tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34148338437676211372024-02-25T04:30:30.100-05:00Wanderer's PenVictoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.comBlogger1121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-26417986155380845792020-11-07T13:00:00.011-05:002020-11-07T13:00:03.544-05:00I've Moved!<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hey all! I've moved over to ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://victoriagracehowell.com">victoriagracehowell.com</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Come join the fun! This site will be up for posterity, but all new posts will be on the new site. Thank you so much for your support!</span></p><p><br /></p>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-49385214993024574942020-11-06T13:00:00.147-05:002020-11-06T13:00:03.562-05:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuiGTpGjzAs65VcJ3K1EwOXwGq1dHpndSWJCfrHZQ6JjEZSzy0nNOMWoXW2sNQ58RiA1n5d6CrQsNpk1qdoHeoyMEmNHsgbOHNx64RhdpxShJ3HAWAL9eCeP7F2xVCDD5jGHyR04UJ7Lw/s2048/BookReviewandWritingLesonsTheMarkofAthena.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="740" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuiGTpGjzAs65VcJ3K1EwOXwGq1dHpndSWJCfrHZQ6JjEZSzy0nNOMWoXW2sNQ58RiA1n5d6CrQsNpk1qdoHeoyMEmNHsgbOHNx64RhdpxShJ3HAWAL9eCeP7F2xVCDD5jGHyR04UJ7Lw/w529-h740/BookReviewandWritingLesonsTheMarkofAthena.png" width="529" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Halfblood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophecy remains a mystery. . . .</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">With old friends and new friends joining forces, a marvelous ship, fearsome foes, and an exotic setting, The Mark of Athena is be another unforgettable adventure by master storyteller Rick Riordan.</span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>Series:</b> The Heroes of Olympus (Book 3)<br /><b>Genre:</b> YA Fantasy<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Disney-Hyperion; Reprint Edition (April 8, 2014)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 672 pages</span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">If anything I need this year is a laugh and Rick Riordan’s books are always my happy place books where I can read about amazing characters in epic quests but also giggle along the way.</span></span></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span>The first two books focused on two groups of heroes but now all seven have come together to stop Gaia. As expected there are a lot of plot lines in this book but they all tie in nicely for a cliffhanger conclusion! I immediately reserved the next book at my library after finishing it! The climax was epic too!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">From the first page, I was laughing at the quirkiness of the character and world. I just love Riordan’s brand of humor. I was suppressing laughing out loud at work at the Chrysaor and the dolphins scene. I also liked the plot focusing around the historical mystery of the Athena Parthernos statue and that it takes Rome and Greece together to overcome this new dire threat. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The only thing I didn’t like was the oversimplified view of the Civil War. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Characters:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I love Rick Riordan’s characters. All of them are just great. I like that in this book in particular Annabeth has a really important role as a child of Athena. Her quest against Arachne as she searches for the Athena Parthenos was really cool. I missed her in the earlier books. She’s been a role model for me since I was a teen and she made me love being blond. ❤️</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><blockquote>He had no idea where the stereotype of dumb giggly blondes came from. Ever since he’d met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon last winter, when she’d marched toward him with that <i>Give me Percy Jackson or I’ll kill you</i> expression, Leo thought blondes as much too smart and much too dangerous.</blockquote></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Coach Hedge made me laugh with his constant obsession with fighting. 😂 And Otis and Ephialtes the twin giants also made me snicker. And then there were the creepy characters like Phorcys and even Hercules.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">"What are we, kids?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hedge snorted. "Kids are baby goats. They're cute, and they have redeeming social value. You are definitely not kids."</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I thought it was really fascinating to have the gods be schizophrenic between their Greek and Roman personas. The interpretations of the two are so different like seeing Mr. D as Bacchus. I also didn’t know about the aspect that the Romans completely changed Athena from a warrior to a damsel in distress. Way to go, Romans. 😑</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The Setting:</span> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Roughly half of the book takes place in the US, particularly my home town of Atlanta, which made me happy. A whole plotline takes place at the Georgia Aquarium and I got such a kick out of it. Apparently it’s hiding some mythological monsters. 😉 Riordan did a great job of describing it. The other half takes place in Rome, so the first Rick Riordan book I’ve read that’s set across the pond. It’s neat to see the characters go to the land of their roots. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Epic Things:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I really loved all of the obscure mythological figures getting time in the limelight like Narcissus, Nemesis, and Echo. Echo was a really neat character. I love how Riordan wrote her curse manifesting in dialogue. And Buford the table is amusing haha. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Theme:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Self-worth is a big one as Leo learns that he has his own important role on the team and he isn't a "seventh-wheel."<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Content Cautions:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> This is a Rick Riordan book so there isn’t a lot of content at all. There’s a brief kiss, some combat, a character breaks their leg, and some people are possessed by ghosts and that’s really it.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:<br /></span><br /><b>1.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> Mispronouncing to Pronounce Correctly -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Greek and Roman mythology both have a lot of hard to pronounce words like Phorcys, Dionysus, and Hermes, but Riordan found a clever way to show the correct pronunciation of words by having a character mispronounce a name then another character correct them like Percy pronouncing Achelous as Etch-a-Sketch. 😂 </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Across genres there are a lot of tough to pronounce words and using this simple trick is an easy way to help the reader along.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Conclusion:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It was a fun book and I can’t wait to read the next one!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjH3g5G26PjJTPTHETgJNy3S-2nnqmgX8eojv7TUwvpYfKjnvB2WxuKvXI7PO649TTnDUmvzUzmg_oCOkCHpAVv53NoN-JCnbbVOQ5gGqyvnxTxOC1q1_evDkTADsRvlA9HDj8ukve6b8/s1396/FiveInukshukRating.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1396" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjH3g5G26PjJTPTHETgJNy3S-2nnqmgX8eojv7TUwvpYfKjnvB2WxuKvXI7PO649TTnDUmvzUzmg_oCOkCHpAVv53NoN-JCnbbVOQ5gGqyvnxTxOC1q1_evDkTADsRvlA9HDj8ukve6b8/w640-h230/FiveInukshukRating.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author:</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXfy1GMw5O-GzniI6xlBm0A8vlMRZgUl9SFDK4vYK035_udhl8_pqd9TdfliM1R7512zjfBV6wlwefU_UWJ3saB6QnFgP-xk3Jcr1xjNlzYbDmRNj2aQBZXtpsMh81QPkwRVOoCXi1pc/s1600/R-Riordan-FINAL-v1-HD-Credit-Michael-Frost.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #2af1f1; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXfy1GMw5O-GzniI6xlBm0A8vlMRZgUl9SFDK4vYK035_udhl8_pqd9TdfliM1R7512zjfBV6wlwefU_UWJ3saB6QnFgP-xk3Jcr1xjNlzYbDmRNj2aQBZXtpsMh81QPkwRVOoCXi1pc/s200/R-Riordan-FINAL-v1-HD-Credit-Michael-Frost.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="145" /></span></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. In 2002, Saint Mary's Hall honored him with the school's first Master Teacher Award.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">While teaching full time, Riordan began writing mystery novels for grownups. His Tres Navarre series went on to win the top three national awards in the mystery genre - the Edgar, the Anthony and the Shamus. Riordan turned to children's fiction when he started The Lightning Thief as a bedtime story for his oldest son.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Today over 35 million copies of his Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, and Heroes of Olympus books are in print in the United States, and rights have been sold into more than 35 countries. Rick is also the author of The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, another #1 New York Times bestseller. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Rick Riordan now writes full-time. He lives in Boston with his wife and two sons.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://rickriordan.com/news/" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Blog</a>//<a href="https://twitter.com/camphalfblood" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>//<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15872.Rick_Riordan" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>Other Books By This Author I've Reviewed:</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-book-review-of-lost-hero-by-rick.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">A Book Review of the Lost Hero by Rick Riordan</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/book-review-and-writing-lessons-son-of.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan</a></span></div></span></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-82539568302193146522020-11-03T13:00:00.086-05:002020-11-03T13:00:00.136-05:00So Your Character is From Malta ... Featuring Charlene @ OnlyfortheBooks<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNyxAdb1alAuEOWQiUs590ABX8XMM52fGFPFqmExvtgNsqGxO8enJzc3aUi9LeddvOz_1HmxdJH7C8w0QHoqRx940Ypya8tJjB-J7p-Y2mk00ofNBak1aIfMDekm3WYDEdBmy2nr4JZM/s2048/So+Your+Character+is+From+Malta.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNyxAdb1alAuEOWQiUs590ABX8XMM52fGFPFqmExvtgNsqGxO8enJzc3aUi9LeddvOz_1HmxdJH7C8w0QHoqRx940Ypya8tJjB-J7p-Y2mk00ofNBak1aIfMDekm3WYDEdBmy2nr4JZM/w526-h735/So+Your+Character+is+From+Malta.png" width="526" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is ... is back for a time after a long hiatus! In this series, I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last time's So Your Character is from Mongolia ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts is as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">(None of the Images are Mine)</span></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkD5g0-Zf4USFcGc4f_SSWBqmf62I_TYEcmTRqZY76Y7sH3Ecu4UKctAHobolmTdXGsvcjMTBXcxn89vJNGxZ9P-yIYgHfpwvJB47EmTX1VqElKe5X_ljn8sSg2mB0E1LhYufH5o_1Xs/s1156/Charlene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="867" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkD5g0-Zf4USFcGc4f_SSWBqmf62I_TYEcmTRqZY76Y7sH3Ecu4UKctAHobolmTdXGsvcjMTBXcxn89vJNGxZ9P-yIYgHfpwvJB47EmTX1VqElKe5X_ljn8sSg2mB0E1LhYufH5o_1Xs/w150-h200/Charlene.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hi, my name is Charlene. I am 25 years old and I am from Malta. I live in Gozo which is the smaller island of the Maltese Islands. I work in a rehabilitation center for addiction and I love reading, cats, and food. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/onlyforthebooks/">Instagram</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think that something which Malta is the proudest of is its village feasts. These take place in the summer where each village has a patron saint and every week during summer and each village has their own specific time when they celebrate. The celebrations take place over the week where there are many different activities. I think something that many people enjoy are the spectacular fireworks show. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Something else which is gorgeous in summer is the Maltese coastline which consists of an abundance of beaches were people can go and swim in the crystal blue seas. Nothing more refreshing than dipping into the Mediterranean Sea in the summer.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6BTAF6W4J_HHKDAMwS9A3aDzmdz99AHyuWqyrIL8rKeo8t8KjFC9nnEvyRehnM-Lm2jp5ys20EvnHKxGdrEjbcQ-hC3aALqqP1VGqOKhLlpHxZK_3ndY5YfLYfAy33DUkaVXsFeEoLc/s1153/MaltaCoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1153" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6BTAF6W4J_HHKDAMwS9A3aDzmdz99AHyuWqyrIL8rKeo8t8KjFC9nnEvyRehnM-Lm2jp5ys20EvnHKxGdrEjbcQ-hC3aALqqP1VGqOKhLlpHxZK_3ndY5YfLYfAy33DUkaVXsFeEoLc/w640-h480/MaltaCoast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell me about your country’s environment. What are some of your favorite places?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Maltese weather is the typical Mediterranean climate. It’s hot and humid in the summer slowing drifting through autumn with more humidity and then suddenly it’s Christmas and it may get a little cold. It can be a bit weird having Christmas and it’s sunny. The weather can be a bit crazy at times, one day it’s hot and then another day or a few hours later it’s pouring rain. But on the whole, I guess it’s not too bad as we don’t get the freezing weather even though I would love to have snow in winter. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think that my favorite place in Gozo is quite close to my village. It’s called Dwejra – there was the Azure Window a few years back which a lot of people from all over the world used to come see. Now that the window is gone, Dwejra seems to be lacking something however I recently went for a picnic there with my boyfriend and it was quite nice especially during sunset hours. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell me about your country’s food. What are some of your favorite dishes?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">There are a lot of things which are considered a staple in Maltese cuisine. I think that the ultimate snack for me is the ricotta-filled filo-pastry called Pastizzi. They are divine and so delicious especially when they are just coming out of the oven. The local drink is Kinnie, which is a soft drink made from oranges and a blend of spices which is also delicious however it is not something that I like to drink often but it makes a delicious change. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A meal which is found in the typical Maltese grandma kitchen is the rabbit which I think is the grandma speciality for me. It can be booked in two ways either with a red sauce or with onions and wine and I can honestly say I love them both especially when it is with some spaghetti.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">There are so many foods which are considered as traditional that I can only list them and if anyone has some questions I can give more information: Ftira ( a different type of pizza), Timpana, Mahi Mahi Pie, Imqaret or fig cakes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1ydqgUlwUcBNIyHVc1H3LRZ37197ozrx9vGDKqeAelXlVSaRGirwApdoYuqxnaRzd7xAexxmeo1l2PofNR6rqw6nfZSohQsGbB7520HcI94MA6lb8ToC87ZJorxvONZcrE2tDBzvNPk/s903/MaltaRabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="678" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1ydqgUlwUcBNIyHVc1H3LRZ37197ozrx9vGDKqeAelXlVSaRGirwApdoYuqxnaRzd7xAexxmeo1l2PofNR6rqw6nfZSohQsGbB7520HcI94MA6lb8ToC87ZJorxvONZcrE2tDBzvNPk/w300-h400/MaltaRabbit.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as “biscuits” instead of “cookies”?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I already mentioned there are two main islands in the Maltese Islands – Malta and Gozo. There is a significant difference how Maltese people speak and how Gozitan speak as us Gozitans have our own dialects which some people find it difficult to understand for some reason. For example, in Gozitan we say “tirex” (embarrassed) but in Malta they use the word “tisthi”. For clothes pins we use the word “combini” where in Malta they use the phrase “labar tal-inxir” and in Gozo to say a little we use the word “farka” and in Malta it’s “ftit”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In Maltese the two main languages which are spoken are English and Maltese and it depends on where you are in Malta as some people speak only in English and find it difficult to speak or write in Maltese.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Again, in the Maltese villages there are also different dialects which is mainly divided in the North, South and the other parts of Malta. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A lot of our language is a mix of Arabic, English, and Italian – something that we say in Maltese for good morning is “Bongu” which comes from the Italian word Buongiorno. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Describe briefly a regular day in your country.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A typical day in Malta - well for me it consists of waking up and going to work and going back home. I think that the typical Maltese day (I may be a bit stereotypical here). People wake up relatively early when compared to other European countries and some go to an early mass to church and then people start their mornings in the village square. The Maltese breakfast consists of pastizzi and a coffee. Then people either go to work or they go home and do what they have at home. In summer people usually go to the beach after work or have a bbq and in winter people meet up in each other’s homes or go out to eat. Right now, it’s a bit difficult to the regular day in Malta as the coronavirus situation is not helping that much.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL7Bl8UoxiuHqEkJRi69jklmS88v3cGIJQQH3Vszh4WlNsxVPRjyN7wOF95NrAHvkav5PlplrbOTygJegcI5F50tzWm9bOP_h5L0KuvJegGW-MRFbJfF5ehCyhVbIwSEwZZcUZAElIHg/s494/MaltaFood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="278" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL7Bl8UoxiuHqEkJRi69jklmS88v3cGIJQQH3Vszh4WlNsxVPRjyN7wOF95NrAHvkav5PlplrbOTygJegcI5F50tzWm9bOP_h5L0KuvJegGW-MRFbJfF5ehCyhVbIwSEwZZcUZAElIHg/w225-h400/MaltaFood.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><b style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><p><b>How does your country compare to others, especially the States since my audience is primarily American? Environmentally? Politically? Culturally?</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Compared to America, I think that Malta is really lacking in opportunities. For example, there are so many chains such as restaurants and stores that aren’t found in Malta. Something which is really frustrating for me is that when I try to buy something online sometimes do not ship to Malta as it can be a bit tad expensive. politically I’m not that knowledgeable so I can’t really comment that much about it. For example, in America there is so much different cultures due to the country being so big and having so many states so when compared to it Malta is so small. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Briefly describe three of your country’s historical events that you feel are important.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hmm I’m trying to remember from my primary school days and the history lessons we had. I may not be the best person to talk about these but the three that I remember are the 21st of September 1964 which is the date where Malta was granted independence from the United Kingdom which was a really big deal for a small country like Malta. The second event was on the 31st of March 1979 where the last British forces left from Malta completing what was agreed making Malta free from all UK forces. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Don’t laugh at me but I actually had to google for the third event as I couldn’t think of anything but I found this one and I think that this is a very important event. In 1973 homosexuality was finally decriminalized in Malta. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCooqchJ0AspX-EBokbFufCMirThwEVNUeNZXBJgJ8tNUC8PKcslmSK3kX5UbYD-MfgX6PY32fgZAifi06GiOPL5Yf4_l3opWcYy8r07LVQHXW-jXr9MDMYDWM-L8rg0yRiu2TrfxRWBk/s333/MaltaSunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="333" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCooqchJ0AspX-EBokbFufCMirThwEVNUeNZXBJgJ8tNUC8PKcslmSK3kX5UbYD-MfgX6PY32fgZAifi06GiOPL5Yf4_l3opWcYy8r07LVQHXW-jXr9MDMYDWM-L8rg0yRiu2TrfxRWBk/w640-h360/MaltaSunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">What are some stereotypes about your country that irk you? What media portrays your country badly be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?</b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some stereotypes about Maltese people are that we all know Italian as we are so close to Sicily and Italy so we obviously know Italian right? Wrong. I took Italian for 5 years and people were still amazed that I found it difficult to learn as they said it would be easy but in reality, it’s still another language that not everyone knows. A stereotype that I hate about Gozo is that we are all old-fashioned and all work in the fields and are considered as farmers however in reality Gozo is just as modern as Malta and I feel that it is a better environment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>What media portrays your country well be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I haven’t really seen Malta being mentioned that much in movies or other media. I believe that it was mentioned in the series The Crown given that the Queen had spent some time here when she was younger so that was a really good portrayal of Malta, I think even though it was quite brief. I haven’t seen Malta mentioned in a lot of books. I remember that I read a book once and was so happy that Malta was mentioned however it was just mentioned by name and there was no real detail about it.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCuIIT7oXNOtGgSp5L3oxBxZ5tU7y3BB6H3KdjjpWIIWvioIwSftPgd-BveTWhGxrblwPx5EUeFr2i_JvlkWVXSgHp-YAIqmz2EYUjj3aILLrol7khN85REfFBUNev3aaWQmgV8JwPCA/s975/MaltaCoast2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="731" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCuIIT7oXNOtGgSp5L3oxBxZ5tU7y3BB6H3KdjjpWIIWvioIwSftPgd-BveTWhGxrblwPx5EUeFr2i_JvlkWVXSgHp-YAIqmz2EYUjj3aILLrol7khN85REfFBUNev3aaWQmgV8JwPCA/w300-h400/MaltaCoast2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><b style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><p><b>Who are your top three favorite fictional characters native to your country in books, movies, or shows?</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I feel so stupid replying to these last two questions but honestly, I don’t think that there are a lot of fictional Maltese characters. When I was young, I barely read books in Maltese as there were a lot of better books in English and I always used to read in English. In my life, I think I don’t think I’ve read more than 20 Maltese books so I don’t have any favorite characters which are native to my country which I can talk about. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ig-elMqmfbAyyGQ9G6vGwiE9WaHJpC0rPCFIFHNbk8KLghls7dlj3RhGvtmusj0ioV72EfPhDCInf_8Z91KExD2tZZnfiAgr2HBTIEJyhcwgpTu6NhgWv8v9JRc2hBGrArZxG_PpvB0/s1200/1200px-Flag_of_Malta.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ig-elMqmfbAyyGQ9G6vGwiE9WaHJpC0rPCFIFHNbk8KLghls7dlj3RhGvtmusj0ioV72EfPhDCInf_8Z91KExD2tZZnfiAgr2HBTIEJyhcwgpTu6NhgWv8v9JRc2hBGrArZxG_PpvB0/w640-h426/1200px-Flag_of_Malta.svg.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Are you interested in participating in this project? Check out the tips archive to see which countries have been filled and if you're from a different country, shoot me an email at howellvictoriagrace(a)gmail(dot)com.</span><p></p><div><p></p><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Do you have any characters from Latvia? Did this inspire you to write a Latvian character or set a book in Latvia? Are from this or been to this country and you have further input? Feel free to share! Do you have any questions for Anna? Be sure to thank her!</span></b></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may also like:</span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Mongolia ... Featuring Jenny Sandiford</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-your-character-is-from-latvia.html">So Your Character is From Latvia ... Featuring Anna @ Anna's Little Thing</a></span></p><p><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-your-character-is-from-albania.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Albania ... Featuring Xhorxhina @ Inner Exploration</span></a></p><p><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-your-character-is-from-bosnia.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Bosnia & Herzegovina ... Featuring Azra @ SimpleSerenity</span></a></p><p><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/07/so-your-character-is-from-bahrain.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Bahrain ... Featuring Marwa @ Adoreabook</span></a></p></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-48725873862827009912020-10-30T13:00:00.172-04:002020-10-30T13:00:02.743-04:00Monthly Wanderings: October 2020<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PXdbi1XRNcf29ap7lC7gllD8sye7XZ0bPTxgqEYEMQdNgpztaQ0djFDyRnoaZ5mqrmnj6s-l9E8QpMWB2SS0A5CyIIMyS8gEl5OI32dhRJ6Nos_OnshWfo4jM1OI14m2FIu5oRvhJ3g/s2048/Monthly+Wanderings+October+2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PXdbi1XRNcf29ap7lC7gllD8sye7XZ0bPTxgqEYEMQdNgpztaQ0djFDyRnoaZ5mqrmnj6s-l9E8QpMWB2SS0A5CyIIMyS8gEl5OI32dhRJ6Nos_OnshWfo4jM1OI14m2FIu5oRvhJ3g/w534-h746/Monthly+Wanderings+October+2020.png" width="534" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">October was kind of a weird month. The weather was great yet I was also stressed because I'm trying to figure out what my life is going to be like next week and sweet Momo got spayed and she's recovering, so it's been kinda weird. XD</span></div><a name='more'></a><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What I did:</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>1.) I finished my revisions for my agent and sent them off! Then I also prepped for NaNo! </span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>2.) Well, the biggest news is that I'm preparing to go back to school next year! I don't have a college degree yet for reasons too complicated to explain, but I've decided that now's the best time to go back to school. I'll be starting at a tech college to get my AA hopefully next summer and then I'll be transferring to my state to get a bachelor's degree majoring in Journalism and minoring in Asian Studies!</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In other news, I'm enjoying the wonderful fall w<span style="background-color: white;">eather and tomorrow I'm going to a Halloween bonfire at a friend's house. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yEL094lUgnhxMLyQ5Q6UNDKzB5UtfhTV-RaPubfr3LFQpbeGsHYQRevuBPwHKs3CEkZeeW6bs-WMVq00zC66RMoYausYhbqbg2BuYb-TX65rNqXzb0SipiWbDoLqRveyW7dMhdH8Qzg/s2048/2020-10-07+14.06.16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yEL094lUgnhxMLyQ5Q6UNDKzB5UtfhTV-RaPubfr3LFQpbeGsHYQRevuBPwHKs3CEkZeeW6bs-WMVq00zC66RMoYausYhbqbg2BuYb-TX65rNqXzb0SipiWbDoLqRveyW7dMhdH8Qzg/w640-h640/2020-10-07+14.06.16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">3.) I finished reading </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">The Mark of Athena </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Rick Riordan, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">The Drawing of Three </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Stephen King, and </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Within These Lines </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Stephanie Morrill!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><br /></span><span>4.) I also did some polymer clay sculpting but I can't show any pics yet because they're for gifts haha!