters change as a result of their experiences in the story.
Perhaps the best examples of this occur in coming-of-age stories in which a child gro...
July 9, 2015
Everton Needs You!
If any of the above describe you, then you are almost certainly a wanted criminal, and Everton’s law mages are probably on...
July 8, 2015
Using The Rules To Your Advantage
Over time, each genre develops its own rules and customs. Identifying these rules and using them to your advantage can make your life as a writer much easier.
The rules and customs that govern a genre range from the subtle to the famously cliche. In the case of something like fantasy, readers have come to expect things like magic and adventure, and they will generally react positively to writers who can deliver those things. However, these rules and customs can also be restrictive. There is a...
June 27, 2015
Are You Looking For Perfect Minions?
Are you looking for perfect minions? Perhaps you’re a necromancer whose rivals are constantly trying to assassinate you, perhaps you’re an apprentice who’s trying to overthrow her master, or perhaps you’re a bureaucrat who needs protection from rampaging carnivorous plants. Whoever you are, a clan of ninja rats that can turn invisible is perfect for your minion needs!
These fiendishly clever and terrifying determined rodents offer a wide range of services at very competitive prices (room and...
June 25, 2015
For The Love Of Writing
I’ve been asked on many occasions about what makes a good writer. The most obvious answer is talent. Surely, there are people out there who are just blessed with so much talent that everything they write is awesome and wonderful and good.
Bullshit.
I won’t lie to you, talent does exist, but it’s not the key to becoming a good writer, not even close. In my opinion, the thing most likely to make someone a good writer is very simple: they love writing.
But how can this be? How can simple love of...
June 22, 2015
Is Your Apprentice Planning To Overthrow You?
If you’re a necromancer withyour own castle, beneath which are lightless chasms of endless horror and despair (not to mention beings of a distinctly inter-dimensional nature that want to obliterate the world), then you need to ask yourself a very important question: is your apprentice planning to overthrow you? If you think that your apprentice might be planning to overthrow you, here are five signs that you’re about to be overthrown:
KatieShe cackles whenever she sees you. It is perfectly a...June 21, 2015
The Last Huntress Free Today On Amazon (Sunday 21st June, Pacific Standard Time)
The Last Huntresswill be available for free on Amazon today(Sunday 21st June, Pacific Standard Time). Get ithere. If you enjoy fantasy with a healthy dose of atmosphere and action, give it a try! Here’s the blurb:
Scarlett is the last of her line – a huntress sworn to kill all monsters.
Rose is a girl searching for the power to take back her homeland.
In the icy forests of the north, on the trail of the only werewolf to escape her, Scarlett will teach Rose what it means to be a huntress. Ther...
June 20, 2015
On The Relationship Between Theory And Experiment
A theory is a set of propositions or beliefs that is used to account for or explain a particular phenomena. However, multiple theories can (and often are) proposed to account for a given phenomena, which makes being able to distinguish between competing theories extremely important.
But how are we to choose between competing theories? Presumably, there is one theory that is better than the others, which is the one we should select. One possibility is to simply accept whichever theory appears...