</span></span><br /><span><span><br /><br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zkJVv9uWJ8Uy1iTWGwRvqhCPnxTtW8VK_OHwP87waRN_2UBnMmfAjuoiOo7JbugTz08hTNqnVbj3FHHn7LGrhCq9p8df4Y-b7IDOQZXQ1Oc_DuY7ltNB8PDqHSKwG3oEekoQo9Qaso8/s2048/2020-10-07+14.31.26-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zkJVv9uWJ8Uy1iTWGwRvqhCPnxTtW8VK_OHwP87waRN_2UBnMmfAjuoiOo7JbugTz08hTNqnVbj3FHHn7LGrhCq9p8df4Y-b7IDOQZXQ1Oc_DuY7ltNB8PDqHSKwG3oEekoQo9Qaso8/w640-h640/2020-10-07+14.31.26-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /><span><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The Geeky Department:</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>1.) I had a blast this month decorating my island with all sorts of Halloween-themed decor!</span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia;">2.) I finished <i>Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition</i> and <i>Future Connected</i> and I enjoyed them both! Such great games!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonMr-FXRNhRzMUPenRsF-YaUYEa-L23ER7_9-yRfursp08SnBsr4R8NnrHd5FtobLEy5wti8CZidsJxTX7iZz6xOSJd0Kipn89CtgjUVRA_ENGhnQW0r0fCiWsdQMjjrXlysdxDh3SfU/s2048/2020-09-30+20.19.22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonMr-FXRNhRzMUPenRsF-YaUYEa-L23ER7_9-yRfursp08SnBsr4R8NnrHd5FtobLEy5wti8CZidsJxTX7iZz6xOSJd0Kipn89CtgjUVRA_ENGhnQW0r0fCiWsdQMjjrXlysdxDh3SfU/w640-h640/2020-09-30+20.19.22.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span><br /></span><span><span>3.) I</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">'VE FINALLY FINISHED NARUTO! ALL 1000 EPISODES, GUYS!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span>4.) </span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I discovered this awesome anime called </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">The Promised Neverland </i><span style="font-family: georgia;">and it's so good!!! I binged it all in one night. More about it in one of next month's posts!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdVasTNL7nBIVgctNanGfoaWyoqCCHiAsO0mT63RVX7p7AxJRTtK3dSlC-e-_x8nFDpGkWyIfqitWoAzaKPMvXJmoAJs7q_37PbOhj92SDxJrWqJpshFftlvXfRUSi3m9NOriH1b1Zus/s2048/2020-09-30+20.16.25.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdVasTNL7nBIVgctNanGfoaWyoqCCHiAsO0mT63RVX7p7AxJRTtK3dSlC-e-_x8nFDpGkWyIfqitWoAzaKPMvXJmoAJs7q_37PbOhj92SDxJrWqJpshFftlvXfRUSi3m9NOriH1b1Zus/w640-h640/2020-09-30+20.16.25.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span><br /></span><span><span>5.) I watched <i>Cells at Work! </i>and it was a really cute funny educational anime. I feel like I got a crash course in microbiology haha!</span></span><br /><span><br /></span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuW2ke08vdRB9NxKtRjEShSWHL2IjcGOJoI9Tj166Vw0VE7Z8D2CH-eIf2JzreEwBDdXyKR_CJcPDHHzZfW6GEuAkiq79gBMmH8Z0gKX8ZHHi_t9MXPDbzJmGpaz3-NLdwKwhsDYPusI4/s1280/CellsatWork.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuW2ke08vdRB9NxKtRjEShSWHL2IjcGOJoI9Tj166Vw0VE7Z8D2CH-eIf2JzreEwBDdXyKR_CJcPDHHzZfW6GEuAkiq79gBMmH8Z0gKX8ZHHi_t9MXPDbzJmGpaz3-NLdwKwhsDYPusI4/w640-h360/CellsatWork.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What I'm Going to Do:</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>1.) I'm going to participate in NaNo and hopefully win this year haha!</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>2.) Regarding life, I'll enjoy the weather, eat lots of food on Thanksgiving, and prep for school some more.</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>3.) I'm hoping to finish <i>The House of Hades </i>by Rick Riordan and <i>Reclaiming Shilo Snow </i>by Mary Weber!</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>4.) I'll be doing more sculpting for Christmas presents!</span></span><br /><span><span><br /></span><span>5.) I should have a piece going up on HG101 soon.</span></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQuBTaUfVTtgdPLy1JjJQ8Y6IJ1RzttjK1AZT5oIZG-AgwHINtaiTlAFsTGfLvbgmstskR3lseGIOTBg9nlGLeKjxykM8JKKPihrNWs2jT2TuwR_GFiC_FSxqV8X_C3owRrAt8V9_r2k/s2048/2020-10-15+15.06.30.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQuBTaUfVTtgdPLy1JjJQ8Y6IJ1RzttjK1AZT5oIZG-AgwHINtaiTlAFsTGfLvbgmstskR3lseGIOTBg9nlGLeKjxykM8JKKPihrNWs2jT2TuwR_GFiC_FSxqV8X_C3owRrAt8V9_r2k/w640-h640/2020-10-15+15.06.30.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Last Month on Wanderer's Pen ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/10/book-review-and-writing-lessons.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/10/writing-lessons-from-video-games.html">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/10/book-review-and-writing-lessons_16.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/10/so-your-character-is-from-mongolia.html">So Your Character is From Mongolia ... Featuring Jenny Sandiford</a></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">I'm Moving!</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span><span>As of November 7th, I will be moving over to <a href="http://victoriagracehowell.com">victoriagracehowell.com</a>! There will also be a celebration for the launch day! Can't wait to see you on the new website!</span></span><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Coming soon on the new site!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>November 3: So Your Character is from Malta ... Featuring Charlene @ OnlyFortheBooks -</b> I'm so happy to have Charlene on the blog to talk more about living in Malta! It's a country I've never known much about but she's given such insight in her post!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>6: Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan -</b> I loved this book and can't wait to tell you guys about it!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>7: New Site Celebration - </b>I'll be officially moving over to victoriagracehowell.com and having a giveaway to celebrate! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>10: So Your Character is From Mexico 2 ... Featuring Ana Sofia -</b> I love that the timing worked out for this to go up near Dia de Muertes because Ana Sofia is sharing some lovely insight on Mexican culture!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>13: Writing Lessons from Anime: The Promised Neverland -</b> This is one of the best animes I've seen recently and I can't wait to share what I've learned from it!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>17: So Your Character is From Venezuela ... Featuring Alice @ aliceswritingstory - </b>Alice was kind enough to give an honest interview about her communist home country.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>20: Book Review and Writing Lessons: Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill -</b> I finally got to reading this book and honestly it was tough to review, but I hope you guys like the thoughts I have to share.</span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span>November</span><span> </span></b><span><b>27: Monthly Wanderings: November 2020 -</b> Like this but for November!</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YCOL7qIVkU1VvsZgdGzs5ETze9IHyfaxdFUnctfCx-L5AumDZ66wr0DukyGoTiy7GyjZw2Hm4Sx1dvnLQ-0m2rk0VrcKiK9lSGz3rJXYjgSt4rC0tJhYcMPPbrEsxeOryg0rldlafxA/s3339/VegvisirPageBreakComplete.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="3339" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YCOL7qIVkU1VvsZgdGzs5ETze9IHyfaxdFUnctfCx-L5AumDZ66wr0DukyGoTiy7GyjZw2Hm4Sx1dvnLQ-0m2rk0VrcKiK9lSGz3rJXYjgSt4rC0tJhYcMPPbrEsxeOryg0rldlafxA/w640-h180/VegvisirPageBreakComplete.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span><span>I hope your fall is going great and see you on the new website!</span><br /><span><span><br /></span></span><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>How was your month? What did you do? What fall activities did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may also like:</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/09/monthly-wanderings-september-2020.html">Monthly Wanderings: September 2020</a></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/08/monthly-wanderings-august-2020.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: August 2020</a></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/monthly-wanderings-july-2020.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: July 2020</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: June 2020</a><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: May 2020</a></span></div></div></div></div><div><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-57303844502668648782020-10-23T13:00:00.010-04:002020-10-23T13:00:01.848-04:00So Your Character is From Mongolia ... Featuring Jenny Sandiford<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCvfDwDIkuu6NHLkmLoj-wYm1IkJqootSCi-DtHTbRqYRxEya6HeRfwOaEoln5OpTe3VuPxRTQ2w9HbusqXLvdoxC14KLXj4ZMJCwTUHlw9skXExTUJ6lzyUEkuvc5OL9EyytdnAwRIg/s2048/So+Your+Character+is+From+Mongolia+...+Featuring+Jenny+Sandiford.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="689" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCvfDwDIkuu6NHLkmLoj-wYm1IkJqootSCi-DtHTbRqYRxEya6HeRfwOaEoln5OpTe3VuPxRTQ2w9HbusqXLvdoxC14KLXj4ZMJCwTUHlw9skXExTUJ6lzyUEkuvc5OL9EyytdnAwRIg/w493-h689/So+Your+Character+is+From+Mongolia+...+Featuring+Jenny+Sandiford.png" width="493" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">So Your Character is ... is back for a time after a long hiatus! In this series, I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last time's So Your Character is from Latvia ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!</span></div><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts is as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">(None of the Images are Mine)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rgifbJ1zsk11_PjhbKFyNhUI8U5Fcu2vjd_Z2CZv_spKuNhJR2h06nM2jRuFfwzutu-6glT0HLR5cdEvCubpYsGINPEPpZXHNz27Cf33D7LWIez3h5dXSsJPl5v52A3w4JKwEkTa3Lc/s759/JennySandiford.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rgifbJ1zsk11_PjhbKFyNhUI8U5Fcu2vjd_Z2CZv_spKuNhJR2h06nM2jRuFfwzutu-6glT0HLR5cdEvCubpYsGINPEPpZXHNz27Cf33D7LWIez3h5dXSsJPl5v52A3w4JKwEkTa3Lc/s320/JennySandiford.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Hi, I’m Jenny. I’m from New Zealand but have lived in Mongolia since 2012. I live in an apartment in Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital city in the world, with my husband Michael and our two cats. I started writing in the summer of 2018 when Michael and I were living and working at a remote mining camp on the edge of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. I have a travel blog focused around Mongolia, I also write book reviews and am working on editing my first novel, a YA contemporary fantasy which I hope to publish next year.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.jennysandiford.com">Website</a>//<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jennys.world.of.fiction">Instagram</a>//<a href="https://twitter.com/JennySandiford">Twitter</a>//<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jennysandifordblog/_saved/">Pinterest</a>//<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JennySandifordWriter">Facebook</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>What do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mongolia is a unique country in so many ways. You can see traditional nomadic life, animals roaming free, throat singing, shamans, huge national parks with rare animals, unique instruments like horse head fiddles, and ice festivals, and eagle festivals. Plus many interesting traditions around Buddhism, Shamanism and everyday life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of the biggest celebrations of the year is the Naadam Festival. This is held between the 11th-13th of July every year and is a huge attraction. Naadam is a celebration of the three manly sports; wrestling, archery, and horse riding. There is an elaborate opening ceremony in Ulaanbaatar every year before festivities start. Then all over the country, smaller festivals are held in every town.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Big Chinggis statue is a sight not to be missed. About an hour out of Ulaanbaatar, this huge shining monument stands out in the grassy steppe. Chinggis Khan is celebrated everywhere in Mongolia. He is the national hero and is still a huge part of life in Mongolia. Everything is named after Chinggis Khan; roads, hotels, beer, vodka, camps, rock bands, a city, an energy drink, and even businesses. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In Mongolia, you can experience developing urban life, or disappear into some of the most remote places on earth. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT3-qizDiMo8G2yznjfi4RtpfmrTdu2WFZuwOpr1nUCUyQ15cVC22W_5VtVLOnjrQKPLoywC1h4FyF2PPQqzDheyv7dT8tLJcNeD39xQQa6fEp33BHza7BPCzMp5XSmlOX-Hgww7cWnQ/s1500/Eagle+Festival.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT3-qizDiMo8G2yznjfi4RtpfmrTdu2WFZuwOpr1nUCUyQ15cVC22W_5VtVLOnjrQKPLoywC1h4FyF2PPQqzDheyv7dT8tLJcNeD39xQQa6fEp33BHza7BPCzMp5XSmlOX-Hgww7cWnQ/w640-h426/Eagle+Festival.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Eagle Festival in Ulaanbaatar, featuring the Eagle Huntress Aisholpan. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiUJj0rq8JHSwZx5OnWVi3BUDlBxkcDbk4EFkOmJW1QRRvP29lchQ9Ib6ixo_oJy-IWrO5hklA0OoqSCruMctPb4Cndb_xz_vlyRiRBAimbpBnTR6Oq70cwdydaC5sUZOjacjyD44ReE/s1500/Big+Chinggis+Statue+Mongolia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiUJj0rq8JHSwZx5OnWVi3BUDlBxkcDbk4EFkOmJW1QRRvP29lchQ9Ib6ixo_oJy-IWrO5hklA0OoqSCruMctPb4Cndb_xz_vlyRiRBAimbpBnTR6Oq70cwdydaC5sUZOjacjyD44ReE/w640-h480/Big+Chinggis+Statue+Mongolia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Big Chinggis Statue Mongolia</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnoUgS9n1o35t3EZ0q5uMNwzv6wOGjsA9LsLq-GPjP8xxwqDYifoN8VRqiSn4Xn-iPWmKvs7a_0HA1lW9VYJTJc24qN6DUERhgYiJOWq3LXSzf0yJK3yvS7cn0D_OodoYbZJ_XShxQJW4/s1500/Traditional+Mongolia+performance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnoUgS9n1o35t3EZ0q5uMNwzv6wOGjsA9LsLq-GPjP8xxwqDYifoN8VRqiSn4Xn-iPWmKvs7a_0HA1lW9VYJTJc24qN6DUERhgYiJOWq3LXSzf0yJK3yvS7cn0D_OodoYbZJ_XShxQJW4/w640-h426/Traditional+Mongolia+performance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Traditional Mongolia performance </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJG94QkvpExeCUtRT9Of_8fI5IlS-53VQDi3L3PhjuGv1ju44mOBB3AW5gFeNF4gnQBhtGzBR40WpMjKGRngg1fto1q8vMTA0aRgXok6Rvlps2HN-zuPj6WeqPBfnbis4TX39EIPcGjE/s1061/Eagle+Festival+Ulaanbaatar.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1061" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJG94QkvpExeCUtRT9Of_8fI5IlS-53VQDi3L3PhjuGv1ju44mOBB3AW5gFeNF4gnQBhtGzBR40WpMjKGRngg1fto1q8vMTA0aRgXok6Rvlps2HN-zuPj6WeqPBfnbis4TX39EIPcGjE/w640-h426/Eagle+Festival+Ulaanbaatar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Eagle Festival Ulaanbaatar</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hf5u6MsjGA49k0e0ODSv8WU9iy4LbwSjRTRSXiMDLCm8ktBhy7YJbeqZJJBmOBOATEwTvZLBvpnQMtvYfCk4hc97aYgivtQsJgav0rm_-5L6qnJaFwk6uf7lATkrFDp-yO7sZn9CAd0/s1500/Chinggis+Vodka..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hf5u6MsjGA49k0e0ODSv8WU9iy4LbwSjRTRSXiMDLCm8ktBhy7YJbeqZJJBmOBOATEwTvZLBvpnQMtvYfCk4hc97aYgivtQsJgav0rm_-5L6qnJaFwk6uf7lATkrFDp-yO7sZn9CAd0/w300-h400/Chinggis+Vodka..jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Chinggis Vodka</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell me about your country's environment. What are some of your favorite places?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">My favourite place is out in the Mongolian countryside in summer. There are so many national parks and amazing places to explore. There are few fences in Mongolia, animals roam free and you can camp anywhere. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bogd Khan Mountain is a range of mountains that borders Ulaanbaatar city. This is my favourite place to go hiking on weekends. It is only 15mins drive from my apartment and has several hiking trails with forests, wildflowers, and wildlife.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Going further afield, Lake Khovsgol is my favourite travel destination. This is in Northern Mongolia, near the Russian border. Known as the Blue Pearl of Mongolia, Lake Khovsgol is surrounded by Taiga forest and is home to the Tsaatan people (Reindeer people) and shamans. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Check out <a href="https://www.jennysandiford.com/travelblog/lake-khovsgol-mongolia-hiking-adventure">my blog post on Hiking at Lake Khovsgol</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Most of Mongolia is vast open spaces of grassy steppes or the great Gobi desert. In the west are huge mountains and the famous eagle hunters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But Mongolia is also a harsh land, in summer it is easy to forget how extreme the winter is. It is winter for around seven months of the year and it is brutal! It becomes a land of ice, dust, and pollution with temperatures down to -40 at times. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6-f2j4aeFKAB_qs5_jUsWPv9PHxOGOYeXYAbXFL7Y9MESqCb-tFPDA_4TMkCju4YiC3F6mHaGjLI5uHf2AlPokfmd9o_J_Awj4UBrALEJ1Mxn8WX8QT2UnBs2t96bDNbxx3G2_UIgQc/s1500/Bogd+Khan+Mountain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6-f2j4aeFKAB_qs5_jUsWPv9PHxOGOYeXYAbXFL7Y9MESqCb-tFPDA_4TMkCju4YiC3F6mHaGjLI5uHf2AlPokfmd9o_J_Awj4UBrALEJ1Mxn8WX8QT2UnBs2t96bDNbxx3G2_UIgQc/w640-h480/Bogd+Khan+Mountain.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Bogd Khan Mountain</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdD9YzV05z2gG7KMjfV7Bx59VPiOd7fPHXBk4XsYRFlSkGXy7E_1pdL9mjdZV1o5XvGgZf96sVBQ8xaHKhzjPtUDK44F9R5nzC38IQ7GAL3GdaWd5ANa5LKuMm8HNpIQETjxXBjvop77Q/s1500/Terelj+National+Park.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdD9YzV05z2gG7KMjfV7Bx59VPiOd7fPHXBk4XsYRFlSkGXy7E_1pdL9mjdZV1o5XvGgZf96sVBQ8xaHKhzjPtUDK44F9R5nzC38IQ7GAL3GdaWd5ANa5LKuMm8HNpIQETjxXBjvop77Q/w640-h480/Terelj+National+Park.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Terelj National Park </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkemieLcN52h9K-oI93NdgA1GDgoiY0NxUeGMS1-X0YBs6A_9RwHZNHlNSOqk-x2gIB2A3Gihe87Ub62goOxG_uVsW4UcOpD62IkEqeXqhY7CvY1I6TwsMRvpC7MCQSUe_wkh57W6WqMk/s1500/Camping+in+the+Gobi+Desert.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkemieLcN52h9K-oI93NdgA1GDgoiY0NxUeGMS1-X0YBs6A_9RwHZNHlNSOqk-x2gIB2A3Gihe87Ub62goOxG_uVsW4UcOpD62IkEqeXqhY7CvY1I6TwsMRvpC7MCQSUe_wkh57W6WqMk/w640-h426/Camping+in+the+Gobi+Desert.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Camping in the Gobi Desert</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1T1WKfjo9wjzf0ilq00CfxJJgpGSjDSTwCjTuUPZL4HAbCVlrUct50FN_gt93qDQk-wYCr_4Uya6sJve4mE38UNX1noWyeAhDRwgmXmxn7qtu24zb3l3tHpqfxNapNtxRGqfb0zE7CQ/s1500/A+camel+herding+families+ger+in+the+Gobi+Desert.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1T1WKfjo9wjzf0ilq00CfxJJgpGSjDSTwCjTuUPZL4HAbCVlrUct50FN_gt93qDQk-wYCr_4Uya6sJve4mE38UNX1noWyeAhDRwgmXmxn7qtu24zb3l3tHpqfxNapNtxRGqfb0zE7CQ/w640-h480/A+camel+herding+families+ger+in+the+Gobi+Desert.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">A camel herding families ger in the Gobi Desert</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKKcOKDcTiCuf4eBdnWBQYv_KqXNpkr1FpnvpYfvnnqpce8-x5aJHB2aBYVEoyOZGm7OdZz_L5oGGZZ_g4VoE4Pb3U8M-XrfUG9t8-sv3JxsnftM5DEIPoR5er1wVM3dIwvUi0ZJGXuY/s1500/Horses+in+the+forest+at+Lake+Khovsgol.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKKcOKDcTiCuf4eBdnWBQYv_KqXNpkr1FpnvpYfvnnqpce8-x5aJHB2aBYVEoyOZGm7OdZz_L5oGGZZ_g4VoE4Pb3U8M-XrfUG9t8-sv3JxsnftM5DEIPoR5er1wVM3dIwvUi0ZJGXuY/w640-h480/Horses+in+the+forest+at+Lake+Khovsgol.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Horses in the forest at Lake Khovsgol</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKVgPtDJyVJTu2w4-XSsYCFIi27Z2G2IqrPXZbclhwUuQ4jiS2D7J8qOEqnvzlBIblsLFRwRo6STVarM4QZk0QlwBQ3ujIV1W5ttts32-JHeJqIyPDzFop8mO7pVHMMq2m178m3k5TuU/s1500/Yak+at+Lake+Khovsgol.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKVgPtDJyVJTu2w4-XSsYCFIi27Z2G2IqrPXZbclhwUuQ4jiS2D7J8qOEqnvzlBIblsLFRwRo6STVarM4QZk0QlwBQ3ujIV1W5ttts32-JHeJqIyPDzFop8mO7pVHMMq2m178m3k5TuU/w640-h480/Yak+at+Lake+Khovsgol.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Yak at Lake Khovsgol</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Tell me about your country's food. What are some of your favorite dishes?</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have to say, I’m not a fan of most Mongolian food. It is all we ate out at the mining camps and I got sick of it quickly! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The diet remains very traditional. Mongolians love meat. The staple meals for dinner revolve around boiled mutton, mostly. There is a range of traditional soups, but most have mutton, some have small dumplings called bansh (банш) sometimes there are vegetables (carrots, onions), or wheat-flour noodles. Rice is another staple. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWPB1tKqNaau9-sW3A6owaObXE1e3w5sZjlpSXAoIJUJM2zU0oQBFfmdBbUDrX_X0fAEJBjyKwCnS9hEl15nw9BpgXciRJcdJaHwsEl0YPkYHpbd4QMw4NGsnDFt11V9vH430lSKxwK0/s857/Khuushuur%252C+a+deep+fried+meat+pastry..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="857" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWPB1tKqNaau9-sW3A6owaObXE1e3w5sZjlpSXAoIJUJM2zU0oQBFfmdBbUDrX_X0fAEJBjyKwCnS9hEl15nw9BpgXciRJcdJaHwsEl0YPkYHpbd4QMw4NGsnDFt11V9vH430lSKxwK0/w640-h480/Khuushuur%252C+a+deep+fried+meat+pastry..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Khuushuur, a deep-fried meat pastry</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">There is a Mongolian dumpling called buuz (бууз), this is mutton in a wheat-flour dough and steamed. It is a staple during the Tsagaan sar, the Mongolia New Year celebrations. Families will visit each other’s homes and eat endless plates of buuz.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A favourite beverage among Mongolians is Suutei tsai (сүүтэй цай), a salty milk tea. Another traditional beverage is airag, this is mildly alcoholic and is made of fermented mare’s milk. It is very much an acquired taste!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">One Mongolian food I do like is khuushuur. This is a deep-fried pastry pocket filled with meat, often beef. In July, for the Naadam festival, there is a special Naadam Khuushur you can only get at that time of the year and it’s delicious! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjycLHdZipiGQstj0M3qyDJWGbWxBPcHdZljTppQ1NY1oFzbdXmK39UqdJpK78eaWZD-g6GUfcoReTey9ZdE6jdFITi3c9przV0odc91ofSN1TlVu2nX-Ksch6j5BTvKDsEYsr1xnhag/s720/Naadam+Khuushuur+%2528%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B4%25D0%25BC%25D1%258B%25D0%25BD+%25D1%2585%25D1%2583%25D1%2583%25D1%2588%25D1%2583%25D1%2583%25D1%2580%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjycLHdZipiGQstj0M3qyDJWGbWxBPcHdZljTppQ1NY1oFzbdXmK39UqdJpK78eaWZD-g6GUfcoReTey9ZdE6jdFITi3c9przV0odc91ofSN1TlVu2nX-Ksch6j5BTvKDsEYsr1xnhag/w300-h400/Naadam+Khuushuur+%2528%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B4%25D0%25BC%25D1%258B%25D0%25BD+%25D1%2585%25D1%2583%25D1%2583%25D1%2588%25D1%2583%25D1%2583%25D1%2580%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Naadam Khuushuur (наадмын хуушуур)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikakFfvmSQvtG-GiU2oaIGBHBqY3fHcfMfGhwc-iAnXD3-9qDA69SCTjby6SCTSV5zNAQe8WmbVfMGM_UgHALnnzOoHw8Ua45c6tkmyBj_EtXIrv16eTDKkKsac2Ml6iftsXuJvKZNfno/s845/Soup+%2528%25D1%2588%25D3%25A9%25D0%25BB%2529+with+mutton+and+vegetables.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="634" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikakFfvmSQvtG-GiU2oaIGBHBqY3fHcfMfGhwc-iAnXD3-9qDA69SCTjby6SCTSV5zNAQe8WmbVfMGM_UgHALnnzOoHw8Ua45c6tkmyBj_EtXIrv16eTDKkKsac2Ml6iftsXuJvKZNfno/w300-h400/Soup+%2528%25D1%2588%25D3%25A9%25D0%25BB%2529+with+mutton+and+vegetables.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Soup (шөл) with mutton and vegetables </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM338iMqxThqdPoEwNyWAC4U49Zd2SE2OSvHE1zEnXm67jp3tineGPjUWoLzFukNziTE9d2ePkp7GNIHJSZ73IsrpSAIB1WASkBSBwYddapCjLS13Wf0usaN7k-wKhixUvfMXaQnFnhU/s960/Mutton+and+with+carrot+and+potato.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM338iMqxThqdPoEwNyWAC4U49Zd2SE2OSvHE1zEnXm67jp3tineGPjUWoLzFukNziTE9d2ePkp7GNIHJSZ73IsrpSAIB1WASkBSBwYddapCjLS13Wf0usaN7k-wKhixUvfMXaQnFnhU/w300-h400/Mutton+and+with+carrot+and+potato.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Mutton and with carrot and potato</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as “biscuits” instead of “cookies”?</b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The national language is Mongolian, which is a very difficult language to learn. Most people over thirty also speak Russian fluently, and now many people speak English as well. It is normal to come across Mongolians who can speak four or five languages. Its pretty amazing! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The alphabet is a version of Cyrillic introduced by the Russians. But there has been a recent push to bring back the traditional Mongolian script, which is a beautiful, vertical text script. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Words you will commonly hear</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hello (polite) - Sain baina uu? (Сайн байна уу?)- use it like hello, but it actually means ‘are you good?’</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hello (to friends)- Sain uu? (Сайн уу?)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thank you- Bayarllaa (Баярлалаа) – a tricky one to say, the ‘L’ sound differs greatly from English ‘L’</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Goodbye-Bayartai (Баяртай)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rest well- Saikhan amraarai (Сайхан амраарай)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sorry- Uuchlaarai (Уучлаарай) </span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Okay- Za (за) – a good response to anything. Nod your head and agree with people. Za za za.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Don’t have- baikhgüi (байхгүй) – you will hear this a lot in restaurants when they don’t have your food! </span></li></ul><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELoaWiXPOltGg0f8YnRdAXJU8TyNrK5-4kQnowH2SeAUW2BoLALEyTYcAf1wbdtR6Btv98VZYpy2nCEaNgKIcKNgOPNQQQrkx2YEwZAEXYz9Y7sP8uurhNhQeR3hQ5ON4C_XLw6ESUSU/s1500/Ulaanbaatar+in+winter+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELoaWiXPOltGg0f8YnRdAXJU8TyNrK5-4kQnowH2SeAUW2BoLALEyTYcAf1wbdtR6Btv98VZYpy2nCEaNgKIcKNgOPNQQQrkx2YEwZAEXYz9Y7sP8uurhNhQeR3hQ5ON4C_XLw6ESUSU/w640-h426/Ulaanbaatar+in+winter+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></b></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Describe briefly a regular day in your country.</span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I work from home on my writing, so a lot of the time I don’t go anywhere. Our apartment is centrally located in the middle of UB (Ulaanbaatar) so it is very convenient to get to all the shops and restaurants in the city center. When I go out, it’s easy to walk most places and it’s nice to make the most of this in the warmer seasons.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Traffic in UB can be terrible, and drivers are crazy, so I avoid going in cars as much as possible. In winter during December, January and February, the daytime temperatures are consistently around -20 degrees Celsius (-4 f). The footpaths are slick with ice and the city pollution is more than ten times higher than World Health Organization standard. I will only walk somewhere if it’s close or I’ll get a taxi. But I tend to go into hibernation mode in winter and get a lot of writing done. In summer I spend more time travelling and doing outdoor activities like hiking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Everything in Mongolia is dictated by the seasons so our lives change depending what time of year it is. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5do0-JCGpC7NFcs8Dsc2f25CZmrtFLgmXpNbxjDUpmSsc_p-7YCZGYsk3uUXLIfHVb74efag-2DKeOSk7TMEQ0nUKsyP8qKWEYL1bWRMiyLEqiWgh0dl20nho2XT-2isLqzVTmtaGF8/s960/Ulaanbaatar+City-+view+over+Sukhbaatar+Square.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5do0-JCGpC7NFcs8Dsc2f25CZmrtFLgmXpNbxjDUpmSsc_p-7YCZGYsk3uUXLIfHVb74efag-2DKeOSk7TMEQ0nUKsyP8qKWEYL1bWRMiyLEqiWgh0dl20nho2XT-2isLqzVTmtaGF8/w640-h480/Ulaanbaatar+City-+view+over+Sukhbaatar+Square.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Ulaanbaatar City- view over Sukhbaatar Square</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPHwzgp9DRAii2CxshgGHQNcDaWqjkNCDOK_GCmyBlAdm1ByOqGzJkjRQAf1m7yBnM4Tbc7yaNIO4FPA36Ob1KvJfdj6vlWiZNGt12E4mV5wBH4X5yTWE1-WCwFBlMMI8LPBN4sqTvQI/s1500/Ulaanbaatar+in+winter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPHwzgp9DRAii2CxshgGHQNcDaWqjkNCDOK_GCmyBlAdm1ByOqGzJkjRQAf1m7yBnM4Tbc7yaNIO4FPA36Ob1KvJfdj6vlWiZNGt12E4mV5wBH4X5yTWE1-WCwFBlMMI8LPBN4sqTvQI/w640-h426/Ulaanbaatar+in+winter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Ulaanbaatar street in winter</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H30RbdXpwqePYIpWOsBSBVYEZHWtQYooZK-C_wQzyOarHDyeJyW5LUKlD4mmh7fJgiu2MiycDel_IZ8OFDjov0OIsNKYWNO72zRfD3Z0UqPV_-jyu9z80JP1rQXCAUzGjNimaPtwZIU/s1350/Ulaanbaatar+street+in+winter..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H30RbdXpwqePYIpWOsBSBVYEZHWtQYooZK-C_wQzyOarHDyeJyW5LUKlD4mmh7fJgiu2MiycDel_IZ8OFDjov0OIsNKYWNO72zRfD3Z0UqPV_-jyu9z80JP1rQXCAUzGjNimaPtwZIU/w320-h400/Ulaanbaatar+street+in+winter..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Ulaanbaatar in winter</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">How does your country compare to others, especially the States since my audience is primarily American? Environmentally? Politically? Culturally?</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mongolia has a small population of around 3.2million people and is still a baby in terms of democracy. With this comes a lot of growing pains, and there is still a lot of high-level corruption. But since I have been here, things have improved dramatically. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Urban life is now heavily influenced by American culture and many Mongolians travel to the United States to go to College. But most of the products and large chain stores popping up everywhere are from Korea. There is still no McDonalds here! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">There is a stark contrast between traditional Mongolian life and modern city life. Both can be seen right next to each other. Huge new skyscraper buildings are right next to a small piece of land with gers (a ger is the traditional felt tent). It is still common to see gers in the city, there are whole districts of them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">You will see people walking down the street wearing vibrant deels, a traditional outfit like a caftan. I once saw a man at the bus stop waiting for his bus with a huge eagle on his arm!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A quarter of the population is still nomadic. They change locations seasonally with their herds of goats, sheep, horses, yaks or camels. These herders still live much like their ancestors in traditional gers. The only difference is they all have TVs and satellite internet! </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincEzd2zyX_FZ_4EuMAANt9rfT9Oy8YdvHNavFetO-9jlH6iealaC-YWn4v5S_fBqtPwtbAkpT4-W1WQYZZIDWOkdPWwvJ62w6bB69L9rsHQrnMqlsyEDLARVAHn4sAbizdMiH1gdSD38/s1500/Ulaanbaatar+City-+Old+Choijin++Lama+Temple+with+new+buildings+popping+up+around+it..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincEzd2zyX_FZ_4EuMAANt9rfT9Oy8YdvHNavFetO-9jlH6iealaC-YWn4v5S_fBqtPwtbAkpT4-W1WQYZZIDWOkdPWwvJ62w6bB69L9rsHQrnMqlsyEDLARVAHn4sAbizdMiH1gdSD38/w640-h480/Ulaanbaatar+City-+Old+Choijin++Lama+Temple+with+new+buildings+popping+up+around+it..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Ulaanbaatar City- Old Choijin Lama Temple with new buildings popping up around it</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFpEEiVl7Uk-pUvEkacWmgbyXoHgBqdBhfiE2CZKOdbCeo52ZG-oVkfkVTBSVCECYIBQ4pzG577fFdAZMAxvXNUK6b9ScbxrrmkENOgohC9zKNTgZEQ1PJITjvNQBivvFEP6czwJ3m4g/s1500/Herd+of+sheep+and+goats.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFpEEiVl7Uk-pUvEkacWmgbyXoHgBqdBhfiE2CZKOdbCeo52ZG-oVkfkVTBSVCECYIBQ4pzG577fFdAZMAxvXNUK6b9ScbxrrmkENOgohC9zKNTgZEQ1PJITjvNQBivvFEP6czwJ3m4g/w640-h426/Herd+of+sheep+and+goats.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Herd of sheep and goats</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiUIgL25cYjpkT5CFeZb-KXWi-lVt_yu5Cx61cxJCNQEe5wPfZ8Z8f7Bc496edQyTdZvSp9o4QZS1Uqp-OJqkMNvWDNtgOr1Jiqjlyci6P755TxOqU3lCFm07E0Nqe8aXIOxIXn0Xirs/s1500/Mongolian+ger-+traditional+felt+tent.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiUIgL25cYjpkT5CFeZb-KXWi-lVt_yu5Cx61cxJCNQEe5wPfZ8Z8f7Bc496edQyTdZvSp9o4QZS1Uqp-OJqkMNvWDNtgOr1Jiqjlyci6P755TxOqU3lCFm07E0Nqe8aXIOxIXn0Xirs/w640-h426/Mongolian+ger-+traditional+felt+tent.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Mongolian ger- traditional felt tent</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Briefly describe three of your country’s historical events that you feel are important.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">1. Chinggis Khan uniting the tribes of Mongolia</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1206 a Chinggis Khan became the first Great Khan of Mongolia. He was the first person to unite the Mongol tribes and was the founder of the Great Mongol Empire, the largest Empire in history. He is still the national hero of Mongolia, and his birthday is still celebrated every year in Mongolia with a public holiday. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66fvydNwbwjW41ek6poOV7qnBaOp3DlfzpnFXaEDqZTZ5GnV5gX7mI5mkUIOLEXv69QtPgeNUxoBWt_BFqqUOt146S9_gZWs0WPKjrueANKff2VeP3ZjYbaLAlGgVjl7muPHi0Iyes4E/s834/Chinggis+Khan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="834" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66fvydNwbwjW41ek6poOV7qnBaOp3DlfzpnFXaEDqZTZ5GnV5gX7mI5mkUIOLEXv69QtPgeNUxoBWt_BFqqUOt146S9_gZWs0WPKjrueANKff2VeP3ZjYbaLAlGgVjl7muPHi0Iyes4E/w640-h426/Chinggis+Khan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">2. Stalinist Purges</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">1937 was a dark time for Mongolia, but an important part of history. Mongolia was a satellite state of the Soviet Union and heavily influenced by the Soviet Union and communism. In 1937 the Stalinist Purges spread to Mongolia, set to wipe religion and culture from the country. More than 18,000 Monks were rounded up and executed and 764 monasteries destroyed. Thousands of people were conscripted to the army. Even military leaders, members of the Central Committee and a Prime Minister were purged. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.jennysandiford.com/travelblog/manzushir-monastery-mongolia">A blogpost on one of the Monasteries destroyed</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vawD4d5b_c9heH-7n0tyAvK4VsemYy3hEvNReF83o9FBX8_bHOIfvC6X5lfqOxuiC-l7May52NZng7652PALFA4b0M2Jg7kVLMhL1N3FxuPHaK16AN65KPW84p0MgLJIRRTRfuvfbzo/s367/Ruins+of+Manzushir+Monastery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="367" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vawD4d5b_c9heH-7n0tyAvK4VsemYy3hEvNReF83o9FBX8_bHOIfvC6X5lfqOxuiC-l7May52NZng7652PALFA4b0M2Jg7kVLMhL1N3FxuPHaK16AN65KPW84p0MgLJIRRTRfuvfbzo/w640-h480/Ruins+of+Manzushir+Monastery.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Ruins of Manzushir Monastery</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">3. Collapse of the Soviet Union</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1990, a lot changed in Mongolia with the fall of the Soviet Union. A democratic revolution took place as Mongolia rejected communism and became a multi-party democratic country. This was a huge turning point for the country. Now Mongolia has a growing economy and in the last few years started welcoming tourists in larger numbers. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HPFNec-soRxTgBOKA14LO8miHiihY0nu392ZWZQY8bkSG92fYaJpCOoQq48kaXWwli1gPE5fPaU8VSrECISxzhQ6C5gwkgx1-eZddUlGd0XbM79Zmott5p5pnVrKBD73L_SSmgL5VX8/s880/Abandoned+Soviet+airbase.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="880" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HPFNec-soRxTgBOKA14LO8miHiihY0nu392ZWZQY8bkSG92fYaJpCOoQq48kaXWwli1gPE5fPaU8VSrECISxzhQ6C5gwkgx1-eZddUlGd0XbM79Zmott5p5pnVrKBD73L_SSmgL5VX8/w640-h442/Abandoned+Soviet+airbase.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Abandoned Soviet airbase </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What are some stereotypes about your country that irk you? What media portrays your country badly be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A big one is calling Chinggis Khan, Genghis Khan. I’m not sure how this incorrect wording spread to the rest of the world, but the correct name is Chinggis Khan (Чингис хаан). He is the most important historic figure in Mongolian history and it’s sad the whole world is getting his name wrong.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another misbelief I’ve surprisingly come across a lot, is people thinking Mongolia is part of China. Mongolia, also sometimes referred to as Outer Mongolia, is an independent country in between China and Russia. There is also a region in China called Inner Mongolia, this is not to be confused with the country Mongolia.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK685puwvU3O4lo9jCLIzZ3m98O77Ir0OgnoIWT0sFRtO5IQbcxa3_P4HIq25n20gBNDoazeQNNEf8DCs4LPMUVTE7UrJWrfo3SbyGb0y_p6VI640n1F-qgryvIrTrHYvDd2C6BlN7mo/s294/Chinggis+Khan%252C+Genghis+Khan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="294" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK685puwvU3O4lo9jCLIzZ3m98O77Ir0OgnoIWT0sFRtO5IQbcxa3_P4HIq25n20gBNDoazeQNNEf8DCs4LPMUVTE7UrJWrfo3SbyGb0y_p6VI640n1F-qgryvIrTrHYvDd2C6BlN7mo/w640-h479/Chinggis+Khan%252C+Genghis+Khan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">What media portrays your country well be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?</span></b></p></span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The movie the Eagle Huntress captures the beautiful scenery in Western Mongolia and the traditional Kazakh eagle hunting. I was lucky enough to see the Eagle Huntress, Aisholpan, hunting with her eagle White Wings at an eagle festival in Ulaanbaatar.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A book I read recently and would recommend is The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan by Stephanie Thornton. This book portrays ancient Mongolian life in great detail and covers a large time frame during Chinggis Khans life, but from the perspective of the women in his life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ve heard people recommend the docudrama, The Weeping Camel, and also the book, On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads, by Tim Cope. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLiFw-gU7w7JjgpXx6Ho6kZcBiLRdkoLvwzXZLvtb0fZ6770WUwzaDW89R22iSfMn-qgL5iYa0hT_yq2ASPNtcQwaSWw2fyfIBNeXpo7DckHXikdABc2shqjDDUPsAwstj8LQYakp9KA/s331/The+Eagle+Huntress+Aisholpan+at+the+Eagle+Festival+in+Ulaanbaatar.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="331" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLiFw-gU7w7JjgpXx6Ho6kZcBiLRdkoLvwzXZLvtb0fZ6770WUwzaDW89R22iSfMn-qgL5iYa0hT_yq2ASPNtcQwaSWw2fyfIBNeXpo7DckHXikdABc2shqjDDUPsAwstj8LQYakp9KA/w640-h426/The+Eagle+Huntress+Aisholpan+at+the+Eagle+Festival+in+Ulaanbaatar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">The Eagle Huntress Aisholpan at the Eagle Festival in Ulaanbaatar</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>Who are your top three favorite fictional characters native to your country in books, movies, or shows?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’m not familiar with many Mongolian produced works, but I enjoy the folklore and mythology from Mongolia’s history. It’s hard to find anything that has been translated into English. I’m sure there is a lot of great work out there, but much of it is in Mongolian. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Thank you, Jenny, for this very informative post!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVS2WMl72mXw5CP_an7f-5YtKdrEsz_XZxxaAnVosSix566t4YHtUfcRl8LLeVqSCyJV2uAETrH5On93Zn-zxeJ0YD5YBTwbXHJQeHi_hpjc_tZ9XPjM4lH3laNXQ2wmKUaiuuxeommA/s1200/1200px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVS2WMl72mXw5CP_an7f-5YtKdrEsz_XZxxaAnVosSix566t4YHtUfcRl8LLeVqSCyJV2uAETrH5On93Zn-zxeJ0YD5YBTwbXHJQeHi_hpjc_tZ9XPjM4lH3laNXQ2wmKUaiuuxeommA/w640-h320/1200px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 18.2px;"><p><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Are you interested in participating in this project? Check out the tips archive to see which countries have been filled and if you're from a different country</span><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">, shoot me an email at howellvictoriagrace(a)gmail(dot)com. I'm especially looking for Cuba, Venezuela, Belarus, Zimbabwe, and Iraq.</span></p></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Do you have any characters from Mongolia? Did this inspire you to write a Mongolian character or set a book in Mongolia? Are from this or been to this country and you have further input? Feel free to share! Do you have any questions for Jenny? Be sure to thank her!</span></b></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may also like:</span></b></div><p><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-your-character-is-from-latvia.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Latvia ... Featuring Anna @ Anna's Little Thing</span></a></p><p><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-your-character-is-from-albania.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Albania ... Featuring Xhorxhina @ Inner Exploration</span></a></p><p><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-your-character-is-from-bosnia.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Bosnia & Herzegovina ... Featuring Azra @ SimpleSerenity</span></a></p><p><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/07/so-your-character-is-from-bahrain.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Bahrain ... Featuring Marwa @ Adoreabook</span></a></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/07/so-your-character-is-from-israel.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So Your Character is From Israel ... Featuring Zoey @ Magiverse</span></a></span></p>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-75694137922169517702020-10-16T13:00:00.272-04:002020-10-16T13:00:10.777-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXPq30kwbniRwYQeFT6JWO8aLpZCAfz_PDoP2IZgkWFKCCXSzixBzKwt8MD76UoUXeSlvai4wuJKX-YCqHCJtOkiuBD62IJxAO7LAsgWY0YwV-grvQPx6gwBnsGp8Mlt4RZtdED_JHsM/s2000/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+The+Elfstones+of+Shannara+by+Terry+Brooks.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXPq30kwbniRwYQeFT6JWO8aLpZCAfz_PDoP2IZgkWFKCCXSzixBzKwt8MD76UoUXeSlvai4wuJKX-YCqHCJtOkiuBD62IJxAO7LAsgWY0YwV-grvQPx6gwBnsGp8Mlt4RZtdED_JHsM/s640/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+The+Elfstones+of+Shannara+by+Terry+Brooks.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thousands of years after the destruction of the age of man and science, new races and magic now rule the world, but an imminent danger threatens. A horde of evil Demons is beginning to escape and bring death upon the land. Only Wil Ohmsford, the last of the Shannara bloodline, has the power to guard the Elven Princess Amberle on a perilous quest to save the world, while the leader of the Demon force aims to stop their mission at any cost.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>Series:</b> The Shannara Chronicles (Book 2)<br /><b>Genre:</b> MG Fantasy<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Del Rey (October 10, 2000)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 576 pages</span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Last year, I got this book for free in the Realm Maker's grab bag since Terry Brooks was the guest of honor at the conference. He's been lauded as a grandfather of modern fiction in the lines of Tolkien. I'd never heard of him before the conference, but I decided to give him a try. Maybe I'm just too used to modern-style fiction, but this was the worst book I've read in a while. </span></div><div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span>The plot is very basic fantasy. Chosen one has to go find thing to save the world from bad things. Honestly, this nearly 600-page book could probably be 200 pages shorter because a lot of the book is rambling for pages long about world-history, back story, long battle plans, character description, every single freaking detail of traveling, and generally lots of telling--which I skipped (and normally I never skip in books) because some character was bound to repeat all of that information in a consolidated form shortly after. So I feel like I've heard the same information at least four times. Basically, the pacing was really really bad because of excess information and description. I ended up reading mostly the dialogue because I was getting bored.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some people could compare this with Tolkien, but often when Tolkien rambled he was witty about it. Brooks seems to be Tolkien but without the wit. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Also one huge plot hole really bugged me. I'm not too concerned about spoilers here because I doubt you guys are going to read this. Wil encounters this chaotic neutral gypsy character and decides to hide that Wil and Amberle are saving the world from him which then creates a string of problems because the gypsy named Cephalo makes this hard for them because he has his own agenda. Why didn't they just tell the guy that they are saving the world?! I'm sure he doesn't want to be wiped out by demons either! It's like from <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rocket Raccoon: Why would you want to save the galaxy? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peter Quill/Star-Lord: Because I'm one of the idiots who live there!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">The Characters:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> All of the characters were very cookie-cutter, except like one. A few of them had the potential to be unique, but the opportunity was squandered. Most of the characters were elves which was kind of interesting except the elves just seemed like people with a slightly different culture and pointy ears. Characters just generally kept doing dumb things and making dumb decisions and it was driving me nuts. It's like I don't care about any of you and if someone dies I'm like I feel nothing. Also these characters just seemed to be waiting their entire lives to spill their backstory to the first person who might possibly listen.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wil's most interesting characteristic is that he's a healer, but that's just about it. He's a chosen one and a healer and he likes Amberle. That's the extent of his character. He also frustrated me several times especially with his dealings with Eretria. JUST TAKE HER, DUDE! STOP WHINING! </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">And he doesn't trust Eretria with the information about his mission but he spouts it to this random elf boy flying on a giant eagle.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">And also he treated this poor little creature like crap and didn't give a wit when he was brutally murdered by a demon and regrets nothing. Dude! He could not be in the book and it would have been better. Give someone else the elfstones. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amberle had the potential to be really neat, but again opportunity squandered with cliches. I actually thought of a better twist for her than the one that actually happened in the beginning. It was also kinda laughably easy to find her. I also do not like that she was described as having “a child’s face.” I guess it was along the lines of the Never Ending Story, but I kept getting pictures of baby-faced teenager. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">"She's ran away from her duties in disgrace. We haven't seen her for years ..."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two seconds later ...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">*Wil and Allanon find her in a village teaching some kids*</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There were some other characters I kinda liked like Wisp, Perk, and Artaq the Horse. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">My favorite character was Eretria the Rover. I wish she was the chosen one because that would have been way cool. Eretria was nice to the cute little creature and was the most clever character out of all of them.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Setting:</span> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> This world had so much potential to be super cool, but again squandered, because this is supposed to be set on earth, but way in the future, saying that elves have been around throughout earth's history but invisible. But nothing was ever done with this cool concept. This story could have been set in its own world and there wouldn't have been a difference. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ellcrys the Guardian Tree is kinda interesting. It reminds me of Thalia in the Percy Jackson books or of a tree in the garden of eden. And then there are people who guard that tree. It would have been neat if those people went on the quest since they're picked from all different backgrounds. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I kinda like that they use druids instead of wizards, but usually, druids have more nature-based magic and in this case, the druids just seem like wizards you just call druids.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some of the worldbuilding elements just didn't quite work like at one point someone mentions a roving band of evil gnomes slaughtering people and all I can think of is the gnomes in <i>Gravity Falls</i> going on a rampage. Or the trolls seemed so eloquent and that's just not the general nature of trolls anywhere. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The most interesting groups of people were the Rovers and the Wingriders. Besides the fact that the Rovers are misogynists, I like having gypsies in a fantasy world. I also like seeing Rocs in a fantasy novel cause they're really neat. I liked the enchanted minions made of sticks. That was kinda neat. I also liked when the Elcrys gave Allanon one of her branches as a staff. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also really liked Manx the Wolfhound until he was replaced with a demon and became Manx of my childhood nightmares. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Theme:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I don’t really know. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Content Cautions</span><span style="font-size: large;">:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> There is some violence since we're dealing with demons and battles here such as a massacre where people are mentioned to have been torn apart, someone is found with a broken neck, a cloak covered in blood, general battle violence that I don't know the details of because I skipped most of it cause I was bored, there's a bloody battle between an elf and a demon, mangled corpses are mentioned, a surprising amount of named characters die mostly off-screen, and general battle violence. I don't remember all of it since I skipped around so much. Also </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wil gets a little drunk. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span><span style="font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br /></span><br /><b>1.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> Just refer to characters by name -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Throughout the book, Wil and Amberle are frequently referenced to as the Valeman and the Elven Girl respectfully. Though the book is written in omniscient, this especially depersonalized them. It’s like there’s a million Elven Girls but only one Amberle. Call her what makes her stand out. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> This sort of writing style is often used so it doesn’t feel repetitive, but honestly it’s not needed most of the time. Calling a character by an alternative name is fine but make it more natural such as “her friend,” “my sister,” or “the doctor.” The reader wants to feel close to the characters. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>2.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> Main Character Coming in Late -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> At first I was really confused about who the main character was because according to the back of the book it’s Wil, but he doesn’t come in until page 61.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It’s possible pull off a short prologue with a character who isn’t main character but rule of thumb you want to start your book with the main character. It’s less confusing and you want your reader to bond with them as soon as possible. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><b>3.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> Be So Careful with Good Coincidences -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Wil and Amberle were time and time again saved by coincidences. There happens to be a boy flying on a giant eagle whom they never heard of before but who is willing to help them. There happens to be a cursed elf who’s willing to help them escape from a witch. Or the worst offender, when Wil and co were escaping from a witch’s castle, the witches twin sister happens to show up and they get into a cat fight and kill each other. .... WHAT!?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The Characters need to work for their rewards. The universe can’t keep bailing characters out of tough situations. It’s just lazy writing and it makes the characters look like weenies. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>4.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> Be Careful with the Time Between POV Switches -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Most of the book is in Wil’s POV, but among other POVs it goes into this elf prince’s. It actually goes into the prince’s before Wil’s. Well Wil is in a tense situation and then the book switches to the prince’s POV for chapters upon chapters of him going through this battle and it’s the most boring battle ever. And I’m just like I don’t CARE!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Multiple POVs are difficult. One of those challenges is making sure characters have just the right amount of page time. But it’s never good to have one character have chapters of page time when another character is an equal amount of peril and frankly their story is more interesting. Readers get bored. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>5.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b> Even Action Sequences Can Be Boring -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Going back to the Prince’s might battles with the demons. Honestly they were the most boring battle scenes I’ve ever read. I got all of these pages of detail about battle strategy and it was like I was watching it all from a helicopter with the occasional splash of blood. I didn’t feel in the scene. I felt like a spectator and that’s just not what I want as a reader in a book. <br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Readers pick up books to really immerse themselves into a story. You want them to feel something with all five senses. Sometimes you don’t want to do that all the time but I’ve written extensively about that. Anyway, you can also go the opposite direction and make the reader feel far too distant. When writing scenes especially intense ones make sure to make your reader feel like they are there. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I hate bashing a book so bad especially one that’s revered, but there was just so little I liked about it that it shocked me a little bit. This book gets the lowest score I’ve given out in a while. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SKWEEjbO_wXDMggOkIDTPc1nO8TYd5qZ_ulRqU8hHXltpljI0adNNmj086cYlWdRSbM5T1rWoPymgFNrAnFy5lKSRZNEZQg_hbek2DaTBYHa2CECF46BOOD8rw_WPLOSjheFlUZTwTw/s1396/TwoInukshukRating.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1396" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SKWEEjbO_wXDMggOkIDTPc1nO8TYd5qZ_ulRqU8hHXltpljI0adNNmj086cYlWdRSbM5T1rWoPymgFNrAnFy5lKSRZNEZQg_hbek2DaTBYHa2CECF46BOOD8rw_WPLOSjheFlUZTwTw/w547-h197/TwoInukshukRating.png" width="547" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkP1JKa9hF3y0GRqHqKcb9miPcVyCd7otbXyC-ySYk9bvkvNmv0WYBLZ6A93JlK6lIXUVQSgooZmDA8cJtpBMKLA2osYCj4jbfoeunuendO7RdGXcTnlkfdCVAjIPh78KTGJk3AA3Pns/s1807/Terry_Brooks_-_Lucca_Comics_%2526_Games_2016.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1807" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkP1JKa9hF3y0GRqHqKcb9miPcVyCd7otbXyC-ySYk9bvkvNmv0WYBLZ6A93JlK6lIXUVQSgooZmDA8cJtpBMKLA2osYCj4jbfoeunuendO7RdGXcTnlkfdCVAjIPh78KTGJk3AA3Pns/s320/Terry_Brooks_-_Lucca_Comics_%2526_Games_2016.jpg" /></a></div>About the Author:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><b style="font-family: georgia;">Terry Brooks</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including the Genesis of Shannara novels Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra; The Sword of Shannara; the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy: Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr; the High Druid of Shannara trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken; the nonfiction book Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life; and the novel based upon the screenplay and story by George Lucas, Star Wars(R): Episode I The Phantom Menace. His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were selected by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the twentieth century. The author was a practicing attorney for many years but now writes full-time. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.</span><br /><br /></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-70710231289714592472020-10-09T13:00:00.150-04:002020-10-09T13:00:09.138-04:00Writing Lessons from Video Games: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBcNLTj6o5urZZUNw7gpSUavWhniF8mIu7P0OWAZAbHJBy65yQueop_KLAfivjsdBdjIxRBicb1AHrk_MWVvWPZkKaRkNWgGo-gp1yZUFaeCCz-zRlbd8DftMENFuvHrw8WKm2L0hETY/s2048/Writing+Lessons+from+Video+Games_+Xenoblade+Chronicles+Definitive+Edition.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="696" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBcNLTj6o5urZZUNw7gpSUavWhniF8mIu7P0OWAZAbHJBy65yQueop_KLAfivjsdBdjIxRBicb1AHrk_MWVvWPZkKaRkNWgGo-gp1yZUFaeCCz-zRlbd8DftMENFuvHrw8WKm2L0hETY/w499-h696/Writing+Lessons+from+Video+Games_+Xenoblade+Chronicles+Definitive+Edition.png" width="499" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>I've only heard of this game recently what with the remake having just come out this year, but my two good friends recommended it to me so I thought I'd give it a </span><span style="background-color: white;">shot. I really enjoyed it. It was a great original story with more twists at the climax than I’ve ever seen in a story! The characters are all great and so well developed for a large cast! And the world building is just amazing!</span></span></p><div><span><span style="background-color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><i>Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition </i>is set on a world where people and machines live on two dormant titans known as the Bionis and Mechonis. These two races are at constant war with each other. After a terrible attack on his village a Homs named Shulk armed with the mysterious blade called the Monado seeks revenge against the machina who have devastated his people.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">W<span style="color: red;">arning: Big spoilers for points 3-5!</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5vZMat4462HRiMYRo9Snd6ofHQEDtoDojUdDzfgtRECXAquuzNvcJx_RJ8lyOU63yh9LceA6-gfRGnuM-ahQh0jh2WBNdebU2tPzypDRhTS0SigcMV2gAzVi11pSQCnk5BbLWaWQJPE/s540/XenobladeDefinitive.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="540" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5vZMat4462HRiMYRo9Snd6ofHQEDtoDojUdDzfgtRECXAquuzNvcJx_RJ8lyOU63yh9LceA6-gfRGnuM-ahQh0jh2WBNdebU2tPzypDRhTS0SigcMV2gAzVi11pSQCnk5BbLWaWQJPE/w640-h356/XenobladeDefinitive.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">1.) A Twist on Environments -</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span>Xenoblade has a lot of amazing environments. I mean the whole world is on two continent-sized titans! How cool is that? On the different areas of the Titans such as legs, head, and arms are different biomes like jungles and plains. Two of the most unusual places are Satorl Marsh and Eryth Sea. Typically one thinks of marshes as an ugly smelly place and though Satorl Marsh is that in the day it lights up to become a place of wonder and beauty. In Eryth Sea all of the reefs actually float above the sea with flying aquatic-like animals. It’s so cool!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">How this can be applied to writing: </b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">In what way can you create unique spins on environments? James Cameron came up with a glowing jungle for <i>Avatar </i>and in Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind there are toxic jungles. There are so many environmental possibilities to explore!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdZNyR4AJ0aHy4DU4PGAoQokApLyWc7UkUPzFsSqoXd036_5uqF51R8NhCaMCPbcWyMR3spE4N7iydWIlc1wSZuD10vBSbNYkTb3hspmNZcvqeGeVFtZJikx2CmmIML1hxb1QfFhsRh4/s474/OIP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="474" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdZNyR4AJ0aHy4DU4PGAoQokApLyWc7UkUPzFsSqoXd036_5uqF51R8NhCaMCPbcWyMR3spE4N7iydWIlc1wSZuD10vBSbNYkTb3hspmNZcvqeGeVFtZJikx2CmmIML1hxb1QfFhsRh4/w640-h376/OIP.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">2.) Don’t Forget the Heart to Hearts - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">One really neat element about these games is that you progress by deepening your relationships with your teammates. There are of course cutscenes to show character development but there are also “heart-to-heart” scenes hidden around the world that can further friendships and are responsible for some of my favorite moments of the game. In them two characters talk to each other about something and end up discovering something new about their friend and showing kindness and caring toward them. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Remember that your reader wants to bond with your characters so don’t forget to take a few scenes to allow them to grow closer. They don’t have to be long but those fireside talks can go a long way. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSoxZz-ZdbmACn4lkffZwlQx62B3G59wZ31ItsnQ7zJU8PIL-NYmAbXmeaiXiN5GntOQ6bnJeLBbud2MeBpWBzPPm9w_lg-WyPHgqhcQui8OR9WxIuimbuzHOWGIrHstDfy0xq4BVggE/s800/Xenoblade-Chronicles-Definitive-Edition-%25E2%2580%2594-Heart-to-Heart-Guide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSoxZz-ZdbmACn4lkffZwlQx62B3G59wZ31ItsnQ7zJU8PIL-NYmAbXmeaiXiN5GntOQ6bnJeLBbud2MeBpWBzPPm9w_lg-WyPHgqhcQui8OR9WxIuimbuzHOWGIrHstDfy0xq4BVggE/w640-h360/Xenoblade-Chronicles-Definitive-Edition-%25E2%2580%2594-Heart-to-Heart-Guide.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">3.) Host and Possessor Characters - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Later in the game Shulk and the gang discover Fiora is alive but she isn’t alone. She’s become the bodily host to an ancient goddess of this world known as Meyneth. Though Fiora is in control of herself most of the time, Meyneth takes over during times of dire need to help Fiora and her friends. When this happens Fiora’s eyes have a red glow and she has a different voice, but this benign entity only has good intentions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Host and possessor dynamics are really interesting in stories. Sometimes they’re a little morally questionable and sometimes more acceptable. For the longest time, I read stories where if someone was possessed it was by an evil entity but recently some stories have been written where the entity is good such as in The Host, DNAngel, and Shadow of Mordor. It makes for very interesting dynamics between the host and possessor and some great conflict. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvP1a2K96EfEZYu_Ji_5SJmETdEzNBagn-9osOupsW255qP-Qdb3itl6uZArfIxvsRwbTFTUosZPKK_KBKU_n9GsC11qBWuUAcz_Xg18aAeh5FwuZnkR01dKgwJaNnyClJGZ4qMQMBws/s1270/xb-fiora-faced-mechon3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="1270" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvP1a2K96EfEZYu_Ji_5SJmETdEzNBagn-9osOupsW255qP-Qdb3itl6uZArfIxvsRwbTFTUosZPKK_KBKU_n9GsC11qBWuUAcz_Xg18aAeh5FwuZnkR01dKgwJaNnyClJGZ4qMQMBws/w400-h310/xb-fiora-faced-mechon3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">4.) Discovering History - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The citizens of the Bionis have a limited understanding of their history. They know the two titans battled long ago and now they’re sworn enemies of the Mechons, but that’s the extent of it. As the characters progress in the story, they discover things weren’t initially so black and white and things they thought were good were evil in disguise. When they discover these truths everything changes for them forever. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Whether it’s a main plot or a subplot discovering the real world’s or a fantasy world’s history can be a fascinating aspect of a story. History can be lost or changed by the people who write it and discovering the truth can make for a fascinating plot such as in National Treasure. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnOxi8QeBizSdnvKjU6TSlVxxr3BQU9EkGn0eUgqH7EToQPOwCPcRzvpPqbE4QwaEjJpJ_pFi8ZYRLYKyRi6SJ43t360i1O_9OLuBT3tmfW_AQBtUN0kUwfIuLfJ_tco2rVoSFp2jLmQ/s1200/NSwitch__XenobladeChronicles_DefinitiveEdition_Overview_Legend_Carousel_Img01-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1200" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnOxi8QeBizSdnvKjU6TSlVxxr3BQU9EkGn0eUgqH7EToQPOwCPcRzvpPqbE4QwaEjJpJ_pFi8ZYRLYKyRi6SJ43t360i1O_9OLuBT3tmfW_AQBtUN0kUwfIuLfJ_tco2rVoSFp2jLmQ/w640-h296/NSwitch__XenobladeChronicles_DefinitiveEdition_Overview_Legend_Carousel_Img01-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">5.) Hidden Villains - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Throughout this game it seems really obvious who the bad guys are but everything gets flipped on its head when supposed allies reveal themselves to be powerful enemies. Though Dickson was foreshadowed to be more suspicious, I certainly reeled when all of the pieces lined up to show that the Monado itself was a conduit of a nearly unbeatable evil. With both examples careful foreshadowing is key for the perfect villain reveal. Too much and it’s too obvious, too little and readers feel jipped.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>A bad example of villain reveal foreshadowing was Hans from Frozen. I felt so scammed when he was revealed to be a bad guy. I’ve known people to point out his foreshadowing but it was infinitesimal and I did not get that all of the pieces click moment like with other villain reveals. A great villain reveal was in And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. All of the puzzle pieces were perfectly set and when he finally revealed himself you felt horror and realization and it was amazing.</span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5btnJ-iEujeVXUCNKjAY190khg67tk8C4hRHgss8oyjBF-MNOgw_cTtqsYjZfSiG5ckY8g9fz0hDD9T6dzvaRzpbfF28C8GsMWSYmS8KVwKvAWyNA9jpKye13wqqA2kEDRJ9aLu3lB2g/s1280/xenoblade-definitive-zanza+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5btnJ-iEujeVXUCNKjAY190khg67tk8C4hRHgss8oyjBF-MNOgw_cTtqsYjZfSiG5ckY8g9fz0hDD9T6dzvaRzpbfF28C8GsMWSYmS8KVwKvAWyNA9jpKye13wqqA2kEDRJ9aLu3lB2g/w640-h360/xenoblade-definitive-zanza+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Conclusion - </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is a wonderful game with wonderful writing and it’s very content clean. Definitely check it out!</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-UojJxK2IVRnQfBphc8bq1UB_8Kzegwt6lhJldt_eNgeY3j_mR8gKhSxVa6J5zHZFp4MjwpVwFzJb38b6yHkOXxepsx3caOjcVByjXaA8x8796jDW-9mjynv-jHkKSLAKEOWIWqJcAQ/s1169/xenoblade_chronicles_definitive_edition_riki_key_art.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1169" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-UojJxK2IVRnQfBphc8bq1UB_8Kzegwt6lhJldt_eNgeY3j_mR8gKhSxVa6J5zHZFp4MjwpVwFzJb38b6yHkOXxepsx3caOjcVByjXaA8x8796jDW-9mjynv-jHkKSLAKEOWIWqJcAQ/w640-h360/xenoblade_chronicles_definitive_edition_riki_key_art.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Have you played <i>Xenoblade Chronicles</i>? Have you noticed these writing aspects? What movies have you noticed have good writing? Let's geek out together!</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may also like:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/09/writing-lessons-from-video-games.html">Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Gabriel Knight Trilogy</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/08/writing-lessons-from-tv-shows-witcher.html">Writing Lessons from TV Shows: The Witcher</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/writing-lessons-from-movies-matrix.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writing Lessons from Movies: The Matrix Trilogy</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/writing-lessons-from-video-games-ori.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Ori and the Will of the Wisps</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></div></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-19004250504499980202020-10-02T13:00:00.083-04:002020-10-02T13:00:01.318-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiODpxa05igyykKHqgwxI-LbA73oBt7mwpXhDtKxnMOE37BHyS_AN-LPdsj9m5O5JIahI31kIsDYtqgK6yle14tghfY8Ian_q68R341r6JBEPcxuj9PfKjjqtKGjRx9k8L5GSj8pIRMI/s2000/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Gatekeepers++by+Robert+Liparulo.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiODpxa05igyykKHqgwxI-LbA73oBt7mwpXhDtKxnMOE37BHyS_AN-LPdsj9m5O5JIahI31kIsDYtqgK6yle14tghfY8Ian_q68R341r6JBEPcxuj9PfKjjqtKGjRx9k8L5GSj8pIRMI/s640/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Gatekeepers++by+Robert+Liparulo.png" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>The house talks. It breathes. And it's hungry.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Kings have been in the creepy old place, their new home, for only a few days, but they've experienced enough terror to last a lifetime. And the mystery is growing even more baffling. Shadowy and shifting, the big house conceals doors into other worlds that blur the line between memories and dreams and the slightest misstep can change history forever.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At least, that's if they believe the trembling old man who shows up claiming to know them. "There's a reason you're in the house," he tells them. "As gatekeepers, we must make sure only those events that are supposed to happen get through to the future."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The problem is that horrors beyond description wait on the other side of those gates. As if that weren't enough, the Kings are also menaced by sinister forces on this side like the dark, ancient stranger Taksidian, who wants them out now.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Xander, David, and Toria must venture beyond the gates to save their missing mother and discover how truly high the stakes have become.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Series: </b>Dreamhouse Kings (Books 3)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Genre:</b> MG Fantasy<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Thomas Nelson Publishing (February 21, 2012)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 320 pages<br /><br />My friend and I decided to read this book together and it's certainly one of my favorites of the series so far!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Plot:</span> The plot picks up exactly where the last one left off and brings even more questions into the mix about this mysterious house and the Kings’ role in it. The end was definitely the most intense part. So much happened in so little time with some great twists so I definitely have to read the next one to see what happens! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">The Characters:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> David is still my favorite. I still relate to him the most. I really like his sibling relationship with Toria and Xander. It’s really sweet to see close brothers and sisters. The part where they all sleep in the same room took me back to being scared as a kid and sleeping with my sister. Also Toria is the cutest little girl. The three watching their dad hauled away by police really got to me. That would terrify me as a kid. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Taksidian is definitely a scary and intimidating villain. He’s very intimidating and ruthless but it’s also logically motivated so he doesn’t feel cartoonish. I also liked Jesse and Keal. They're an interesting pair.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Setting:</span> Most of the book takes place in the mysterious house though there are brief scenes in the Civil War era, ancient Assyria, and a strange calm world. The plot definitely thickens with the house because it turns out it has a mind of its own and it wants to take people back into the stream of time it believes belong there. So in a way the setting is an enemy. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Epic Things:</span> I appreciate the reference to <i>the Last of the Mohicans</i>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Theme:</span> The value of human life is a big theme.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>"You have a keen sense of the preciousness of life and the finality of death--here on earth, anyway. To you, death does not simply end life. It steals away the sunset you'll never see, the children you'll never hold, the wife you'll never love. It's frightening to almost lose your future, and it's heart breaking to witness death snuff out other people's tomorrows." </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">~Jesse King</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Content Cautions:</span></span> There is some violence but nothing graphic since this is Middle Grade. Blood spurts from someon's nose, people are hit with flying objects, people are bludgeoned, and then a guy has the crap beaten out of him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br /><br /><b>Ways to Make Sure the Mentor Figure Isn’t Always There to Help (Without Killing Them)</b></span><b style="font-family: georgia;"> -</b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Jesse is definitely the mentor of the group. He knows the most about the House and the lore behind it, but he can't always be there to help the kids fight off Takisidian and his goons for two reasons. One he's in a wheelchair, so he can't help very well physically and because he's from an alternate reality, Time wants him back so he can't stay in the house for very long.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b> Mentors can't always be there to help the hero, otherwise they'd just do the deed, so one must find ways to get them out of the way so the hero can well be the hero. Gandalf from <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/09/writing-lessons-from-movies-lord-of.html">The Lord of the Rings</a></i> is a good example. He gets kidnapped, he has to verify the identity of the ring, he has to negotiate with kings to get their aid for battles, and so on.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Conclusion:</span> I'm definitely going to keep going with this series. I've gotta find out what happens after that cliffhanger. XD<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqOEueEdYXQpC6iDqC5TlQ_-iEp8oMDJuRVdwYDnVP4hu0rR_helRjDyXRUxODiA3WdCEsd10rxZlMaRlWoNl5DENib7pM0j_Twn8XH-3TBqWhCVXT4D3FzEIbqqwVsnxqDG2K2SHIiQ/s1396/FourInukshukRating.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqOEueEdYXQpC6iDqC5TlQ_-iEp8oMDJuRVdwYDnVP4hu0rR_helRjDyXRUxODiA3WdCEsd10rxZlMaRlWoNl5DENib7pM0j_Twn8XH-3TBqWhCVXT4D3FzEIbqqwVsnxqDG2K2SHIiQ/s640/FourInukshukRating.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span> I've been writing since before I could drive. Short stories,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo8QwV5yoDyNf2oAwz37kUmTS7_8SBtpW9xPVLHjpNhuNvrnRP3QkIjdI85R9FSWd-wj58Pq2NO2FVyGdGx5hbs9RR3d5Z7QMOSETXbo5YVWTYrNHwju0kLI1_yeScUXsc2tzaMUc89g/s1600/robert-_liparulo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="508" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo8QwV5yoDyNf2oAwz37kUmTS7_8SBtpW9xPVLHjpNhuNvrnRP3QkIjdI85R9FSWd-wj58Pq2NO2FVyGdGx5hbs9RR3d5Z7QMOSETXbo5YVWTYrNHwju0kLI1_yeScUXsc2tzaMUc89g/s200/robert-_liparulo.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>investigative exposes celebrity profiles, editorials, business columns, radio dramas, screenplays--you name it. For the last few years, I've focused on novels. I'm the author of the thrillers "Comes a Horseman," "Germ," "Deadfall," "Deadlock," "The 13th Tribe," and the young adult series Dreamhouse Kings--"House of Dark Shadows," "Watcher in the Woods," "Gatekeepers," "Timescape," "Whirlwind," and "Frenzy."<br /><br />Several of my books have been sold or optioned by Hollywood producers. All of them are in various stages of production. I'm also working on an original screenplay with Andrew Davis (director of "The Fugitive" and "The Guardian). I wrote the screenplay for Ted Dekker's "Blessed Child." My short story "Kill Zone" appears in the James Patterson-edited anthology "Thriller," and my essay on Thomas Perry's "The Butcher's Boy" can be found in the anthology "Thriller: 100 Must Reads."</span><br /><span face="" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><span face=""><br /></span></span><span face="" style="background-color: white;">Check out his <a href="http://www.robertliparulo.com/" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">website</a>, <a href="http://facebook.com/LiparuloFans" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/230226.Robert_Liparulo" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertLiparulo" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face="" style="background-color: white;"><b><span face="">Other books by this author I've reviewed:</span></b></span><br /><span face="" style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-13th-tribe-by-robert-liparalo.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="">The 13th Tribe</span></a></span><br /><span face="" style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-book-review-of-judgement-stone-by.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="">The Judgment Stone</span></a></span><span face=""><br /></span><span face=""><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/02/review-house-of-dark-shadows-by-robert.html">Review: The House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo</a></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo</span></div><div><br /></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-30464562796379441872020-09-29T13:00:00.150-04:002020-09-29T13:00:01.283-04:00Monthly Wanderings: September 2020<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FB7y6sJjd5AegMa7uFKLqxG67SkDJGKY2NiLkWLGhAqBD-GoRRCcrCdcqZ3XTsl9LsSJggem5G0mIPDzquBhaFES_wKjLWB_nQoC5kWjfmUDxWpFSIgpFdugi_lfaL0TOV-2HZvgjKw/s1713/MonthlyWanderingsSeptember2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1713" data-original-width="1492" height="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FB7y6sJjd5AegMa7uFKLqxG67SkDJGKY2NiLkWLGhAqBD-GoRRCcrCdcqZ3XTsl9LsSJggem5G0mIPDzquBhaFES_wKjLWB_nQoC5kWjfmUDxWpFSIgpFdugi_lfaL0TOV-2HZvgjKw/w567-h650/MonthlyWanderingsSeptember2020.png" width="567" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></p>FALL IS HERE! It's a gamble her in Georgia if it's going to cool down or stay hot for another month. Kinda like reverse Groundhog Day ... But this year the weather has cooled down and it's been fabulous! Fall is in the air! AND I AM SO READY FOR IT!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br /></p><a name='more'></a><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What I did:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) My agent and I discussed doing just a few more revisions to <i>the Rose in the Wolf</i> before sending it out <span style="background-color: white;">to publishers and working on prep for NaNo! I'm going to be finished with the revisions hopefully in the next week.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.) Certainly, the most exciting thing that happened was visiting Yellowstone! I had a soul-refreshing time being out in nature and having new experiences in this amazing national park.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9-cZskjVtO5eSQVIzcY4C2exotr7-6FnPLqxOGlUejwyDAJ8vcO1iaPJvcINRwjQ0sg6NAfoOoA3XICWSdN7DSqeP9Sz2KNugGm4Lgkowjfte71Mf-qii8SH1uQ8CnA5YnOSHkIgGpo/s2048/2020-09-01+09.59.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9-cZskjVtO5eSQVIzcY4C2exotr7-6FnPLqxOGlUejwyDAJ8vcO1iaPJvcINRwjQ0sg6NAfoOoA3XICWSdN7DSqeP9Sz2KNugGm4Lgkowjfte71Mf-qii8SH1uQ8CnA5YnOSHkIgGpo/w640-h480/2020-09-01+09.59.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also went tubing for Labor Day Weekend with my cousin which was loads of fun! I love this tubing place called the Cartecay River Experience and going down the rapids is a blast!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gGjlAFmP__3aacgnTnKZ2enCSMb5z4YL8c5716QrVE2w-bvpmOGNzpZADX4-1Byt0a7wmfCnhzhOZ1uxitKaivyka4z_ZXefl4JLC4pKD0TTV9rgU_H_3Za_wcWSI-U24Wml70CDhag/s2048/2020-09-06+15.52.06.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gGjlAFmP__3aacgnTnKZ2enCSMb5z4YL8c5716QrVE2w-bvpmOGNzpZADX4-1Byt0a7wmfCnhzhOZ1uxitKaivyka4z_ZXefl4JLC4pKD0TTV9rgU_H_3Za_wcWSI-U24Wml70CDhag/w640-h480/2020-09-06+15.52.06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">I also got to go apple picking with my family at Hillcrest Orchards! It was great to do a fun fall activity with people I care about and get 15 lbs. of apples for fall treats!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG2uXu6j_9INafD-LM84JXHAK-3RGw7J9qdvhEi0DjR9EAxdbReFgwf_vquNCtXvWAwR0BKmZ65vvfVTRHPgdwiAzHNp9mvS_Tv1_ZG9Me_s1AReUkQPur7xkZvBhGiJFm-tGR57TkS0/s2048/2020-09-26+09.50.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG2uXu6j_9INafD-LM84JXHAK-3RGw7J9qdvhEi0DjR9EAxdbReFgwf_vquNCtXvWAwR0BKmZ65vvfVTRHPgdwiAzHNp9mvS_Tv1_ZG9Me_s1AReUkQPur7xkZvBhGiJFm-tGR57TkS0/w300-h400/2020-09-26+09.50.59.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0INQS_NT0eN5Sp9_RFGs988MuQptVwfFAozeeUXUicbmVvzCn4dHzMtOEC2vGRc8KvDmI73e5OUAcMoSg6mcsI7wam-QBvDcOt91o0Y5aJgOwxeAQ5bKSHS7TBi-NJYFRfieV0IPC3qU/s2048/2020-09-26+10.21.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0INQS_NT0eN5Sp9_RFGs988MuQptVwfFAozeeUXUicbmVvzCn4dHzMtOEC2vGRc8KvDmI73e5OUAcMoSg6mcsI7wam-QBvDcOt91o0Y5aJgOwxeAQ5bKSHS7TBi-NJYFRfieV0IPC3qU/w640-h480/2020-09-26+10.21.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dI1dh84zooBE5InypBPsCHzK8M6fgyxrXxinqSYB5ZlF3ycscJ2UgUO2-e2rFbl20wDBbtpaMCluam17iy129kmOgw3ffVxIOMG3u4xSezkkhPXOMqtsOdDQ6GGaa2pmhXkNO-HGtOw/s2048/2020-09-26+10.55.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dI1dh84zooBE5InypBPsCHzK8M6fgyxrXxinqSYB5ZlF3ycscJ2UgUO2-e2rFbl20wDBbtpaMCluam17iy129kmOgw3ffVxIOMG3u4xSezkkhPXOMqtsOdDQ6GGaa2pmhXkNO-HGtOw/w300-h400/2020-09-26+10.55.33.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">3.) I've finished </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">the Elfstones of Shannara</i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> by Terry Brooks ... finally!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.) I meant to do some art this month, but it didn't happen. XD</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwu8DCgKH4W_Sd2SlGvNAfmr-KcVlVx1x2ZUR3IHu3N8jvKh5My6IuBLyMUK4axynWwSpACG29rNRbYk4Q7Hxv0HdKDHZAm_MtugQdKH6F3VohY3esJvXBo0nfJI_qJnbfUSc_obzM2UE/s2048/2020-08-07+15.55.22-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwu8DCgKH4W_Sd2SlGvNAfmr-KcVlVx1x2ZUR3IHu3N8jvKh5My6IuBLyMUK4axynWwSpACG29rNRbYk4Q7Hxv0HdKDHZAm_MtugQdKH6F3VohY3esJvXBo0nfJI_qJnbfUSc_obzM2UE/w460-h460/2020-08-07+15.55.22-2.jpg" width="460" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Geeky Department:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) I've been having a blast dressing up my<i> Animal Crossing: New Horizons </i>island with fall decorations. :D</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.) I'm still playing <i>Xenoblade Chronicles</i>. I took a little break earlier in the month haha. But I'm very much still enjoying it. </span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8se1TeAFW71xUNOPpTy06XBH3yNNxmQbQDVvWy4D4VEwTMsXIGFPZ_5sLUt5KsKgVWmqk779VOwEFHGaDz55RLGLsBB11_5AcCBiKX44AQJS3EwAOhGnw1rWVO1MJY63Zng5surEiyQ/s1920/Xenoblade-Chronicles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8se1TeAFW71xUNOPpTy06XBH3yNNxmQbQDVvWy4D4VEwTMsXIGFPZ_5sLUt5KsKgVWmqk779VOwEFHGaDz55RLGLsBB11_5AcCBiKX44AQJS3EwAOhGnw1rWVO1MJY63Zng5surEiyQ/w640-h360/Xenoblade-Chronicles.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">3.) I've finally watched a few episodes of </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Cowboy Bebop</i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">! I've had a lot of people tell me to watch this show for years!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gbnvrg7A5U_Di-BL0fMZP-o4QLNmeydQ5I-V1v55Sdw0lQIljhb1exerJkQEQe3u87ejakzcs9PZ36-rYlpNHJvacaFh-p4_aBXNox1MGEblSQOzEkuewgvommVn5hFSlEySjPZV-5M/s1600/cowboybebop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gbnvrg7A5U_Di-BL0fMZP-o4QLNmeydQ5I-V1v55Sdw0lQIljhb1exerJkQEQe3u87ejakzcs9PZ36-rYlpNHJvacaFh-p4_aBXNox1MGEblSQOzEkuewgvommVn5hFSlEySjPZV-5M/w640-h360/cowboybebop.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">4.) I've watched several seasons of </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Call the Midwife</i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> years ago, but now I'm officially catching up. This show is so well-written!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxJL6aVo38mGDROFYtU9v4aZ6rg5O8Z_9WbRKEv_wAWlbvaCknawSllu4sL_dUIP7Muuq6V0nbegkBu0vJHNVcMrUhhQJQaKxlZIabmX6erXti_DTpn9L_ZLmhMx2Ji9AKvBgbcWpiL0/s620/midwife-festival-c80b441.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxJL6aVo38mGDROFYtU9v4aZ6rg5O8Z_9WbRKEv_wAWlbvaCknawSllu4sL_dUIP7Muuq6V0nbegkBu0vJHNVcMrUhhQJQaKxlZIabmX6erXti_DTpn9L_ZLmhMx2Ji9AKvBgbcWpiL0/w640-h426/midwife-festival-c80b441.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5.) I also watched the Downton Abbey movie! It was great to see all of the lovely characters again.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2qh9cqbqfZkqzcKqIMlhtWhVDH5LgAW4kTS4J2gs7cldlrDR2KD8aGX9FfbnGJfPJ8rDuqQ2AHgjrVj2J4NdHXH5L4rYiTFO8W6wobNfzUlHXtgtQrC6vQ4GL2T8UTKwv2CgJCug0Qk/s938/downtonabbey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="634" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2qh9cqbqfZkqzcKqIMlhtWhVDH5LgAW4kTS4J2gs7cldlrDR2KD8aGX9FfbnGJfPJ8rDuqQ2AHgjrVj2J4NdHXH5L4rYiTFO8W6wobNfzUlHXtgtQrC6vQ4GL2T8UTKwv2CgJCug0Qk/w270-h400/downtonabbey.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What I'm Going to Do:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) I'm going to finish planning for NaNoWriMo while RITW is on submission!</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.) I'm planning to spend some time with a few local friends, including on Halloween. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.) I want to finish <i>The Mark of Athena </i>by Rick Riordan and <i>Within These Lines </i>by Stephanie Morrill and start and finish <i>Auxillary</i> by John Richter. The publisher was generous enough to give me a copy of the last book to review! </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.) I'm definitely getting onto some clay modeling next month!</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5.) I should be having some pieces go up on various websites!</span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaobkTAMGdRtieaBTnKu1JdhKawnxX7vunDaRXRnZMFNMM1jp0XmcHolXftadjSev4I4Ld4NI745pA9Vafk2fh4QPLRCctQ1DOkx5oOTXtbDpRUJIsHqTHFrv25MwWfU5JhAKHWG81to/s2048/2020-09-19+12.53.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaobkTAMGdRtieaBTnKu1JdhKawnxX7vunDaRXRnZMFNMM1jp0XmcHolXftadjSev4I4Ld4NI745pA9Vafk2fh4QPLRCctQ1DOkx5oOTXtbDpRUJIsHqTHFrv25MwWfU5JhAKHWG81to/w640-h640/2020-09-19+12.53.29.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Last Month on Wanderer's Pen ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/09/book-review-and-writing-lessons.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Awakened by Richard Spillman</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/09/yellowstone-national-park-2020-report.html">Yellowstone National Park 2020 Report</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/09/writing-lessons-from-video-games.html">Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Gabriel Knight Trilogy</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/09/book-review-and-writing-lessons-crooked.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Crooked House by Agatha Christie</a><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Coming Soon to Wanderer's Pen ...</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b>October 2: Book Review and Writing Lessons: Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo -</b> Can't wait to share my thoughts about this book with you guys!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>October </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b>9: Writing Lessons from Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition -</b> This is such a great game I had to write a post about it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>October </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b>16: Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks -</b> I wanted to like this book, but honestly it's the worst book I've read in a while. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>October </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b>23: So Your Character is From Mongolia ... -</b> This series is back! At least for a limited time! I've found some lovely ladies on Instagram willing to join in with the project!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>October </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b>30: Monthly Summary: October 2020 -</b> Like this but for October. ;)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgou4QYl3ctLLrW-clGwHRWDvmpPlu7a5wBI8Em3vrvWFf2IcIzuEuV6BeKD7wR5oEAINSv89rU4Yu2VCOPnm75IplciO4Joi7k8RkkzXZfqWxkq3hSPsyhHIK7VF0wJBjWRhGUC2SI0/s2000/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Gatekeepers++by+Robert+Liparulo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgou4QYl3ctLLrW-clGwHRWDvmpPlu7a5wBI8Em3vrvWFf2IcIzuEuV6BeKD7wR5oEAINSv89rU4Yu2VCOPnm75IplciO4Joi7k8RkkzXZfqWxkq3hSPsyhHIK7VF0wJBjWRhGUC2SI0/w640-h640/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Gatekeepers++by+Robert+Liparulo.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, September was the best month I've had since February. ^ ^</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBqCveNUjjw9zHyciGWErlv-W1hLo16uHzbdI8s1zZ3Q6oUJNDvxR3E28mDK03rKQoLCgrHXVw2x0jEC5d_MRu9GTL3zt5tA8Xhh85mO2sWTXDHecuH0Ldx5UyuQ5rgsgGRNysQI1T3g/s3339/VegvisirPageBreakComplete.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="3339" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBqCveNUjjw9zHyciGWErlv-W1hLo16uHzbdI8s1zZ3Q6oUJNDvxR3E28mDK03rKQoLCgrHXVw2x0jEC5d_MRu9GTL3zt5tA8Xhh85mO2sWTXDHecuH0Ldx5UyuQ5rgsgGRNysQI1T3g/w505-h142/VegvisirPageBreakComplete.png" width="505" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>How was your month? What did you do? Are you enjoying fall? Have you gotten your first pumpkin spice latte yet or some other pumpkin spice treat? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You may also like:</span></b></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/08/monthly-wanderings-august-2020.html">Monthly Wanderings: August 2020</a></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/monthly-wanderings-july-2020.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: July 2020</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: June 2020</a><br style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: May 2020</a><br style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: April 2020</a></span></div></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-19221254412755919832020-09-25T13:00:00.171-04:002020-09-25T13:00:08.333-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: Crooked House by Agatha Christie<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ug2cRpDLj1-_OFmm00-3JJRMaAdK1VRLclR3edVCFASrfePK3V-Krvs-4wDwzmiSssNKTlTLMdKyLckNl4IvxAKd6s7KPMYwROCl2XHRY5ECFDxjrkfHSdYajFH4eWgwPvHgwNIDSbQ/s2000/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Crooked+House+by+Agatha+Christie.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ug2cRpDLj1-_OFmm00-3JJRMaAdK1VRLclR3edVCFASrfePK3V-Krvs-4wDwzmiSssNKTlTLMdKyLckNl4IvxAKd6s7KPMYwROCl2XHRY5ECFDxjrkfHSdYajFH4eWgwPvHgwNIDSbQ/s640/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Crooked+House+by+Agatha+Christie.png" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That is until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man’s young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiancé of the late millionaire’s granddaughter.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>Genre:</b> Adult Mystery<br /><b>Publisher:</b> William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue edition (February 1, 2011); Originally Dodd, Mead and Company (March 1949)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 256 pages<br /><br />I've become an Agatha Christie fan in the last year, so I've been itching to get my hands on another one of her mysteries! <i>Crooked House </i>is considered one of her best, so I decided to give it a go! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Plot:</span> This is a pretty straightforward murder mystery. A man was murdered, someone comes to investigate, a lot of questions are asked, answers are slowly revealed, and then a twist at the end. Though I do have to say the twist for this one was very unexpected. The strongest part of the book is the ending. It had the most emotion to it.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Like <i>And Then There Were None</i>, the title is also based on a poem which gives a sinister nature to the book:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><div></div><blockquote><div>There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.</div><div>He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.</div><div>He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,</div><div>and they all lived together in a little crooked house.</div></blockquote><div></div></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Characters:</span></span> This novel has another large cast, but it's all told through the first person point of view of Charles Hayward. He is a layman in mystery business but he's very involved since his fiance is a family member of the victim. He's a bit of a Mary Sue, but he has a good heart and cares for Sophie, Brenda, and Josephine.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The rest of the cast have interesting features, especially with their checkered history and the fact that just about all of the family members had motive to kill Astride Leonides, but Josephine stood out the most. She had the most defined personality and I thought it was kinda cute how she wanted to solve the mystery alongside Charles. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Setting:</span> The majority of the book is set in the Three Gables or the Crooked House in Swinly Dean. It's an old estate of odd architecture in England.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Epic Things:</span> I thought it was kinda funny how telegrams were used like text messages between Charles and Sophie. <br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">The Theme:</span> What makes a person capable of murder? That's the essential theme of the book. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>"Murderers are set apart, they are 'different'--murder is wrong--but not for them--for them it is necessary--the victim has 'asked for it,' or it was 'the only way." Page 113</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>"I think people most often kill those they love than those they hate. Possibly because only the people you love can really make life unendurable for you." Page 113</span></span></div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Content Cautions:</span></span> This is a murder mystery so there is some violence: a man and a woman are mentioned to have been poisoned, someone commits suicide, and someone is knocked unconscious with a brick. There's a good bit of smoking cause this is the 40s and there's some mild swearing with a couple usages of hell, d*mn, and a**.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br /><br /><b>*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b>1.) The Creepy Kid Trope -</b> Josephine is a very disturbed child. She has very strong likes and dislikes for people and enjoys the macabre like how Jezebel was eaten by dogs in the Bible. But at the same time, she has this innocent air that's endearing.<br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b> I don't know if Agatha Christie made up the creepy child trope, but she did a really good job of it. Disturbed kids can add a really creepy tone to any story. The mix of innocence and sinister behavior is unnerving. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b>*END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS*</b><br /><br /><b>2.) A Layman's Reason for Having to Solve a Mystery -</b> Charles reason for getting involved is that he's very in love with Sophie and she doesn't want to get married until the mystery of her grandfather's death is solved. So though Charles isn't a detective, he is very emotionally tied to the case. <br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b> When you think of mysteries most of the time you think of Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Hercule Poirot, or the Hardy Boys. All of these detectives or consultants, but it can be interesting to just have a random person thrown into a mystery and to see how they deal with it. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">In Comparison to the Film</span>: <i>Crooked House </i>(2017) was pretty close to the book, but for some reason, the screenwriters changed some random details, like making Charles a private detective and making him and Sophie at odds. The casting was pretty good, but most of the movie seemed to meander until the end where it was pretty much nailed. So overall it was an okay adaption. Not great. Not bad.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Conclusion:</span> <i>And Then There Were None </i>is still my favorite Agatha Christie mystery, but this one is definitely worth a read.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5Bm6AHFbM65-BE73jpxm8jbwbPqt6L7a8NPdJZ96r-Y3qy5kjh3eUWui0VsTN-YKm9pCmTWbvYccbbA0ZA9BuetuRD-xkWrMwR_D3yreI4HPmY_dnmGh6slPIiUAARI__9OFUivjgXA/s1396/FourInukshukRating.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5Bm6AHFbM65-BE73jpxm8jbwbPqt6L7a8NPdJZ96r-Y3qy5kjh3eUWui0VsTN-YKm9pCmTWbvYccbbA0ZA9BuetuRD-xkWrMwR_D3yreI4HPmY_dnmGh6slPIiUAARI__9OFUivjgXA/s640/FourInukshukRating.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgup6TkcKdaUoITil8DLnL85RggoOv5fnh3fjVWufapDNd83jyl1gE2hKvQhYbRQtskzoFFSMabXcvTCoDETb1cSUkW_aonwxpJxwRZ_NhtFeE47XClJeLGWosGXYsLSeDrOzHifaprLYg/s1600/agatha_christie_ol_3340784b.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #2af1f1; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="620" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgup6TkcKdaUoITil8DLnL85RggoOv5fnh3fjVWufapDNd83jyl1gE2hKvQhYbRQtskzoFFSMabXcvTCoDETb1cSUkW_aonwxpJxwRZ_NhtFeE47XClJeLGWosGXYsLSeDrOzHifaprLYg/s200/agatha_christie_ol_3340784b.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="133" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span><b>Agatha Christie</b> was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.</span></span><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Other Books I've reviewed by this author:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-book-review-of-and-then-there-were.html">A Book Review of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie</a><br /></span><br /></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-89648476074705035382020-09-18T13:00:00.006-04:002020-09-18T13:00:11.264-04:00Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Gabriel Knight Trilogy<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ykREj97CM3FxH756YT_w16j9G9dBFJX0SpSw_g9Ps5wi7vMRVx-hWGCQHxMgp2bpnhsUOasz_ybprgA42iE3Gj2QkW8pduw7UsO7JY7brRk54QPIalfWcxUN6knRc78JrQopT_ydVSA/s2000/Writing+Lessons+from+Video+Games+The+Gabriel+Knight+Trilogy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ykREj97CM3FxH756YT_w16j9G9dBFJX0SpSw_g9Ps5wi7vMRVx-hWGCQHxMgp2bpnhsUOasz_ybprgA42iE3Gj2QkW8pduw7UsO7JY7brRk54QPIalfWcxUN6knRc78JrQopT_ydVSA/s640/Writing+Lessons+from+Video+Games+The+Gabriel+Knight+Trilogy.png" /></a></div><p><i style="font-family: georgia;">The Gabriel Knight</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> PC game series is a 90s franchise I hadn't heard of until recently when writing a review for a gaming website. When my editor asked me to include a comparative title for my review, I decided to give the first game a shot since the remake was on-sale. I ended up really liking the first two games of the trilogy, but not liking the third. So I'm very torn about this series as a whole.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gabriel Knight focuses on the titular character's adventures as a Schattenjaegar or Shadowhunter as he solves mysteries surrounding supernatural creatures around the world.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia;">Warning: Spoilers in points three and five.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxIB9SIrvgzqhNk7EkhMjmXPnEwYXC56vqt8t24BG-Z9wbbpL8ODuwTHIvG-sl7z0W1blil23U5P3bgiYf10zSaP46D62pTKWuHPVudCRXxjZ4UaZbvXHsIp6ywU_ceNXJtj0SeCOq3w/s308/Gabriel_Knight_2_%2528DOS%2529_26.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="308" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxIB9SIrvgzqhNk7EkhMjmXPnEwYXC56vqt8t24BG-Z9wbbpL8ODuwTHIvG-sl7z0W1blil23U5P3bgiYf10zSaP46D62pTKWuHPVudCRXxjZ4UaZbvXHsIp6ywU_ceNXJtj0SeCOq3w/w385-h209/Gabriel_Knight_2_%2528DOS%2529_26.gif" width="385" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1.) If a Plot is Strong Enough It Can Make Up for A Weak Main Character -</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Not far into the game, I just really didn't care for Gabriel. He's lewd, lazy, and can be a real jerk to just about everyone, and has zero character arc. I don't see why he has a lot of fans, but man, are the plots of his first two games good. I could easily insert myself as the main character instead of Gabriel and enjoy the story. The twists and turns were just so good that I had to know what was going to happen. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>In an ideal story the main character should be just as dimensional as the plot, but there are rare exceptions where the plot can carry the story.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY-HV7eH9CBJ6Vyd1QW-dffGc1g_xjA1fq5Hhnf-IM_v-UhgwX-0S76hJI9MZCM5mEBizG9hjGZileaFlPY2KFhS_WhDZ77aLPV2RoAc-3RSAwkPg4fSn4-CJhrCkP9ax3mM_D7mowAc/s485/15-IlM2yWB.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="485" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY-HV7eH9CBJ6Vyd1QW-dffGc1g_xjA1fq5Hhnf-IM_v-UhgwX-0S76hJI9MZCM5mEBizG9hjGZileaFlPY2KFhS_WhDZ77aLPV2RoAc-3RSAwkPg4fSn4-CJhrCkP9ax3mM_D7mowAc/s0/15-IlM2yWB.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">2.) Fiction Based on Gaps or Mysterious Events in History -</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the second game, <i>The Beast Within, </i>takes place in Germany and focuses on the historical events surrounding the last king of Bavaria, who was overthrown and arrested on account of madness. The game goes into why he went mad and attributes it to supernatural reasons. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>I personally really like this kind of storytelling. I love the <i>Doctor Who</i> episode with Agatha Christie explaining why she disappeared or that Charles Dickens saw aliens that inspired <i>A Christmas Carol</i>, Magaret Peterson Haddix wrote <i>the Missing </i>series which focuses on prominent children who died or went missing, and then there's <i>Anastasia</i> that focused on, at the time, the mysterious disappearance of Anastasia Romanov. History is fun to play with in fiction.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0PRxZmoJ0D18U1tpHRMyiyMTVYX4s6hW-qydy-Fwh3-49lU7oOmBFwJnZv_KDSdNN_SaWjWxodoDMhyICS77k8DOSHI_m69PS7MaDpRswzYyD3zlRkgJ8cBE2X35OyZ5GkScAgFOZdQ/s640/10-jPC6yuO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0PRxZmoJ0D18U1tpHRMyiyMTVYX4s6hW-qydy-Fwh3-49lU7oOmBFwJnZv_KDSdNN_SaWjWxodoDMhyICS77k8DOSHI_m69PS7MaDpRswzYyD3zlRkgJ8cBE2X35OyZ5GkScAgFOZdQ/s0/10-jPC6yuO.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">3.) The Dangers of Pseudohistory -</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is what I didn't like about this trilogy. The third Gabriel Knight game called <i>Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned </i>went too far in its creative license. It dabbled in pseudohistory which means "form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the historical record, often using methods resembling those used in legitimate historical research." Instead of taking its main plotline from true historical events like in the previous games, it took it from a pseudohistorical theory called the Holy Bloodline that, as a Christian, was honestly very offensive and blasphemous.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>When researching historical novels take care that history comes from a legitimate source and be especially careful when writing about religions. <i>The DaVinci Code </i>is another example that even used this same theory to create a story, but promulgating a very heretical theory is just insulting to anyone who's a part of the religion. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzVRIkaIWJtigy-v5LUBbHRc3OGc_JnHyr6EUUjEOHaSy0pdD419FPxIzPHAVAaycFjb01NFqSTFzd5S3T5pAigdkeHIpZ6UXkOwdg7ubsxOD1tYpW6uTwvT-8pYQ_3O-MpuzMgeIz68/s1024/rwscreen_133_2_orig.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzVRIkaIWJtigy-v5LUBbHRc3OGc_JnHyr6EUUjEOHaSy0pdD419FPxIzPHAVAaycFjb01NFqSTFzd5S3T5pAigdkeHIpZ6UXkOwdg7ubsxOD1tYpW6uTwvT-8pYQ_3O-MpuzMgeIz68/s640/rwscreen_133_2_orig.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">4.) A Secondary Character More Likeable Than the Main -</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> In the second and third games, you can play as Grace Nakimura, Gabriel's assistant. I really enjoyed playing as her in the second game since I found her far more relatable. She's logical, loves research, intelligent, and loves other cultures. Though Gabriel had the more exciting plotline, I feel like Grace was the hero in that game. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>This is a common pitfall. Often a secondary character can just be more interesting than the main. Sometimes that's okay like some could say Zuko in <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/05/writing-lessons-from-tv-shows-avatar.html">Avatar: The Last Airbender</a> </i>is more interesting than Aang, but other times it can create a strong disconnect between the reader/viewer/player and the story. When writing a book, a good question to ask yourself is, why is this my main character? Because sometimes someone else is better suited for the job. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxkkjnsyN9ZMg9oT9CTAgAmziQf8mgnpeGzqmQ8QUEo0jDOVOlMG9_N1AwWgdR3agPEqJWASvt7UApAnb_4YJXPGzeVAhjBVi5_S4mkT8uVvmssSFDdpD8e3CBnE3MYznaOAhZHARhyM/s500/tumblr_n8eevdW2Eq1qgzpu7o1_500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="500" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxkkjnsyN9ZMg9oT9CTAgAmziQf8mgnpeGzqmQ8QUEo0jDOVOlMG9_N1AwWgdR3agPEqJWASvt7UApAnb_4YJXPGzeVAhjBVi5_S4mkT8uVvmssSFDdpD8e3CBnE3MYznaOAhZHARhyM/w625-h319/tumblr_n8eevdW2Eq1qgzpu7o1_500.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">5.) Loneliness is a Powerful Motivator -</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Von Glower wants to create more werewolves because he's incredibly lonely. He's lived hundreds of years alone with a secret he can't tell anyone. He wanted Gabriel to join him so he'd have a companion at last. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>People will do a lot of things so they don't feel lonely. They'll seek unhealthy friendships and romances. They'll act out just so people will notice them like Naruto. More unstable people will even force others to be friends with them like Von Glower or like Nora Dershlit did to Carly and the gang in <i>iCarly</i>. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQHook2fMkYfElqpmdyDMxDF4oTmE1TXX5Zt1dFPMfKuS-6nNBmSHL7d5iEmegVRtjo2Vtjz8tHQn5VnIQsQjRnPCliSdhGTWyaKkmOj6BqKYIv9w9rWdBry0G_M0QOfYNBlmRL-3gRg/s960/2586043-gk2_9.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQHook2fMkYfElqpmdyDMxDF4oTmE1TXX5Zt1dFPMfKuS-6nNBmSHL7d5iEmegVRtjo2Vtjz8tHQn5VnIQsQjRnPCliSdhGTWyaKkmOj6BqKYIv9w9rWdBry0G_M0QOfYNBlmRL-3gRg/s640/2586043-gk2_9.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">Conclusion - </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: center;">I highly recommend the first two games and though the series has its flaws there are still things to learn.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yodU00JlpEg_VaCjxAUd0eP3CZ5ZrKpsHUHrOKJ8N_sa9TCN8jEvW6ka6vwYi6MiS5BBYOOGk_025wIg11SSPsi65phYWxGwOHUBux8MZ-FjoaiIJdeUI0pzQdPJ5NHmGrxa2l1jEgk/s308/Gabriel_Knight_2_%2528DOS%2529_06.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="I mean every writer has felt this way." border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="308" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yodU00JlpEg_VaCjxAUd0eP3CZ5ZrKpsHUHrOKJ8N_sa9TCN8jEvW6ka6vwYi6MiS5BBYOOGk_025wIg11SSPsi65phYWxGwOHUBux8MZ-FjoaiIJdeUI0pzQdPJ5NHmGrxa2l1jEgk/w385-h205/Gabriel_Knight_2_%2528DOS%2529_06.gif" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean every writer has felt this way.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span face=""><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Have you played <i>Gabriel Knight</i>? Have you noticed these writing aspects? What movies have you noticed have good writing? Let's geek out together!</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may also like:</span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Writing Lessons from TV Shows: The Witcher</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/writing-lessons-from-movies-matrix.html"><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Movies: The Matrix Trilogy</font></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake</font></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/writing-lessons-from-video-games-ori.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Ori and the Will of the Wisps</font></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><font face="georgia"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/04/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy X</a></font></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-11815520567431949962020-09-11T13:00:00.302-04:002020-09-11T13:00:00.392-04:00Yellowstone National Park 2020 Report<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xx8gto_hH7AI0flTYDxNdtPuvH_Ew5yv0An2HbWxbUsl_20EWVSmqdtULWrimOPC_6nqXvBOFE09JSUHwzfeJY0JysYxzqdN-b9EFmjqU4T-VAvchHNPcOe01_q-jS7eM3YAUYV4aqQ/s1728/Yellowstone+2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1500" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xx8gto_hH7AI0flTYDxNdtPuvH_Ew5yv0An2HbWxbUsl_20EWVSmqdtULWrimOPC_6nqXvBOFE09JSUHwzfeJY0JysYxzqdN-b9EFmjqU4T-VAvchHNPcOe01_q-jS7eM3YAUYV4aqQ/w680-h781/Yellowstone+2020.png" width="680" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gosh, I haven't done a report post in so long. 2020 has not been the year for traveling lol, but I'm happy to finally be able to share my adventures with you all again. Yellowstone National Park has been on my must-see list since I saw got the World Explorer card in the mail (Anyone else remember those?). The bison, the geothermal activity, the mountains, the weather. All up my alley. With most of my plans for this year being canceled, I decided to spontaneously take a trip to this amazing place with my dear sister-cousin. Brace yourself for a long post!</span></p><span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name='more'></a></span></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Day 1/5:</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I left bright and early for the airport. The train down, the airport itself, and the planes were well-sanitized and masks were required everywhere (The latter which was not good for my head since they give me headaches if I wear them for long periods of time. Does anyone else get headaches from masks?). The flight went smoothly to Utah and I got to see the infamous Salt Lake from the air! Our flight to West Yellowstone ... didn't exactly go as planned.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiLBsvICj_zQpFauS0omxzI-ALIfipJvnaL2BLT_eq7X_WbwycEvq259crcYQoc278vPtvReYQXaFyTGtOV3BkDEmMArVzjnHKB9z_1MIvkLaaA-TuNQVWUjgkjsTTsSvcEufTdueVSc/s2048/2020-08-31+15.00.33.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbiLBsvICj_zQpFauS0omxzI-ALIfipJvnaL2BLT_eq7X_WbwycEvq259crcYQoc278vPtvReYQXaFyTGtOV3BkDEmMArVzjnHKB9z_1MIvkLaaA-TuNQVWUjgkjsTTsSvcEufTdueVSc/w375-h500/2020-08-31+15.00.33.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrxtQZrClSZKrxGJW3Z761AE1a6tsvjiQhRH7w1UL9DpDlNNCJIal0dDG09wxM1WUPXIwjtPhs5XRKIHCFrj3Ns-d51zelsWVn4Z8cDDbYuoS1i-LymmAex1zSAJSeF2ihLDJ9EcAps4/s2048/2020-08-31+15.05.10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrxtQZrClSZKrxGJW3Z761AE1a6tsvjiQhRH7w1UL9DpDlNNCJIal0dDG09wxM1WUPXIwjtPhs5XRKIHCFrj3Ns-d51zelsWVn4Z8cDDbYuoS1i-LymmAex1zSAJSeF2ihLDJ9EcAps4/w375-h500/2020-08-31+15.05.10.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I dozed through most of my flight to Montana, but when the plane landed it wasn't in West Yellowstone, but Bozeman, a city two hours north of West Yellowstone. The pilot couldn't land the plane because there was too much cloud cover and he gave us a choice to try again to land and risk having to fly back to Salt Lake City or we could get off the plane. I chose to get off the plane and find a way to get to West Yellowstone. I did not want to be stuck at a five-hour drive south in Salt Lake City. So me, my cousin, and two other passengers that opted to get off too split an Uber to drive to West Yellowstone. Despite the throbbing headache I had from still having to wear a mask, it was a pretty drive through a Montana area of Yellowstone National Park to the small city of West Yellowstone. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qr13EThySi3gL_R6X3uT-ejkJdnZNurjtez9wyZWph0Xmx6cgA5nh0M3pc8NQmVIDZA0cF2EdpZTtY2esFhXBsdCWGKebnm8l27BBQzkQohd2RimTEPQsZP3xU5fYIndhnb8qL7fX9c/s2048/2020-08-31+17.21.37.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qr13EThySi3gL_R6X3uT-ejkJdnZNurjtez9wyZWph0Xmx6cgA5nh0M3pc8NQmVIDZA0cF2EdpZTtY2esFhXBsdCWGKebnm8l27BBQzkQohd2RimTEPQsZP3xU5fYIndhnb8qL7fX9c/w625-h469/2020-08-31+17.21.37.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZMXGFDjGWG3gl-mcH6yE_u39sqfYW7hSMMHEAp6B4JDxUnv_pLMx6xCSGvnA4YFiHgCvJrcRGW_ACsKVEcD4syfcg3We4KbXEBOKs6Oiap2YEpHfytXgZNb_-c9wZ84ZtTVS0ClXCyg/s2048/2020-08-31+17.40.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZMXGFDjGWG3gl-mcH6yE_u39sqfYW7hSMMHEAp6B4JDxUnv_pLMx6xCSGvnA4YFiHgCvJrcRGW_ACsKVEcD4syfcg3We4KbXEBOKs6Oiap2YEpHfytXgZNb_-c9wZ84ZtTVS0ClXCyg/w300-h400/2020-08-31+17.40.15.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I managed to get to the tiny airport that closes at seven (Yes, the airport was so small it has a closing time.), get my rental car, and finish the day with some amazing barbecue from Firehole Barbecue. The ribs were the best I've ever had!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z-IwyLsJOtk_isL6mG63DT8q_G5NyiSllfKcdVKa87q7z-_cba-Xq50Wb4D2rDlgtOcEsv94jmLzKsg2jhFu-xl177rqUF8J0nJD0tLKuOc1IqUebQBVXtkPpKDoCx35cZSOQlIYlXQ/s2048/2020-08-31+19.56.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z-IwyLsJOtk_isL6mG63DT8q_G5NyiSllfKcdVKa87q7z-_cba-Xq50Wb4D2rDlgtOcEsv94jmLzKsg2jhFu-xl177rqUF8J0nJD0tLKuOc1IqUebQBVXtkPpKDoCx35cZSOQlIYlXQ/w300-h400/2020-08-31+19.56.31.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 2/5:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Day one in the park was Canyon and Valley Day! Armed with tea and coffee, my cousin and I drove into the vast wilds of the park and were stunned by its beauty. At one point, we stopped the car and got out and teared up at the gorgeous nature around us. It felt too beautiful to be real. The sky. The wind. The green hills. Gosh so stunning.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57Da7atlI0GQ_50LME68mOCo7eKWVMDlMXk_0tq9_llMMLtCZwZCTLeRKccmcNLuUT6CCBiNqV1XUl-M6idZH2Ts3c83wGAyKVobwbIMjNWF964u2D8lWzbH0BPdiDFl9XrWOTMmO_Ss/s2048/2020-09-01+09.46.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57Da7atlI0GQ_50LME68mOCo7eKWVMDlMXk_0tq9_llMMLtCZwZCTLeRKccmcNLuUT6CCBiNqV1XUl-M6idZH2Ts3c83wGAyKVobwbIMjNWF964u2D8lWzbH0BPdiDFl9XrWOTMmO_Ss/w625-h469/2020-09-01+09.46.34.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also pretty soon saw our first bison. If you want to see tons of bison go to Yellowstone lol. They're everywhere.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxRmslhv4tklkPqlpt_e8WtxRJRfikbfeQcizwp2Nc8kOtx-sEA3yasGPnR28DFBE-5G8OQGlHD7LDCa9-17F4FuueJZ0fZ78VkRNocEnfQ4s9O70txXz47jMBym2FeHx2xHTKrTYOpw/s2048/2020-09-01+09.59.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxRmslhv4tklkPqlpt_e8WtxRJRfikbfeQcizwp2Nc8kOtx-sEA3yasGPnR28DFBE-5G8OQGlHD7LDCa9-17F4FuueJZ0fZ78VkRNocEnfQ4s9O70txXz47jMBym2FeHx2xHTKrTYOpw/w625-h469/2020-09-01+09.59.27.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We took a brief pitstop at Beryl Spring, named after the blue color of the steaming pool. There is literally some kind of hot spring everywhere. You'll see steam in the distance from some fumarole or spring or geyser throughout the park. At first, we thought a field was on fire, but nope steam and the strong smells of sulfur.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjeLiklq-fzw5uqLyK5Swu3-boNgRqjV-vPafh1zE4s4nWj6eQr-WCAHmC-VO4byeE5CLTnzZjfZdhEGIdf4nRiZsewEKeSdxSxwZuHVJotGhRiCUD82AXcgVk57ikISbuuNJnstS7ys/s2048/2020-09-01+10.17.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjeLiklq-fzw5uqLyK5Swu3-boNgRqjV-vPafh1zE4s4nWj6eQr-WCAHmC-VO4byeE5CLTnzZjfZdhEGIdf4nRiZsewEKeSdxSxwZuHVJotGhRiCUD82AXcgVk57ikISbuuNJnstS7ys/w625-h469/2020-09-01+10.17.40.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We made it to Hayden Valley under the blue morning sky and walked into the field of sagebrush while dodging lots of buffalo dung to see a flock Canadian geese and a herd of bison in the distance. The air was cold and quiet, but so peaceful. We even saw some wolf dung which was kinda cool.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_jjP7QYL9XYvm_3PB8CLcMCmEcB9DsGWtNzq7W4vzeEJ87gkvIa-beoQL9OQTDZOYYCyE-r2t4rMx2TlYIhkdVUGQOCuhUFVDm50-tZoj-I59qZSnkMbhgm5ghVxkjFJwHUSvtFLH2M/s2048/2020-09-01+11.22.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_jjP7QYL9XYvm_3PB8CLcMCmEcB9DsGWtNzq7W4vzeEJ87gkvIa-beoQL9OQTDZOYYCyE-r2t4rMx2TlYIhkdVUGQOCuhUFVDm50-tZoj-I59qZSnkMbhgm5ghVxkjFJwHUSvtFLH2M/w625-h469/2020-09-01+11.22.41.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp-7evERAOM8-j2mkIKVT6nElhfUvUQ1gZLcrk47t47R3LS0ZRoHqoEUs1kphHKOSiiA0pESQBFPiKB5D4B-AP241_7u1GVBEZ_0yufeFouA739q1nCteAw7UkFQ_gdcXpN1_qjZsi2Y/s2048/2020-09-01+11.29.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp-7evERAOM8-j2mkIKVT6nElhfUvUQ1gZLcrk47t47R3LS0ZRoHqoEUs1kphHKOSiiA0pESQBFPiKB5D4B-AP241_7u1GVBEZ_0yufeFouA739q1nCteAw7UkFQ_gdcXpN1_qjZsi2Y/w625-h469/2020-09-01+11.29.39.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVlwCycCg-z2ZG9reGK7TnHdeBMLyA3a0G6vDEoVzDLlvFD1KvwkXRfHKon20ErnCTtCON_SrE0Hmp6YXKkzDweVHq1EU6m_7cqp2e8EP8T_MXw_XodAtH6WP8aB-W5Y9sEwnYmsKRb4/s2048/2020-09-01+11.35.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVlwCycCg-z2ZG9reGK7TnHdeBMLyA3a0G6vDEoVzDLlvFD1KvwkXRfHKon20ErnCTtCON_SrE0Hmp6YXKkzDweVHq1EU6m_7cqp2e8EP8T_MXw_XodAtH6WP8aB-W5Y9sEwnYmsKRb4/w625-h469/2020-09-01+11.35.51.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g_OqWU7rIjxGOOpX6CL0-93n7KPU0ksCADkPUMyv5yJntRWmamYX1HVmq672r57KX4SjlUlfJBS2VZvEkl9BowQcSCz9YOnS1aUyA3_IwdcYhJrSJw7lMVwEui6F0Xjv5P_u4MMMYtE/s2048/2020-09-01+11.52.47-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g_OqWU7rIjxGOOpX6CL0-93n7KPU0ksCADkPUMyv5yJntRWmamYX1HVmq672r57KX4SjlUlfJBS2VZvEkl9BowQcSCz9YOnS1aUyA3_IwdcYhJrSJw7lMVwEui6F0Xjv5P_u4MMMYtE/w625-h469/2020-09-01+11.52.47-1.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The next stop was the Mud Volcano area! This short boardwalk area featured so many different geothermal spectacles, including the Mud Volcano, Dragon's Mouth Spring, Sour Lake, and Churning Caldron. I love the names of all of these places. They felt straight out of a fantasy novel. Dragon's Mouth Spring literally sounded like a growling dragon and the steam pouring out of the cave alluded to fire breath smoke. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I1sv9duW80VS3bBdXKngyap0373t_dSJSwZCLX1hLCNEVybZQt2-f8-aMQ3qKSgvQ0NenmomGffs5OE9GDzKVdRpPm2d4JF6ofEAHkhts7VxX_6acb9ceJ4i7MEqkeA5q6zgrbdhIVk/s2048/2020-09-01+12.36.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I1sv9duW80VS3bBdXKngyap0373t_dSJSwZCLX1hLCNEVybZQt2-f8-aMQ3qKSgvQ0NenmomGffs5OE9GDzKVdRpPm2d4JF6ofEAHkhts7VxX_6acb9ceJ4i7MEqkeA5q6zgrbdhIVk/w625-h469/2020-09-01+12.36.26.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMh68jEGSmGUciwaE9YyyGFyt1Ha3u2kTiZWKf1TW41nu2XXOE9migNOctC-MVDVvCL6F8tCMhMSZHewjrOCSh-nHy84o_TvR7EwPRdt1vTB8jbv_iTqPr3n6oCOAEVVKqobgfJeatSoA/s2048/2020-09-01+12.41.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMh68jEGSmGUciwaE9YyyGFyt1Ha3u2kTiZWKf1TW41nu2XXOE9migNOctC-MVDVvCL6F8tCMhMSZHewjrOCSh-nHy84o_TvR7EwPRdt1vTB8jbv_iTqPr3n6oCOAEVVKqobgfJeatSoA/w375-h500/2020-09-01+12.41.03.jpg" width="375" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttHAblU3QNjZFMuOkzAxnNP3n06AdB2Y7A5lMFpa8QdfNHZuz_Wbs5kwQmXLphe8a8A5XFRiPmyXxIUO1pfcgKRjAJEgAaz1B1Tw4GGyA9UW2wRyr6Zns5pX5I_PLoxPv31lo0GP5EXc/s2048/2020-09-01+12.56.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttHAblU3QNjZFMuOkzAxnNP3n06AdB2Y7A5lMFpa8QdfNHZuz_Wbs5kwQmXLphe8a8A5XFRiPmyXxIUO1pfcgKRjAJEgAaz1B1Tw4GGyA9UW2wRyr6Zns5pX5I_PLoxPv31lo0GP5EXc/w625-h469/2020-09-01+12.56.49.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbtpXA5AyvuWZdejDCikEh6PNnBk9bZ1T9W0fhLTWUuMKkOrBUOg82TkABMekP9rPD54BglhrXfalWMrXmH1hZCUWmtvL_4dF8aXQuxIuYLsmPnFOqfdeNbTCR7PdJaoQiKX8T-QbRYM/s2048/2020-09-01+13.04.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbtpXA5AyvuWZdejDCikEh6PNnBk9bZ1T9W0fhLTWUuMKkOrBUOg82TkABMekP9rPD54BglhrXfalWMrXmH1hZCUWmtvL_4dF8aXQuxIuYLsmPnFOqfdeNbTCR7PdJaoQiKX8T-QbRYM/w625-h469/2020-09-01+13.04.23.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After a brief lunch accompanied by ravens the size of chickens in Canyon Village, we headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River with the Upper and Lower Falls ran through this brightly-colored canyon dotted with trees and rock formations. I loved the sound of the wind through the pines and the waterfalls in the distance and finding different shapes in the rocks. It was just amazing. <3</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMceBv3QAgEztS3HRpUKw8KOMCOaVUvLlf1ufG9sVBh_GUjO4S7-5r2wuGNoIphP9TFduS1clhDIpr2_mU7blDr0uFyBlz-9zU46cOvcKQFJ0f7cRnE52fi4j0xopiYkrcErqz30f9fb8/s2048/2020-09-01+16.53.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMceBv3QAgEztS3HRpUKw8KOMCOaVUvLlf1ufG9sVBh_GUjO4S7-5r2wuGNoIphP9TFduS1clhDIpr2_mU7blDr0uFyBlz-9zU46cOvcKQFJ0f7cRnE52fi4j0xopiYkrcErqz30f9fb8/w625-h469/2020-09-01+16.53.38.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeiPbsEqXz9vop8U399QUPwdZ9hpjn0ta3B_X8jE-qFHamYBIAJQVYdcdWk6ekIvpdoO2KvBJN22iK2JtoMmis_b80QQ96uSG2IRYBdFhKcBP7KUMwq6d7lAdES4RXmJbisg8lD-EOeQ/s2048/2020-09-01+17.15.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeiPbsEqXz9vop8U399QUPwdZ9hpjn0ta3B_X8jE-qFHamYBIAJQVYdcdWk6ekIvpdoO2KvBJN22iK2JtoMmis_b80QQ96uSG2IRYBdFhKcBP7KUMwq6d7lAdES4RXmJbisg8lD-EOeQ/w625-h469/2020-09-01+17.15.41.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Day 3/5:</span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Day two was geyser and hot springs day! We drove through winding mountain roads up to the northern edge of Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs. There was an alien landscape of lunar-like rocks and skeleton trees. I felt like I was somewhere in Star Trek as we walked through boardwalk around Mound Spring and Canary Springs. All of the hot water spilling over the mineral-sculpted rocks fascinated me.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVPyg-_NWnvgDv1ksGhjOCXs9NjwVpmgzTvrs-0pORxVUZq_vf4PgTh36FSOhpvl52PxlX46XL4sb7KzVryopDl3zhyLiHXz6GAQ1AM3wBKy-0f13eqz_SkZziNA7Ao0LBVWVKG2bmi8/s2048/2020-09-02+09.49.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVPyg-_NWnvgDv1ksGhjOCXs9NjwVpmgzTvrs-0pORxVUZq_vf4PgTh36FSOhpvl52PxlX46XL4sb7KzVryopDl3zhyLiHXz6GAQ1AM3wBKy-0f13eqz_SkZziNA7Ao0LBVWVKG2bmi8/w625-h469/2020-09-02+09.49.41.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFgilIomSk5Fh-2DcQYjmt7uTTkMahfo-z_Lvok-VQy8YJ9VZt-yiRD3z391MbWhqSa6CdZSeAkJiws5OtBClTo2JQAx4_0bN-f8aWdKvnFL_05IPemzmLMOjYWOrnd-oq2AxfLm7_eU/s2048/2020-09-02+10.07.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFgilIomSk5Fh-2DcQYjmt7uTTkMahfo-z_Lvok-VQy8YJ9VZt-yiRD3z391MbWhqSa6CdZSeAkJiws5OtBClTo2JQAx4_0bN-f8aWdKvnFL_05IPemzmLMOjYWOrnd-oq2AxfLm7_eU/w625-h469/2020-09-02+10.07.06.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVaYA9H5jeeiYk9BtDz-HxzwTfKye1NKpj8ywBFIElDBjwjiKsn6_q0y_yQ1ng3pUW1pK_j_nRvwmtsubBvX3A9DLJ3cWtkQao8N1pBjTPd8UoGHqlnRjjfMEErrS1CEi42kwu18u-nA/s2048/2020-09-02+10.18.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVaYA9H5jeeiYk9BtDz-HxzwTfKye1NKpj8ywBFIElDBjwjiKsn6_q0y_yQ1ng3pUW1pK_j_nRvwmtsubBvX3A9DLJ3cWtkQao8N1pBjTPd8UoGHqlnRjjfMEErrS1CEi42kwu18u-nA/w625-h469/2020-09-02+10.18.10.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DRTzkA5w-xl4rUJP6alt2iJkcOpEcrkQizgwGzgxIMTeQPQZzZq1dfJbrCLO9iZRbvHwFfeQwZaJPtKDlyPe268Lbt-DUs9D1c88vbCCdm9vjrsskhTW7O9dBpibpoxtuoWYYOvg_NI/s2048/2020-09-02+10.42.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DRTzkA5w-xl4rUJP6alt2iJkcOpEcrkQizgwGzgxIMTeQPQZzZq1dfJbrCLO9iZRbvHwFfeQwZaJPtKDlyPe268Lbt-DUs9D1c88vbCCdm9vjrsskhTW7O9dBpibpoxtuoWYYOvg_NI/w625-h469/2020-09-02+10.42.46.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisysB-UdjZVkF1uNHPNMlBwqo9kLW4Tf-l5qXae2H14qhiN7qCk7W26lYbghiDRcniHq_MyOUiPYNT5RJAzjqVT9saNEoPFimAWqh_u9g_jisf2F1b4X_qK8GtFdfT5KJe8bw4py7dg7U/s2048/2020-09-02+10.53.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisysB-UdjZVkF1uNHPNMlBwqo9kLW4Tf-l5qXae2H14qhiN7qCk7W26lYbghiDRcniHq_MyOUiPYNT5RJAzjqVT9saNEoPFimAWqh_u9g_jisf2F1b4X_qK8GtFdfT5KJe8bw4py7dg7U/w625-h469/2020-09-02+10.53.09.jpg" width="625" /></span></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Next, we drove down to the Upper Geyser Basin to see some geysers go off! Particularly to go see Grand Geyser. This geyser only goes off every 6-7 hours and goes off for a full ten minutes! Well ... the geyser was late so I ended up waiting for three hours to see it, but it was totally worth it! It spurted out like white fireworks 200 feet in the air! So amazing!</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNaV_XmNLlHWBhFbtj9QE8SdFiX3eNMxM40zOmgu0qLS8o3yj-MG760KltsENHHfOQiOUkUGNZXt3r-4w8ATCU369GXt6O4aBYPGGRWID89DQXdQb0Q9n2AzGjAKwRKyFm-S3Kbac0Lc/s2048/2020-09-02+16.11.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNaV_XmNLlHWBhFbtj9QE8SdFiX3eNMxM40zOmgu0qLS8o3yj-MG760KltsENHHfOQiOUkUGNZXt3r-4w8ATCU369GXt6O4aBYPGGRWID89DQXdQb0Q9n2AzGjAKwRKyFm-S3Kbac0Lc/w625-h625/2020-09-02+16.11.13.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOSBXYKeDVt4A2fb8LMTJ3Gra1NQlv8EUUXu4IcbymEAUKo0sJawqjVbMfom87exzpHB9MMPPbHplDShs9n84XhdE53SqAiX17hmn34v4S1hoabrEsmNzLryaGLWIopvGPSIRuG3v7_c/s2048/2020-09-02+16.14.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOSBXYKeDVt4A2fb8LMTJ3Gra1NQlv8EUUXu4IcbymEAUKo0sJawqjVbMfom87exzpHB9MMPPbHplDShs9n84XhdE53SqAiX17hmn34v4S1hoabrEsmNzLryaGLWIopvGPSIRuG3v7_c/w625-h469/2020-09-02+16.14.52.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After Grand finished its eruption I took a look at some of the other geysers and pools like Castle Geyser and Scalloped Pool.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5JPTKM_F-w6kK3oODeArFin32xsj9J9InV2gTZbX865aIQxyaBD0JJIfnNRz-BZ8BCXyylEEkFJCZTNPhnvEMLGZFD8hqm8nKEuyLQ216GuyOi0z4mRTkPlR6KQQ2gl1225CGbb3sO4/s2048/2020-09-02+13.33.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5JPTKM_F-w6kK3oODeArFin32xsj9J9InV2gTZbX865aIQxyaBD0JJIfnNRz-BZ8BCXyylEEkFJCZTNPhnvEMLGZFD8hqm8nKEuyLQ216GuyOi0z4mRTkPlR6KQQ2gl1225CGbb3sO4/w625-h469/2020-09-02+13.33.49.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTsYbPyIcx9bhRQai_BXVvH-WhQXM8Sbl4Ty0AqL0bp6t8_cKOnn4CdKX2ziwvj8pJZnzyEY2GG0kk901tLYvAjrskVOuSAGvXxr3Oz4sjog3wriT3PygNaB3r8UL-EBzent5t-hPNbg/s2048/2020-09-02+13.35.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTsYbPyIcx9bhRQai_BXVvH-WhQXM8Sbl4Ty0AqL0bp6t8_cKOnn4CdKX2ziwvj8pJZnzyEY2GG0kk901tLYvAjrskVOuSAGvXxr3Oz4sjog3wriT3PygNaB3r8UL-EBzent5t-hPNbg/w625-h469/2020-09-02+13.35.44.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgBDwweWsDM6IV9J5sHM10jV0v-eAB00cYVhUogrvtiDNU7rIDOnhbSdiPuSEg6osjNFx1X7AfqxZiiwauXKB9H69A580jj0hgG_mp-CUHxEh08oenqQmF021rpS6AwZYiaOWQnI7pBU/s2048/2020-09-02+16.24.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgBDwweWsDM6IV9J5sHM10jV0v-eAB00cYVhUogrvtiDNU7rIDOnhbSdiPuSEg6osjNFx1X7AfqxZiiwauXKB9H69A580jj0hgG_mp-CUHxEh08oenqQmF021rpS6AwZYiaOWQnI7pBU/w625-h469/2020-09-02+16.24.55.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oYelKjP7JQJ6Q3Ij42MpVURBTfv1NTnbwuU2WvXCY8JYECa096QGdIFkpte-6-5KgRavPwofnOZSIdc07TEpMgwNEhClGO0cXoWBWHzPOp2hz_QoQTc4RZJz1FCN5GHjsqG1enB-6_8/s2048/2020-09-02+16.25.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oYelKjP7JQJ6Q3Ij42MpVURBTfv1NTnbwuU2WvXCY8JYECa096QGdIFkpte-6-5KgRavPwofnOZSIdc07TEpMgwNEhClGO0cXoWBWHzPOp2hz_QoQTc4RZJz1FCN5GHjsqG1enB-6_8/w300-h400/2020-09-02+16.25.27.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p>And I got to see the classic Old Faithful erupt! I had to see that! I was also eating delicious Maple Nut ice cream at the time</p></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjXmi-yZan1LIvecEhPW9Na-EdclyjXH579URQAfPVKPA-hGAgyG_QlpR3y_UyyAB8LtSOyR70TUzZYItEaV0YcRa5AMPHR07qa1DKoo18qBkQBn4Ft9hqDXhy_6513BvNrAJYfx1bJU/s2048/2020-09-02+16.58.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjXmi-yZan1LIvecEhPW9Na-EdclyjXH579URQAfPVKPA-hGAgyG_QlpR3y_UyyAB8LtSOyR70TUzZYItEaV0YcRa5AMPHR07qa1DKoo18qBkQBn4Ft9hqDXhy_6513BvNrAJYfx1bJU/w300-h400/2020-09-02+16.58.25.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZX4M1_5zQWSq4CpaqgbuC3NRJMyMU7JLrJ_VK9Rj9nAEGSS5WupxJFJIjQaT8fiAo1cT5w3uJkp17w1UqEqbtRmgDPcVZwE-wY-Dy0UMvKIkX71eHMMHkx5a8_TRj8KdrpdOqjs4khZQ/s2048/2020-09-02+17.02.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZX4M1_5zQWSq4CpaqgbuC3NRJMyMU7JLrJ_VK9Rj9nAEGSS5WupxJFJIjQaT8fiAo1cT5w3uJkp17w1UqEqbtRmgDPcVZwE-wY-Dy0UMvKIkX71eHMMHkx5a8_TRj8KdrpdOqjs4khZQ/w300-h400/2020-09-02+17.02.42.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our last big stop of the day was at Grand Prismatic Spring! There was so much steam it was almost like a sauna and it didn't have the stong sulphuric smell like the other springs we'd seen during the trip. The wind was cool yet it also brought the warmth of the steam. It was an amazing feeling. The waterfalls of roiling water from the Excelsior Geyser Crater were so cool!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4QfCOAof9TA_aYhkE_fvhgqYmw8TmFf1vPmcGdo0nG5sisxRzIBGSgbyp2HaDtJTSlUp6WxKzSvTlEF0zfmWU7oiekL5ZN32R8E47-hPZyrOOwcxkUBKT-FhG_oem4g_SzOGt1barag/s2048/2020-09-02+18.07.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4QfCOAof9TA_aYhkE_fvhgqYmw8TmFf1vPmcGdo0nG5sisxRzIBGSgbyp2HaDtJTSlUp6WxKzSvTlEF0zfmWU7oiekL5ZN32R8E47-hPZyrOOwcxkUBKT-FhG_oem4g_SzOGt1barag/w625-h469/2020-09-02+18.07.56.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbP9PGRBBaWY8QYSZs_d_Yp14w5HQPWhaQW4WU4cV4LqaYcySgc5eq5MzmU5lSbJVCioymBsLJ4Qqp0OisQhVYFuamuLSivL4VRgVasrVSimgqxIiz2zpnIAXf_2c-CGqa3mt2eWIcx4/s2048/2020-09-02+18.09.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbP9PGRBBaWY8QYSZs_d_Yp14w5HQPWhaQW4WU4cV4LqaYcySgc5eq5MzmU5lSbJVCioymBsLJ4Qqp0OisQhVYFuamuLSivL4VRgVasrVSimgqxIiz2zpnIAXf_2c-CGqa3mt2eWIcx4/w300-h400/2020-09-02+18.09.40.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3_vDk7wbnzzhAukF1NkxctY6UKhVVI-VMtIwkcRS22he__bJOynd6SgKYJ_HUMVbYxfAy8t168pkz8Sngv5mnqPMJ8Sm_gJu3AEWZ14BDRL69o9CZ4Ag99Eh5octoTSjTBZl_iozcyQ/s2048/2020-09-02+18.14.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3_vDk7wbnzzhAukF1NkxctY6UKhVVI-VMtIwkcRS22he__bJOynd6SgKYJ_HUMVbYxfAy8t168pkz8Sngv5mnqPMJ8Sm_gJu3AEWZ14BDRL69o9CZ4Ag99Eh5octoTSjTBZl_iozcyQ/w625-h469/2020-09-02+18.14.52.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then the spring itself was just stunning. All of the colors and patterns are made from the various bacteria living in the spring. Even in the harshest climates, life finds a way.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByME0sZkMJyL6Ysvg2V3u9dMuN4C-l4FHUa3UW1zuwSv0efNJoGEEf6q24j5m4yHReYPOEz3w-gH64XoLeaGuiFtvYF3SYVYe3Fo71f2IU67_V36Mf5qPqF0ETyqlpREo5adXk6cw5kE/s2048/2020-09-02+18.26.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByME0sZkMJyL6Ysvg2V3u9dMuN4C-l4FHUa3UW1zuwSv0efNJoGEEf6q24j5m4yHReYPOEz3w-gH64XoLeaGuiFtvYF3SYVYe3Fo71f2IU67_V36Mf5qPqF0ETyqlpREo5adXk6cw5kE/w625-h469/2020-09-02+18.26.23.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjji-6Uv2i4L2XGJ_sl_WbJl0JDEyr2FgcG5gJxGjaDBcLrCmcogQKIzg_fKAk47oFdl3W17c7OTL1Jwg-6zGaQEYPKk8wBknv59sm-zUi123xAP-uuMdJ9-svFhy8kosJeeoG9qQ6u0fE/s2048/2020-09-02+18.27.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjji-6Uv2i4L2XGJ_sl_WbJl0JDEyr2FgcG5gJxGjaDBcLrCmcogQKIzg_fKAk47oFdl3W17c7OTL1Jwg-6zGaQEYPKk8wBknv59sm-zUi123xAP-uuMdJ9-svFhy8kosJeeoG9qQ6u0fE/w625-h469/2020-09-02+18.27.09.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpwFt0G_Q92a8HP0wo077Mk1Wo9UVWbqUf5c4i479VIs8AjT7BWfP8ii-ERoy-FXkBZhqw8I4TuSSKRFergSu_-pCJ6g1IHXozDjFwwmVG_zKl2Nv6y918DzZvAEStbS3eCY7JWPkwF8/s2048/2020-09-02+18.30.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpwFt0G_Q92a8HP0wo077Mk1Wo9UVWbqUf5c4i479VIs8AjT7BWfP8ii-ERoy-FXkBZhqw8I4TuSSKRFergSu_-pCJ6g1IHXozDjFwwmVG_zKl2Nv6y918DzZvAEStbS3eCY7JWPkwF8/w625-h469/2020-09-02+18.30.14.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Before leaving, we also stopped at two more pools. The reds and blues are so beautiful.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnx9E5LyHyRqsPnvIsMLnKI4OdJ8W77FBmvdqPmap22E54Dt7VOnyHFcJJSW19GyKWlVidJQbJFNiPLnRRfRqnfbf2r-iwjP_etCNCPHvv2J8HNzA7_zcOFYb1e_kDK3-6Hcsm7MBDVg/s2048/2020-09-02+18.35.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnx9E5LyHyRqsPnvIsMLnKI4OdJ8W77FBmvdqPmap22E54Dt7VOnyHFcJJSW19GyKWlVidJQbJFNiPLnRRfRqnfbf2r-iwjP_etCNCPHvv2J8HNzA7_zcOFYb1e_kDK3-6Hcsm7MBDVg/w300-h400/2020-09-02+18.35.52.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahkxDkjyQiah1FApHNc7LQcLQl7zEmtRMy2LMdCeJXpfwt8L8ei1R9vnMMa84j85uiKQDgHlsYCnHwAfGAULSdvKQy2ZMzFPVroIiCA0Q4BuQM5aCvp4eXrhR76RABnSH75ch7iOFN2Q/s2048/2020-09-02+18.38.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahkxDkjyQiah1FApHNc7LQcLQl7zEmtRMy2LMdCeJXpfwt8L8ei1R9vnMMa84j85uiKQDgHlsYCnHwAfGAULSdvKQy2ZMzFPVroIiCA0Q4BuQM5aCvp4eXrhR76RABnSH75ch7iOFN2Q/w300-h400/2020-09-02+18.38.38.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">While leaving the park, we came across a herd of elk and I got to hear an elk buck bugle! It's a rare sound you can only hear during mating season. Though I didn't get a chance to record it, I'll remember the sound. <3</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyfX_ctIvbLCOiizZdCti2Whi8mrVO7Mcz3SNk6MDLfFbj7bhumsCgN5U_965JKlzu5N3LWToZsmFWgrCOaHtDF6ybOeomOoz5tfCSH75Y1yFXp2YmjTnV9Pk_5YkbGHaNgpDTRf0mCU/s2048/2020-09-02+19.18.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyfX_ctIvbLCOiizZdCti2Whi8mrVO7Mcz3SNk6MDLfFbj7bhumsCgN5U_965JKlzu5N3LWToZsmFWgrCOaHtDF6ybOeomOoz5tfCSH75Y1yFXp2YmjTnV9Pk_5YkbGHaNgpDTRf0mCU/w625-h469/2020-09-02+19.18.14.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Then we finished the day with some delicious Mexican food at Taqueria Malverde!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0oeVfkAIorHFg24D2p-NCAMtLrJFGHLim3rGJFZYRi0cEi895uqZQwmARWut0fsaJVYyaKb3WwYlR-EAAxRbriTSjnTARSo0MD7O_M5MOHAYLS1a8CWwr3ZwV8n_7s9noQx28gWRyfE/s2048/2020-09-02+20.06.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0oeVfkAIorHFg24D2p-NCAMtLrJFGHLim3rGJFZYRi0cEi895uqZQwmARWut0fsaJVYyaKb3WwYlR-EAAxRbriTSjnTARSo0MD7O_M5MOHAYLS1a8CWwr3ZwV8n_7s9noQx28gWRyfE/w300-h400/2020-09-02+20.06.22.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 4/5:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On this day we visited Yellowstone Lake! This is the largest lake I’ve seen in my life at a whopping 136 miles! The sheer size and the blue of the lake’s surface were just stunning. I also love the black sand shores. Such an amazing place.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3rlClK1WO78vuolDQfxQwFB_qgyMIsrTxHN7cy-U5nyIFBCRavXi8MIXx0v8jjr-01OAWjsayiVWsxFtZ7gxqSTkSP0FDxo1h9sp7Wz15pO-bAPr5cUSyVsi3c9EMatHaCbOBOJ3cxg/s2048/2020-09-03+11.02.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3rlClK1WO78vuolDQfxQwFB_qgyMIsrTxHN7cy-U5nyIFBCRavXi8MIXx0v8jjr-01OAWjsayiVWsxFtZ7gxqSTkSP0FDxo1h9sp7Wz15pO-bAPr5cUSyVsi3c9EMatHaCbOBOJ3cxg/w625-h469/2020-09-03+11.02.08.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW44GkaxtR17UNCdCN30W79HtgAaNk6R1c5R2StM68ACOo0nMo9WzOanWSOR93HQAHE2uXbnZrvHGUS7JX5_BsHOa2q8tDGsMW9crCyZ6H-MpFhdePixfym_Qv4tg7JzWm8ZtTcTsdkM/s2048/2020-09-03+11.07.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW44GkaxtR17UNCdCN30W79HtgAaNk6R1c5R2StM68ACOo0nMo9WzOanWSOR93HQAHE2uXbnZrvHGUS7JX5_BsHOa2q8tDGsMW9crCyZ6H-MpFhdePixfym_Qv4tg7JzWm8ZtTcTsdkM/w625-h469/2020-09-03+11.07.35.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmoYPk_1r9FuIlIIiHIZb39pyxDu1lEpq7RSZaWB-cCH5-qDr-gGmKZPTonW5ZPDfa62ZOHDR4JqGzJUzi8ac_-F4dEteKXMakV4KaT6oLT8gcL7jt7vuB2FgaX7hPGNPsNwMK6LLZ4s/s2048/2020-09-03+11.08.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmoYPk_1r9FuIlIIiHIZb39pyxDu1lEpq7RSZaWB-cCH5-qDr-gGmKZPTonW5ZPDfa62ZOHDR4JqGzJUzi8ac_-F4dEteKXMakV4KaT6oLT8gcL7jt7vuB2FgaX7hPGNPsNwMK6LLZ4s/w625-h469/2020-09-03+11.08.51.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I ate lunch with that wonderful lake view and later sat on a rock jutting out in the lake and just enjoyed the peace and serenity of the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore, the wind in my hair, and the water as far as the eye could see. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcajQ45VVvXNvTUtjb9LylfSYuprzAls30vHcZOAAYBBmsa-PXChAwk0nY36lJrmP30ZGQVZXAZreje9Q7_AOdUZ7f-GMg2tvMnMenUtwFX8t3gsp_VtJzuyMnaSZjc83I0e_JEiaQo0E/s2048/2020-09-03+13.12.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcajQ45VVvXNvTUtjb9LylfSYuprzAls30vHcZOAAYBBmsa-PXChAwk0nY36lJrmP30ZGQVZXAZreje9Q7_AOdUZ7f-GMg2tvMnMenUtwFX8t3gsp_VtJzuyMnaSZjc83I0e_JEiaQo0E/w625-h469/2020-09-03+13.12.22.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Next, we stopped at the West Thumb basin where we explored geothermal activity right next to the lake! It was so cool to see geyser cones jutting out of the lake with steam and bubbling water. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeWBbVPvdVNcQn8FWq8ZBJhc6cvCVoMhpzhuxvRuUmSF0aGJmHi-t1Z02pge_NAKrHggro2EzXkSBbuLal4rAfPSSS8g0cBmhIcror-5N_-BOf7tFTWdcfXdJ19eFr8yzfY5xOPmdpBU/s2048/2020-09-03+15.02.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeWBbVPvdVNcQn8FWq8ZBJhc6cvCVoMhpzhuxvRuUmSF0aGJmHi-t1Z02pge_NAKrHggro2EzXkSBbuLal4rAfPSSS8g0cBmhIcror-5N_-BOf7tFTWdcfXdJ19eFr8yzfY5xOPmdpBU/w625-h469/2020-09-03+15.02.41.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X-UcvqKbx_8U0W78fvASKxWO73Z0SpfDRzoXbx1IeSulRltS3meZdvFCE8VbabFRKWSjANajblEcN-hhKIw6kFYuFZ7peDy-BG7qtL9BlV90N9cc0wDI_tgx7cxVCsPiLG2pasWI0F8/s2048/2020-09-03+15.04.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X-UcvqKbx_8U0W78fvASKxWO73Z0SpfDRzoXbx1IeSulRltS3meZdvFCE8VbabFRKWSjANajblEcN-hhKIw6kFYuFZ7peDy-BG7qtL9BlV90N9cc0wDI_tgx7cxVCsPiLG2pasWI0F8/w300-h400/2020-09-03+15.04.16.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSQXMlT544UzOhiKRPib-ueziYF4bPXgcsdEX32EjvwpC0rGA1pX0YW54BzeBcV7v95NTdNttoFyxGbv-B9TSyH_Nd7gczB5yAoEW7_24uQ9ZXwSsWHEOKFXxH87oAphyphenhyphenUdQkbO1IaG8/s2048/2020-09-03+15.05.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSQXMlT544UzOhiKRPib-ueziYF4bPXgcsdEX32EjvwpC0rGA1pX0YW54BzeBcV7v95NTdNttoFyxGbv-B9TSyH_Nd7gczB5yAoEW7_24uQ9ZXwSsWHEOKFXxH87oAphyphenhyphenUdQkbO1IaG8/w625-h469/2020-09-03+15.05.46.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p>The colors of Black Pool and Abyss Pool were amazing. Beautiful and dangerous. I now want to create fantasy creatures that can live in hot springs!</p></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BSotze4hVwNCrPgL3DyDrtqR5bdPui2VSlDWUDPrb2DP7SU3iAe9hP4VpalbFa-BOzdqTQDcto3AVZGrxH0lUwQrPMaRlzYO6enGbFxKWRvXqpL3zSEzHGWLWA9dC_ykl3g7SauO_Hw/s2048/2020-09-03+15.10.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BSotze4hVwNCrPgL3DyDrtqR5bdPui2VSlDWUDPrb2DP7SU3iAe9hP4VpalbFa-BOzdqTQDcto3AVZGrxH0lUwQrPMaRlzYO6enGbFxKWRvXqpL3zSEzHGWLWA9dC_ykl3g7SauO_Hw/w625-h469/2020-09-03+15.10.14.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgXVZg99hg6k03XBdDcHZczz9jhVCZ-vBl8Bl7YDqSL0ABJOlVEbHMNh0fpBOs_CJpncLPFjz820bPm0VmSyja293WpSbnsZoej7VaRoRHdymCz17SbNS50McJ2XjHprxzN6AlxBRTbI/s2048/2020-09-03+15.12.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgXVZg99hg6k03XBdDcHZczz9jhVCZ-vBl8Bl7YDqSL0ABJOlVEbHMNh0fpBOs_CJpncLPFjz820bPm0VmSyja293WpSbnsZoej7VaRoRHdymCz17SbNS50McJ2XjHprxzN6AlxBRTbI/w625-h469/2020-09-03+15.12.48.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the way back to West Yellowstone we inadvertently got really close to a herd of bison. They’re such huge creatures!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvp2uWbIrT3JGE0x9WXUGDn-ZyEiesEMxyHXNGJnCuQgd1umk4Suby7auC9p3H5BcXqxyDdHOmJ048xqzPIR9W4UvuDAdpK1rUdd4WciuKPj_DPAYWO0ylplh9gFqSFP7vYNQt9APVXs/s2048/2020-09-03+16.22.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvp2uWbIrT3JGE0x9WXUGDn-ZyEiesEMxyHXNGJnCuQgd1umk4Suby7auC9p3H5BcXqxyDdHOmJ048xqzPIR9W4UvuDAdpK1rUdd4WciuKPj_DPAYWO0ylplh9gFqSFP7vYNQt9APVXs/w625-h469/2020-09-03+16.22.42.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And we finished the day with some shopping and pizza at Wild West! Mine was called the Calamity Jane pizza. :D Ricotta, artichoke hearts, and garlic. So much yum!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4yHr0NYxrxWLB2wWVwXBvLbtpr19VVMZh_6-xhodLXYdLC_hqs6lg75xB8_pjYkBQyCnKV3hh89lvoRc78WVOkgC5QrMNX0noQpWlJGagEdrc6sIeQrJNMUxklK975kHdordDNzpZVY/s2048/2020-09-03+19.29.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4yHr0NYxrxWLB2wWVwXBvLbtpr19VVMZh_6-xhodLXYdLC_hqs6lg75xB8_pjYkBQyCnKV3hh89lvoRc78WVOkgC5QrMNX0noQpWlJGagEdrc6sIeQrJNMUxklK975kHdordDNzpZVY/w300-h400/2020-09-03+19.29.11.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVh2OnI-AmPAJhtaIpKgI8DemDZfm71jq2pe2Od0AqLPwzERrPv40o9h6SfR2VkCI5EuLYSYq51xxBBGI_LzkNoDJps6TO8mMoECLY_PROwa-k1gerRkm0EUlTGXNz1IbXtvPVlsU8mTM/s2048/2020-09-03+19.59.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVh2OnI-AmPAJhtaIpKgI8DemDZfm71jq2pe2Od0AqLPwzERrPv40o9h6SfR2VkCI5EuLYSYq51xxBBGI_LzkNoDJps6TO8mMoECLY_PROwa-k1gerRkm0EUlTGXNz1IbXtvPVlsU8mTM/w300-h400/2020-09-03+19.59.21.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 5/5:</b></span></p><div style="-en-clipboard: true;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Since our flight didn’t leave until the afternoon and we were less than ten minutes from the airport we swung by the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center and got to see a variety of animals! The two grizzlies we got to see were Sam and Spirit. Man, they are so huge in real life!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekL9CJrx0BKP4vtOp_Mfb_Qm7AmAyY3e-shTa-SikfD2kN5rFFeod_tCo2UE97Bd5csI_pryobVNuZq5hr1N12sYuJu0ZmPnpXUHYr9p4r07F9Z70YHUlMNcjbg3APaQUxiJs6ymMbyY/s2048/2020-09-04+11.16.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekL9CJrx0BKP4vtOp_Mfb_Qm7AmAyY3e-shTa-SikfD2kN5rFFeod_tCo2UE97Bd5csI_pryobVNuZq5hr1N12sYuJu0ZmPnpXUHYr9p4r07F9Z70YHUlMNcjbg3APaQUxiJs6ymMbyY/w625-h469/2020-09-04+11.16.13.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrptbaXcowuFsCTtqI4mv23zB9DzRaTP4RblwJF7-66tmYEkyhKU2vm-D73j16Kns0PWgDtYfEBJbmzIrCZCG6awMnRrcRTFfdfyQaMJmmtjJOJW0h2KYpEphhVKbcuwzukDbSer_Hf4/s2048/2020-09-04+11.49.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrptbaXcowuFsCTtqI4mv23zB9DzRaTP4RblwJF7-66tmYEkyhKU2vm-D73j16Kns0PWgDtYfEBJbmzIrCZCG6awMnRrcRTFfdfyQaMJmmtjJOJW0h2KYpEphhVKbcuwzukDbSer_Hf4/w625-h469/2020-09-04+11.49.51.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I loved the beautiful white wolves and the black wolf. Some young wolves even came right up to the glass! They were really cute! Nom nom.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHplXQZcdk-b3CM5oue6wXF9l1fod7pwDvwZ3XpaYSEqQwvk89ZnrPSrbUJJiFLQivRJKils4ZD3duy6mknEWNX8aJ1jZoIpWzkgQa_LXxciGn8-mm2mqONFjgd0FKA0LgXWCdU9id7FA/s2048/2020-09-04+11.10.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHplXQZcdk-b3CM5oue6wXF9l1fod7pwDvwZ3XpaYSEqQwvk89ZnrPSrbUJJiFLQivRJKils4ZD3duy6mknEWNX8aJ1jZoIpWzkgQa_LXxciGn8-mm2mqONFjgd0FKA0LgXWCdU9id7FA/w625-h469/2020-09-04+11.10.55.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey1iG28FLV3clzpRruVOgpYXzYP17KPmVMXMC3z1t5VaabMff2KFBv0YF7FyqqJgjsPr9Ju5UxnPO0fY4h-xyCIz9XNm1gVgbs-KkYrHbfzYsxvfjvKg59SfttcMLUzBa9lGl1L7-ZbM/s2048/2020-09-04+11.30.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiey1iG28FLV3clzpRruVOgpYXzYP17KPmVMXMC3z1t5VaabMff2KFBv0YF7FyqqJgjsPr9Ju5UxnPO0fY4h-xyCIz9XNm1gVgbs-KkYrHbfzYsxvfjvKg59SfttcMLUzBa9lGl1L7-ZbM/w625-h469/2020-09-04+11.30.54.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Discovery Center also had a variety of raptors, all rescued. I love bald eagles and how they were all named after veterans. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4AVEf714QRq4p0orADK5Eg81hRGTY4xjdnJosou5rjmzxibdgPmmjfIApkyb3PeuDwKCItGOvRw_t6i570pFUknAbmcgcOCb10c9tnWaNpxX1OXD7kLuHD3ElzqtVXZsSKSsKAz6nmU/s2048/2020-09-04+11.27.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4AVEf714QRq4p0orADK5Eg81hRGTY4xjdnJosou5rjmzxibdgPmmjfIApkyb3PeuDwKCItGOvRw_t6i570pFUknAbmcgcOCb10c9tnWaNpxX1OXD7kLuHD3ElzqtVXZsSKSsKAz6nmU/w625-h469/2020-09-04+11.27.05.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">There were also some reptiles and otters! I love how the otters kicked off the sides of the tanks like little kids. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk3WRgDFd6P-Nzb0oJd2Bol1wq_uL0X4BMIbYfYQf4x5uC93CbjhyttNZWqTrcM7GLJSYrSI_NAhnNzh_VcApZac4jDi2TUU9VUGZIbwEYYay5_oirbEijrPA5SVg1c_kd2UAU0plRaQ/s2048/2020-09-04+11.38.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk3WRgDFd6P-Nzb0oJd2Bol1wq_uL0X4BMIbYfYQf4x5uC93CbjhyttNZWqTrcM7GLJSYrSI_NAhnNzh_VcApZac4jDi2TUU9VUGZIbwEYYay5_oirbEijrPA5SVg1c_kd2UAU0plRaQ/w300-h400/2020-09-04+11.38.39.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After that, we headed home. I didn’t get many pictures because we got in very very late, but it was a decent enough trip. </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgZZlnAq6o6_CyDXgPoWjsJP9BArRNdxIbseuAu9JTOwBHDLoZa07sX7IB7TwnIPGRPRH-OVwTw_8o438RxfRykPXl0_FZaUFW5Omhk-g0jdPT04aV6DszuHPMx20XsNsY9F-t9nwAvM/s2048/2020-09-04+19.49.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgZZlnAq6o6_CyDXgPoWjsJP9BArRNdxIbseuAu9JTOwBHDLoZa07sX7IB7TwnIPGRPRH-OVwTw_8o438RxfRykPXl0_FZaUFW5Omhk-g0jdPT04aV6DszuHPMx20XsNsY9F-t9nwAvM/w625-h469/2020-09-04+19.49.05.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Soul-replenishing is the best way I can describe this trip. I feel like I’ve been cooped up for most of the year and my wanderer’s heart has withered being confined, but having adventures in Wyoming and Montana brought life back <span style="background-color: white;">into me. Though this year is still continuing to be generally suckish, I'm very grateful for that eye of the storm in this tumultuous time and that I could at least make one dream come true this year. <3</span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Were you able to take a summer vacation this year? What are some of your favorite national parks? How many states in the US have you been to?</b></span></p><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>You may also like:</b><br /><span><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/02/winter-florida-trip-2020-report.html">Winter Florida Trip 2020 Report</a></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/12/canada-2019-report.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Canada 2019 Report</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/09/disneyfall-florida-trip-2019-report.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Disney/Fall Florida Trip 2019 Report!</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/04/iceland-report-2019now-im-26.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Iceland Report 2019/Now I'm 26 ...</a><br /><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/09/canada-2018-report.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Canada 2018 Report</a></span></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-62051684216838160112020-09-04T13:00:00.013-04:002020-09-04T13:00:00.711-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Awakened by Richard Spillman<div>
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Everyone dies once. But what if a chosen few were raised from the dead? Two thousand years ago Jesus resurrected his friend, Lazarus, who founded a secret organization: SOAR. Since then Jesus has added to the resurrected—The Awakened—to aid Lazarus in SOAR's battle against Satan's slaves, the UnVeilers. The threat is escalating. The UnVeilers have stepped up their attacks on mankind through a charming leader and a devastating series of bombings in Dubai and Tel Aviv. But the invasion doesn't stop with international terrorism. The UnVeilers are searching for a secret that Jesus embedded in Lazarus’ journal that not even Lazarus knows—and it will determine the fate of mankind. After a failed cyber-attack against SOAR's computers, Lazarus and his team of experts must find the secret before the UnVeilers do. What clue is he overlooking that could turn the tide of this ageless conflict? The souls fighting with Lazarus are weary, but the war against evil is far from won. Can Lazarus and his team set aside their longing for heaven and put a stop to these satanic attacks before it's too late?</div>
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<b>Series:</b> The Lazarus Chronicles (Book 1)<br /><b>Genre:</b> Adult Thriller<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Mountain Brook Ink (September 13, 2018)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 360 pages<br /><br />I won this book as a prize in Jill Williamson’s marketing class at Realm Makers last year in St. Louis. I wasn’t hugely intrigued by it at first, but I have so might as well read it.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot: </span>This more of a supernatural thriller because there are some fantastical elements. It’s one of those hidden world type books where a struggle of good and evil hides in plain sight like Mortal Instruments or the Spiderwick Chronicles. Most of the bad guys are demon possessed resurrected people called UnDeads. The book focuses on thwarting terrorist plots around the world, but there are also a lot of subplots</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> that focus on characters. One prominent one is characters reading Lazarus’s diary that focuses on his experiences after being resurrected by Jesus. It was interesting seeing his point of view of the Crucifixion</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The drawback about these Awakened who can’t die or be hurt is there isn’t much of a sense of peril for them. There’s some for the people they’re protecting but I was a little puzzled by some of these Awakened needing to be protected. I mean torture wouldn’t work because they can’t be hurt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is heavily CBA. Most of the characters are Christian and this is targeted to a Christian audience because characters frequently pray and some go to church. It’s the exception not the norm in this group to be non-religious. When one character comes back to life some people in the church suspect him of demon possession or that he went to hell when he died and not heaven. It’s hard to believe there’s people still like that anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Characters:</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> It’s hard to define a main character in this book because the story goes into so many points of views. I thought it was going to be Bobby, a newly resurrected man, but it turned out to be more like Lazarus which I preferred because Lazarus is the most interesting character. I mean there’s so much to unpack about a man who’s lived for over two thousand years and has met famous people of history. He also has a decent character arc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My other two favorite characters were Ariella and Ricki. Ricki seemed the most human. She deals with a lot of deep issues and I like her little something something with Lazarus. Her dealing with PTSD was really accurate. I liked the detail of her having the aversion to the color yellow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ariella has a kind personality and her love for The Wizard of Oz is cute. Matthew, Lazarus’s Polish friend, was cool too. Yay for Polish peeps!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">None of the other characters were particularly striking to me. The bad guys were interesting and definitely evil. Their obsession with naming things after their objectives was interesting like “merikh” meaning “death.” I also felt like the portrayal of Middle-Eastern people was fair. I’ve read another book that was just outright racist about middle-eastern terrorism, but this one felt far more realistic. Bad and good characters are shown. A prominent character named Assam is middle-eastern and a young UAE girl pressured into becoming a suicide bomber and a large plot line is trying to save her from it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Setting:</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Most of the book is set in Seattle and The United Arab Emirates which are two interesting places. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The best scene to me was when Lazarus and Ricki went to Washington DC and sat in an orchard of cherry blossoms with one red oak tree. It was a really pretty picture. I also appreciated the brief Lord of the Rings reference. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Theme:</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The main theme is that all life is precious (P 295). The members of SOAR, the resurrected people organization, prioritize the lives of Naturals (normal people) at all costs. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Content Cautions:</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> This is an adult thriller so there’s gonna be some violence. This includes suicide bombings, throwing up blood, a detailed account of the Crucifixion, a bad guy threatening to drop a baby of a roof, and then some gun shots and bombs going off. The most severe amount of content is the mention of an incest child rape. Also someone chews tobacco.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What To Do If Someone’s Heart Stops -</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In this book someone’s heart stops and immediately the doctors resort to a defibrillator to shock his heart back into beating. This is incorrect. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> It’s very theatrical in movies, books, and shows to shock someone with a defibrillator or inject them with adrenaline, but to save some from death your best bet is chest compressions to keep blood flowing to the brain. Do your research.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> This book was decent. Not bad, not thrilling.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author: </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Dr. Richard Spillman</b> founded the Kingdom is Near Ministries (KIN). Through KIN he has supported an orphanage in Uganda as well as a </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">church/school for kids from conflict zones in the Philippines. He has small teams on short term missions into slums and jungles around the world. He has also taught in DTS for YWAM in Mali, South Korea, India and the Philippines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Visit his web site: spillmanauthor.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Join his facebook group: bit.ly/spillmanauthor</span></div>
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-70415790988284013872020-08-28T13:00:00.144-04:002020-08-28T20:25:29.426-04:00Monthly Wanderings: August 2020<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFGuSwh0zRiMyOve1veeBzaLQ_U9YQf098IIvnfzlZfksU9zsBzirbokkZn_44kMnRNZ-kvnysUUVbpMbbEnimi97jK_bRVL7k_M5X1dutA_Hsj7CeLnCrCoFdB2oJlzdS66nRdwSWNQ/s2000/Monthly+Wanderings+August+2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFGuSwh0zRiMyOve1veeBzaLQ_U9YQf098IIvnfzlZfksU9zsBzirbokkZn_44kMnRNZ-kvnysUUVbpMbbEnimi97jK_bRVL7k_M5X1dutA_Hsj7CeLnCrCoFdB2oJlzdS66nRdwSWNQ/s640/Monthly+Wanderings+August+2020.png" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">August was a mostly uneventful month. XD The best part was hiking other than that work work work lol. </span></p><a name='more'></a><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face="" style="font-size: x-large;">What I did:</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">1.) I couldn't resist and I've started doing some plotting for <i>In Darkest Starlight</i>, my NA Fantasy I'm going to write for NaNo! I'm also trying to have my website move scheduled for sometime in October. </span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">2.) <span style="background-color: white;">Like I said earlier hiking was the best part of the month. I hiked up Kennesaw Mountain and a low cloud was over the peak and it was so enchanting. <3</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face="">3.) I finished <i>Crooked House </i>by Agatha Christie and <i>Gatekeepers </i>by Robert Liparulo!</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">4.) I did a little bit of crafting this month. I've been working on some <i>Avatar: The Last Airbender </i>nesting dolls, but I'm nervous that I won't do them justice. XD</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face="" style="font-size: x-large;">The Geeky Department:</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">1.) I'm still loving <i>Animal Crossing: New Horizons</i>! I just did a big makeover to my island and I love it even more now. <3 So pumped for fall and fall recipes!</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHTBKY7MV8E_1adbhaQMaoONXtuxpVMVKWOEleEyoeJSqxZOetP2FzwjX_RgZS_Nco5Gz-BFS0zCex47jwDPIq1ts23ivy_jGPhc7D79w0COsKp7ioMsguIxFyb_NQQER4U99bnT5EeM/s1280/AnimalCrossingMuseumEntranceAug2020.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHTBKY7MV8E_1adbhaQMaoONXtuxpVMVKWOEleEyoeJSqxZOetP2FzwjX_RgZS_Nco5Gz-BFS0zCex47jwDPIq1ts23ivy_jGPhc7D79w0COsKp7ioMsguIxFyb_NQQER4U99bnT5EeM/s640/AnimalCrossingMuseumEntranceAug2020.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">2.) I finished </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">. Man, that was a journey and a great game.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3LPvcDPmEWlom4rGp77Xgwn7H405kTkf-0U2W7esFLfOPrkEuoRSUo6MT1wv35H0zLVZ4203KT8XdKhSVNiWTo9983IiMBZjgcthQnH6WL1vE1itfPs1LYDoaA2fdHyYsQfXYVqgPws/s1920/The-Witcher-3-Wild-Hunt-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3LPvcDPmEWlom4rGp77Xgwn7H405kTkf-0U2W7esFLfOPrkEuoRSUo6MT1wv35H0zLVZ4203KT8XdKhSVNiWTo9983IiMBZjgcthQnH6WL1vE1itfPs1LYDoaA2fdHyYsQfXYVqgPws/s640/The-Witcher-3-Wild-Hunt-1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face="">3.) I finished the </span></span><span><i>Gabriel Knight</i> trilogy. Though I liked the first two games, the third was a massive fail for me. I'll explain why in a post next month!'</span></span></p><p><span face=""><span style="font-family: georgia;">4.) I'm finally watching <i>The Umbrella Academy</i>! This is such a unique superhero show. My favorite characters have to be Klaus and Ben! XD Klaus has a great character arc.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWF7XaU695vYViURAWW298rAEvSpegdgjpHFBlPAm6a7kmTU55Y0B6gMV24wmnKPthY67mOrOn0es_8ARGkgHo1ODkPyiUZQEYnjGd87IYQ9i-9WnZbDuBunnlXDsGG9zs86_j9btjEWw/s1280/TheUmbrellaAcademy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWF7XaU695vYViURAWW298rAEvSpegdgjpHFBlPAm6a7kmTU55Y0B6gMV24wmnKPthY67mOrOn0es_8ARGkgHo1ODkPyiUZQEYnjGd87IYQ9i-9WnZbDuBunnlXDsGG9zs86_j9btjEWw/s640/TheUmbrellaAcademy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">5.) </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm currently playing the Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition! It's a great story with lovable characters and amazing world-building!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face="" style="font-size: x-large;">What I'm Going to Do:</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">1.) I'm going to go over feedback from my agent and I'm hoping to do more plotting for <i>In Darkest Starlight</i>!</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">2.) I leave on Monday for West Yellowstone, Montana to spend five days in Yellowstone National Park! I'm so stoked! My cousin and I have some possible other plans, but they're still up in the air. Keep an eye on Instagram for those!</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">3.) I'm going to finish <i>The Elfstones of Shannara </i>by Terry Brooks and <i>The Mark of Athena </i>by Rick Riordan and hopefully start <i>Within These Lines </i>by Stephanie Morrill!</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">4.) I'm going to try to summon courage and finish those ATLA nesting dolls and some clay projects!</span></span><br /><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">5.) I may have some pieces going up on a few sites.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span><span face=""><br /></span><span face="" style="font-size: x-large;">Last Month on Wanderer's Pen ...</span></span><br /><span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Scythe by Neal Shusterman</a><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Writing Lessons from TV Shows: The Witcher</a><br /><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/08/book-review-and-writing-lessons-watcher.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face="" style="font-size: x-large;"><span face="">Coming Soon to Wanderer's Pen ...</span></span></span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>September 4: Book Review and Writing Lessons: the Awakened by Richard Spillman -</b> There was good and meh about this book but there was some stuff to learn about this CBA thriller.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>September 11: Yellowstone National Park 2020 Report -</b> So excited to tell you about my adventures in my first report post in six months!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>September 18: Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Gabriel Knight Trilogy -</b> There was a lot I liked and a lot I didn't like, but there's a lot to learn from this classic PC adventure game series.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>September 25: Book Review and Writing Lessons: Crooked House by Agatha Christie -</b> This was such an interesting book. Can't wait to tell you about it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>September 29: Monthly Summary: September 2020 -</b> Like this but for September. :D</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas3Xn3lniTeL_OrkCxS_cAk_UJpdQxqAEQXEdnFP_GSgBepRAoQxpfMsqNAnEFJcxf_IrrVkhQXrMS_9Hld9iD-DQLqh-v30-zcMnwxslfmB8zMgahgXmi2cheqDDmqqcCAgSE1VGzzY/s2000/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+The+Awakened+by+Richard+Spillman.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas3Xn3lniTeL_OrkCxS_cAk_UJpdQxqAEQXEdnFP_GSgBepRAoQxpfMsqNAnEFJcxf_IrrVkhQXrMS_9Hld9iD-DQLqh-v30-zcMnwxslfmB8zMgahgXmi2cheqDDmqqcCAgSE1VGzzY/s640/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+The+Awakened+by+Richard+Spillman.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""><span face=""><br /></span></span>Overall, it was a bit of a boring month, but I'm super pumped for next month!</span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>How was your month? What did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts? Have you been able to go hiking this summer?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">You may also like:</span></b></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/monthly-wanderings-july-2020.html">Monthly Wanderings: July 2020</a></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: June 2020</a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: May 2020</a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695" style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: April 2020</a></span></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-86289477116075544672020-08-21T13:00:00.021-04:002020-08-21T13:00:05.503-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
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Twelve-year-old David and his family search for their kidnapped mother in the many different time period portals of their home, but when a stranger appears and tries to force them to sell the house, their desperation reaches new heights.</div>
<br /><b>Series:</b> Dreamhouse Kings (Book 2)<br /><b>Genre:</b> Middle-Grade Fantasy<br /><b>Publisher: </b>Thomas Nelson (February 3, 2012)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 304 pages<br /><br />I'm finally getting to reading this sequel! I read the first book back in 2018 and bought this sequel last year at Realm Makers and I've finally gotten around to reading it!</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot:</span> This book feels like a book leading to another book as in the events seem to be focused on just setting up for the next book. I spoke to the author and the whole series is basically one long plot, so that's how it's supposed to be. Therefore most of this book is the King family figuring out how to deal with a house that has portals to other places in time and dealing with the town and how they're reacting to their strange behavior. But there were a lot of fun twists and exciting sequences with locks flying off doors and scary home invaders. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Characters:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> I definitely relate a lot to David and how he just wants to do the right thing and obey his parents. His personality is very similar to mine when I was a kid. Also his younger sister Toria is adorable. Xander was a little tough for me to like just because he’s very opposite to how I would handle his situation lol. I also loved their dad. It was really refreshing to have a strong father figure involved in all of the fantastical craziness and danger of the story. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">And there’s an Assyrian assassin for a bad guy which is always fun lol.</span></div><div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Setting:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> Most of the book is set in a small California town, but there are other short sequences set in WWII France, the Civil War south, and ancient Assyria.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> There were some fun sequences like a weird phenomenon in the woods where the family could float in the air and just the whole concept of portals in a house is cool. It was also refreshing to see a family pray together at the dinner table since you don’t see that much anymore and that’s what I grew up doing. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Theme:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> Unity is a big theme as the King family coordinates to save Mom.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Content Cautions:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">This is middle-grade so there's nothing too crazy. The grossest is a mention of how in ancient Assyria that people used to skin men, women, and children and keep severed fingers and toes as trophies. Other things of note are corpses on the a</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> battlefield, a child’s arm broken off-screen, a badly bruised hand, and someone has a bloody mouth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br /><br /><b>1.)</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b> Well-Intentioned People Can Be Obstacles -</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> After David breaks his arm from a fall and goes to the hospital people start getting suspicious of the King family especially with the absence of their mom. Eventually these people start thinking David’s dad is abusive to his kids and this becomes a big obstacle in the story and the Kings can’t explain their situation without sounding crazy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> There are lots of ways well-intentioned people can be an obstacle for your characters especially in a modern world with supernatural foes such as policeman fighting against superhero vigilantes like in <i>Arrow </i>or a parent who wants to protect their kid like when King Trident destroys Ariel’s treasure trove in <i>The Little Mermaid </i>or Chief Tui discourages Moana from sailing in <i>Moana.</i></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> This was a fun book but it did feel very intermediate but I feel like the next books will have more action to them. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About the Author:</span> I've been writing since before I could drive. Short stories, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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investigative exposes celebrity profiles, editorials, business columns, radio dramas, screenplays--you name it. For the last few years, I've focused on novels. I'm the author of the thrillers "Comes a Horseman," "Germ," "Deadfall," "Deadlock," "The 13th Tribe," and the young adult series Dreamhouse Kings--"House of Dark Shadows," "Watcher in the Woods," "Gatekeepers," "Timescape," "Whirlwind," and "Frenzy."<br /><br />Several of my books have been sold or optioned by Hollywood producers. All of them are in various stages of production. I'm also working on an original screenplay with Andrew Davis (director of "The Fugitive" and "The Guardian). I wrote the screenplay for Ted Dekker's "Blessed Child." My short story "Kill Zone" appears in the James Patterson-edited anthology "Thriller," and my essay on Thomas Perry's "The Butcher's Boy" can be found in the anthology "Thriller: 100 Must Reads."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Check out his <a href="http://www.robertliparulo.com/" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">website</a>, <a href="http://facebook.com/LiparuloFans" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/230226.Robert_Liparulo" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertLiparulo" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Other books by this author I've reviewed:</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-13th-tribe-by-robert-liparalo.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The 13th Tribe</span></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-book-review-of-judgement-stone-by.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The Judgment Stone</span></a></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/02/review-house-of-dark-shadows-by-robert.html">Review: The House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo</a></span><br />
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-49419202780865646162020-08-14T13:00:00.001-04:002020-08-14T13:00:03.627-04:00Writing Lessons from TV Shows: The Witcher<font face="georgia"><br /></font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lpzPai8mHDyl-8NOyWepkh8K39gOa5_lLUQGgGhMpMUqUui5Xn-Xy-BNTFJX1c8VF4jEb1CS_HTBokxAHuOY8CWqwRSgd2BSO5s6hBsmS3g4bovJjmB8yaPzEC62YinOYkQiNf6KofE/s2000/Writing+Lessons+from+TV+Shows+The+Witcher.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lpzPai8mHDyl-8NOyWepkh8K39gOa5_lLUQGgGhMpMUqUui5Xn-Xy-BNTFJX1c8VF4jEb1CS_HTBokxAHuOY8CWqwRSgd2BSO5s6hBsmS3g4bovJjmB8yaPzEC62YinOYkQiNf6KofE/w625-h625/Writing+Lessons+from+TV+Shows+The+Witcher.png" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><font face="georgia">I’ve been on a Witcher kick lately! Between playing the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and watching the Witcher Netflix, I’ve come to love Geralt of Rivia and become fascinated with the story world. I’m still playing the game (it’s so huge, man) but I have finished the Netflix show and besides the mature content I enjoyed it. Henry Cavill does an amazing Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier is hilarious,</font><span style="font-family: georgia;"> the music is so good, and the visual effects were really nice too. It had its flaws like I felt like though the show is called the Witcher it focused more on Yennefer of Vengerberg (and I’m not too crazy about her) and I wanted more of Geralt and Ciri’s relationship but hopefully, in the next season, we’ll get more of them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><font face="georgia">Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Cirilla of Cintra are entwined by destiny. Geralt is a famed Witcher, a mutated monster slayer, Yennefer is a sorceress, and Ciri is the last of the line of Elder Blood. The three must find each other to save the world from the Niflgaard Empire and even dark forces. </font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000" face="georgia">Warning: Spoilers in points two and five.</font></div><div><span><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4yfjU6lER1Vq1L78c-kYyTByp58kUTvPmkta-qZuBNlbXww23kqMUsTMsiNrwMQO-lo0eGUGAf4J3GArWUVfQsq7_yi1eNR8k40o5hv01YS95rymmeskxzAFDUx5UIM8FV68_3Ki08I/s600/Geralt-of-Rivia-The-Witcher-2019-netflix-42917464-600-350.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4yfjU6lER1Vq1L78c-kYyTByp58kUTvPmkta-qZuBNlbXww23kqMUsTMsiNrwMQO-lo0eGUGAf4J3GArWUVfQsq7_yi1eNR8k40o5hv01YS95rymmeskxzAFDUx5UIM8FV68_3Ki08I/w625-h366/Geralt-of-Rivia-The-Witcher-2019-netflix-42917464-600-350.gif" width="625" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><font size="5">1.) A Main Character Who's Already Powerful -</font></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Geralt of Rivia is one of the most powerful Witchers living. Not only does he have enhanced senses, but he’s a master swordsman, tracker, and user of signs. Most men and monsters don’t stand a chance against him. You just want to laugh at many who try because you know they’ll very shortly meet their end. </span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>The hero’s journey is a common story path. An unsuspecting hero who’s not very skilled learning to become a champion. Luke Skywalker in <i>Star Wars</i>, Izuku Midorya from <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/08/10-superhero-tropes-and-how-my-hero.html">My Hero Academia</a></i>, William from <i>A Knight’s Tale</i>, and Eragon from The Inheritance Cycle are just a few examples. But it’s also possible to have a great main character who’s already very skilled because they may be strong physically but there can be a lot of emotional growth needed. Geralt is just one example but other great ones are Vash the Stampede from <i>Trigun</i>, Aragorn from <i>the Lord of the Rings</i>, and Sherlock from BBC’s <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/12/writing-lessons-from-tv-shows-sherlock.html">Sherlock</a></i>.</font></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"> </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNIST-J24cjAFvAU4XI8UWSYSoN81lDntjqZYzZ5NK8xO53SkSJd1m2NHrpaGRmV3-Q0REn-Lkz0YtZOQS2yJFZDFIob1MH2Gt3T3DvBcSI4uOvVkGG8TlaR7xfPndwCJBXehLDjcTdE/s480/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNIST-J24cjAFvAU4XI8UWSYSoN81lDntjqZYzZ5NK8xO53SkSJd1m2NHrpaGRmV3-Q0REn-Lkz0YtZOQS2yJFZDFIob1MH2Gt3T3DvBcSI4uOvVkGG8TlaR7xfPndwCJBXehLDjcTdE/w625-h351/giphy.gif" width="625" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><font size="5" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">2.) Multiple Timelines -</font><font size="4" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </font><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">For the majority of the show the plot is split between three timelines that are years even decades apart. All of the timelines eventually coalesce, but not until the very latter episodes. This triple timeline became confusing sometimes especially since Yennefer and Geralt age much slower than humans and the scenes switch to different timelines without any warning. I often had to have my friend who watched it with me point out when a scene was in a different time period because I got confused. All of the information the timelines gave were important but it would have been better if there was some way to let the audience more easily grasp the timelines.</span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Split timelines are not uncommon in TV shows or even books <i>Lost</i>, <i>Once Upon a Time</i>, <i>Arrow</i>, and <a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-book-review-of-wolf-by-wolf-by-ryan.html"><i>Wolf by Wolf</i> by Ryan Graudin</a> are just a few examples. But all of these are just split between two time periods and with the first three were easily defined by a different setting in each timeline for example in Arrow the present timeline is in Starling City and his past self (at least earlier in the show, I haven’t watch anything recent) was set on Lian Yu. The Witcher timeline is set all over the place so there isn’t any setting marker like that. Perhaps it would have been better to have a date marker like in Baccano! which is the only show I’ve seen do a similar multi timeline plot but even that was confusing at times. Basically, if you’re going to do a multi timeline plot you have to have some grounding marker to orient your audience.</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRp7dZpDWf1FzAul15fH0kgYHg_luYtRilcMdjgUpBPcD0LTGrQrOra1fxkHGuZRDhQLYc9UmKgP1hG1bVuaXxS5_iLRMmFlp2XWPfUhuu5LX4tBCxXUcmTcTnq-4rRoQO5Y2eKuCO0A/s800/lu8c2ggofpfg2rn2q8hd.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="800" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRp7dZpDWf1FzAul15fH0kgYHg_luYtRilcMdjgUpBPcD0LTGrQrOra1fxkHGuZRDhQLYc9UmKgP1hG1bVuaXxS5_iLRMmFlp2XWPfUhuu5LX4tBCxXUcmTcTnq-4rRoQO5Y2eKuCO0A/w625-h306/lu8c2ggofpfg2rn2q8hd.gif" width="625" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><font size="5" style="font-family: georgia;">3.) A Character Wanting to Regain Something They Lost -</font><font size="4" style="font-family: georgia;"> </font><span style="font-family: georgia;">All Yennefer wants early in the show is power. She doesn’t want to be seen as weak, she wants attention, and she doesn’t want to be afraid, so she gives up her ability to have children to get what she wants, but over the decades she realizes that power is overrated and she tries everything she can to find a way to become fertile again.</span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Sometimes characters think a sacrifice they made was worth it only to realize that it wasn't. Oftentimes, that decision can't be reversed, but sometimes it can or at least they think they can. This can be a strong motivation for a character such as how Grunkle Stan did everything he could to get Ford back in <i>Gravity Falls</i>.</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDydBgpJ2CZmE5dOvKBjtVQd3YV4brEG-y8Xr3A6e9vVGQvfB9byM0il1odTBEcSWY5TIzLSoLJ7lWrKa9spB8KljR7tRHTnHJUWAec_GcwI0IOACsX1e23MVpeTqVgnfzDsw3lncf09A/s540/tumblr_3bbff60ced6aa108cb9b407248287dcd_f2dce676_540.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="540" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDydBgpJ2CZmE5dOvKBjtVQd3YV4brEG-y8Xr3A6e9vVGQvfB9byM0il1odTBEcSWY5TIzLSoLJ7lWrKa9spB8KljR7tRHTnHJUWAec_GcwI0IOACsX1e23MVpeTqVgnfzDsw3lncf09A/w625-h364/tumblr_3bbff60ced6aa108cb9b407248287dcd_f2dce676_540.gif" width="625" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><font size="5" style="font-family: georgia;">4.) Unusual Monsters -</font><font size="4" style="font-family: georgia;"> </font><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yes, there are more common mythological creatures in The Witcher world such as dragons and dwarves, but the majority of the creatures in these Slavic-based countries are many I haven't heard have been adapted from folklore such as Sylvans (Roman mythology), Shtrigas (Albanian mythology), and kikimora (Russian mythology). </span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>If you want to make your storyworld especially unique try looking up more unusual mythological creature. Our world has so much fascinating lore though we mostly hear Greek and a smattering of other myths in the USA. Do some research and you can find some fascinating tales to base creatures on. </font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqx8URXXAE6JN62GiOQJmkI8PcbyGECv7NR-hwtA_4AGZyyTYYlDo34sqDy0R70B9XQBKWQhv6kDefPEgHpSFCt0_ZYZwrxbqQyiIOy1D4TOs2cVSc1TZC5G9JnHUNgU4_nqUdQz4N-Bk/s1200/The-Witcher-Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqx8URXXAE6JN62GiOQJmkI8PcbyGECv7NR-hwtA_4AGZyyTYYlDo34sqDy0R70B9XQBKWQhv6kDefPEgHpSFCt0_ZYZwrxbqQyiIOy1D4TOs2cVSc1TZC5G9JnHUNgU4_nqUdQz4N-Bk/w625-h326/The-Witcher-Banner.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><font size="5" style="font-family: georgia;">5.) Earning Titles from Deeds Good or Bad or Traits -</font><font size="4" style="font-family: georgia;"> </font><span style="font-family: georgia;">Geralt is known by many as the White Wolf or the Butcher of Blaviken. He's known as the White Wolf because of his white hair and that he hails from the Witcher School of the Wolf. He earned the Butcher of Blaviken for slaughtering a bunch of villagers in the village of Blaviken after they wrongfully attacked him. He regrets earning that title for years to come.</span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>It's common but kinda cool how in fantastic worlds characters earn different titles for different things like Thoren Oakenshield from <i>the Hobbit </i>earning his surname from using an oaken branch as a shield in battle, Gregor Clegane earning the title The Mountain because of his massive size in <i>Game of Thrones</i>, or Philipe Gaston being called the Mouse in <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/05/writing-lessons-from-movies-ladyhawke.html">Ladyhawke</a></i> because he can escape from anything.</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHebT2WuC_3Jyp9my95Dqn8cvAIGpDGAh2sWXxO_va4csmOPyemRbTl56JTHyggJqrBGu7TPI5CQC3KOZWJ2llgJE1T091A8j_T4dG06wL1pd6bH2xnnnVB9XWtMeZ2I_9eLUlZILN_WE/s540/b016056e3d5bd28e61ec1f5719bc76ab.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="540" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHebT2WuC_3Jyp9my95Dqn8cvAIGpDGAh2sWXxO_va4csmOPyemRbTl56JTHyggJqrBGu7TPI5CQC3KOZWJ2llgJE1T091A8j_T4dG06wL1pd6bH2xnnnVB9XWtMeZ2I_9eLUlZILN_WE/w625-h405/b016056e3d5bd28e61ec1f5719bc76ab.gif" width="625" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><font size="5" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;">Conclusion -</font><font size="4" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"> </font><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;">Overall, it's worth a watch if you're age-appropriate. If not, enjoy the soundtrack. It's awesome writing or reading music.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWevnP6MWPyRPifyCMr0j6x0vbfdI3-JotpPgZ6H-W75xxHyXiX85ovDFwHpvwnyUItDGtdWyKzRI2qzAL-3ziAHvQImFVJx_1nxXK6wBBbJ0XYAEaM8TNxWkJInbHteLKmZzWSdQqZQ/s640/tumblr_deb992b18042aace55f78d8d70f11e11_00602f1a_640.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="640" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWevnP6MWPyRPifyCMr0j6x0vbfdI3-JotpPgZ6H-W75xxHyXiX85ovDFwHpvwnyUItDGtdWyKzRI2qzAL-3ziAHvQImFVJx_1nxXK6wBBbJ0XYAEaM8TNxWkJInbHteLKmZzWSdQqZQ/w625-h318/tumblr_deb992b18042aace55f78d8d70f11e11_00602f1a_640.gif" width="625" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span><span><font face="georgia" size="5">Have you seen <i>The Witcher</i>? Have you noticed these writing aspects? What movies have you noticed have good writing? Let's geek out together!</font></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><b><span><font face="georgia">You may also like:</font></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/writing-lessons-from-movies-matrix.html"><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Movies: The Matrix Trilogy</font></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake</font></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 20.79px;"><span><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/writing-lessons-from-video-games-ori.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Ori and the Will of the Wisps</font></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/04/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy X</font></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/03/writing-lessons-from-video-games-legend.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span><font face="georgia">Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess vs. Okami</font></span></a></div></div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-17699881870688213112020-08-07T13:00:00.100-04:002020-08-07T13:00:05.472-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: Scythe by Neal Shusterman<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.</div>
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Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.</div>
<br /><b>Series:</b> Arc of a Scythe (Book 1)<br /><b>Genre:</b> YA Science-Fiction<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (November 28, 2017)<br /><b>Page Count:</b> 464 pages<br /><br />This book is definitely the most challenging book I’ve read this year. It’s not really a book for pleasure but a book to make you think, so for a while, I had trouble liking it but by the end, I learned to appreciate it for its themes. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot:</span> This book is split between the two main characters Citra and Rowan but there are also lots of mini POVs of a lot of people many of which are killed so it has a kinda mystery or thriller genre element in that way. Between chapters, there are journal entries by various scythes about their lives and their deepest thoughts. It’s also written in third person omniscient so it feels like an older style of writing in that way. It’s really a very unusual book. It has a lot of action but it really makes you think. It’s not a book you want to pick you for light reading. It’s a book you pick up to be challenged. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><div><span style="font-size: large;">The Characters:</span> Both Rowan and Citra have great character arcs. They’re relatable and unique at the same time. I also really like that they were singled out because of their moral upstanding. <a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2016/08/keeping-morality-in-fiction-perfect-and.html">I’ve ranted about in the past</a> how I’m a little tired of morally gray characters being the most popular and people like them because you don’t know if they’re going to be bad and good so it was refreshing to read a current book about characters who have moral standards and try to adhere to them.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Rowan’s arc I found the most interesting out of the two. He is a middle child who’s used to being ignored and when he brings himself to public attention he’s hated yet he doesn’t mind because at least someone is acknowledging him. It’s really complex but raw. But ultimately he has a kind and just heart.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The villain Goddard is evil as all get out, but his motivation do make a lot of sense and you can see how the current society helped cultivate his behavior. I like how he stands out with his jeweled cloak. I like both Scythe Faraday and Scythe Curie. Despite their pretty terrible task, they seem to be trying to do it as justly and mercifully as they can.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">"The world has a talent for rewarding bad behavior with stardom." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">~Scythe Curie</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Setting:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> This book is set in the future where man has conquered death and every other human ailment. People can live forever and reset their ages to their twenties when they get to old so no one knows how old anyone is. People also can’t relate to people in old books and movies because they have no comprehension of old-world suffering. Their bodies even keep them from feeling physical or mental pain. It’s also kinda creepy how people can be “tweaked” if they express bad behavior. It's also just a bit unnerving how people are selected to die by Scythes. How they're selected is random in most instances, but natural death seems much more ... fair if that makes sense. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The ending of human life used to be in the hands of nature. But we stole it. Now we have a monopoly on death. We are its sole distributor. </span></div><div><font face="georgia, times new roman, serif">~ Scythe Curie</font></div></blockquote><div><font face="georgia, times new roman, serif"></font></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The Scythedom is really fleshed out and feels very real. Any crime against a Scythe is met with the utmost punishment which is an entire family gleaned. This reminded me a bit of a <i>Star Trek: Next Generation </i>episode about a utopian society that has no crime and the main reason is that for the smallest offense the consequence is death. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Another really unique concept is the fact that the world is run by an AI called The Thunderhead and he’s actually good. This is the first time I’ve seen a good ruling AI in sci-fi. World so like <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/writing-lessons-from-movies-matrix.html">the Matrix</a></i>, <i>Space Quest</i>, and <i>Illuminae</i> all portray AIs as something that will inevitably turn bad. Instead, the Thunderhead is almost god-like in its perfection. But in the end, someone has to be in charge of the planet. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> I thought it was kind of hilarious how in an ideal society middle seats have been eliminated on flights and flying on an airplane has been made to be a really comfortable experience. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Theme:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> The biggest thing I took from this book is that no matter what man does we can’t be perfect. No matter how advanced we get because we’re mortals who sin we can’t have a perfect utopia. The society in this book is the epitome of human advancement and yet there is still corruption. A main plot thread is based on severe corruption within the Scythedom. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Another interesting point Shusterman made is that humanity would get bored if they accomplished everything. There would be nothing to strive for. No more unknown. Everyone feels like they’re useless because they can’t contribute to something greater. They feel stagnant. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Religion in this world has all but gone extinct but it’s interesting how the Scythedom adopted religious elements like having people kiss their rings for immunity like kissing a priest’s ring in the Catholic Church. They also live monk or nun-like lifestyles, denying themselves marriage and other worldly pleasures. They even have commandments. People will find some sort of religiosity. It's just part of our nature. Though as a Christian I don't think religions would go extinct to this extent. Primarily because there isn't an answer for the afterlife and that's something that religion gives us an answer to. Science can't explain what happens after we die. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Yet another theme is new isn't always good. Sometimes old traditions have worked for a reason and they don't need to be changed. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Content Cautions:</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> This is a book about two teens being trained to be grim reapers basically so there is a lot of killing involved by all kinds of methods: poison, beheading, stabbing, electric shock, drowning, burning, gunshots, suicide, there are several massacres that included the slaughter of children, a character is mentioned to have been beaten to a pulp but only broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and severe swelling is mentioned, and kids like to die to feel the thrill of it only to be revived.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">There is some very sparse swearing, including nine uses of d***, seven uses of h***, four uses of a**, two uses of b*****d, and one of piss.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><b>Cities and Countries Being Renamed -</b> All of the countries in this futuristic utopian society have been renamed such as Chile and Argentina being merged into Chileargentine or parts of South America being called Amazonia. Even cities have been renamed like St. Louis being changed to Fulcrum City.</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><br /><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> This is something to keep in mind across all genres. Cities and countries change. Many countries and cities preserve their original names such as China and Rome. However many change because of events. Czechoslovakia broke up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Constantinople became Istanbul. Events like war and conquering change geography. Fictionally some examples are The US becoming Panem in the Hunger Games, Europe and the US becoming Britannia and Japan becoming Area 11 </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">in Code Geass, and St. Louis becoming Defiance in the show Defiance. Even in fantasy the names of places change such as how Mordor took parts of Gondor for its own in the Lord of the Rings. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span> Overall, this book is definitely worth a read, especially if you're a fan of books like <i>The Giver</i>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author: </span><b>Neal Shusterman</b> is the author of many novels for young </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">adults, including Unwind, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, Everlost, and Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.</span></div>
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-59760267142072576952020-07-31T13:00:00.068-04:002020-08-02T21:33:46.970-04:00Monthly Wanderings: July 2020<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />July was a pretty good month! I feel like the months are steadily getting more normal as we get through this dumb pandemic. Maybe by Thanksgiving or Christmas, we can function like regular human beans.<br /><br />(I apologize for the insane formatting. Something happened to blogger and my whole post screwed up)</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) I'm finishing my edits for The Rose in the Wolf today!<br /> <br /> 2.) I celebrated the 4th of July in South Carolina with my family! I had a great time hanging out with my little cousins and watching some amazing backyard fireworks!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />BIG NEWS! This is my secret project! Meet Momo! The newest member of my little family and Lessy's little sister! She's a Siamese mix and she's nine weeks old!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3Zj_2gEtM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-07-20T13:29:51+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 20, 2020 at 6:29am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_12"
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style='width:468pt;height:351pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
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<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/VICTOR~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.jpg"
o:title=""/>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">3.) I
finished reading <i>the Awakened </i>by Richard S<span style="background: white;">pillman!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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4.) I finished my sculpture! This is Tibarn from <i>Fire Emblem: Heroes</i>! </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCezUqZpcQD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-07-11T00:13:56+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 10, 2020 at 5:13pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-align: center;">5.) I also have a review of <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/cognition-an-erica-reed-thriller/?fbclid=IwAR383t6GHyOXOSpWDyHZJqbKT_w01yBiNbyDvXPtuqyYLYekOkLNp3PnXNA"><i>Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller </i>up on Hardcore Gaming 101</a>!</span><br />
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<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt; text-align: center;">The Geeky
Department:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">1.) I'm going strong playing <i>Animal Crossing: New Horizons</i>! I got
all of the crazy July bugs and can't wait for August and new critters!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">2.) I'm
still playing through <i>The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt</i>. Man, this game is
huge, but I'm really enjoying it! The plots have so many twists and turns!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">3.) I
also finished <i>The Witcher </i>Netflix show! Though it had its
flaws, I loved Geralt and Ciri the whole time. <3 o:p=""></3></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">4.) I
also played through the remake of <i>Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father</i>.
It was originally a game from 1994 and is set two months after I was born in
'93. Wow, I'm old. I liked the plot a lot, but the main character was not my
favorite.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</a><br />
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDCMWzsAxdY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-07-24T18:06:06+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 24, 2020 at 11:06am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What I'm Going to Do:</span><br /> <br /> 1.) I'm going to take a break from writing next month and work on getting my new website up. For real this time. A friend promised to do it before and never did, so I'm going to pick up where they left off and try to get this thing up and running!<br /> <br /> 2.) More super exciting news! I'm going to Yellowstone National Park with my cousin! We're going August 31st-September 4 and I'm so stoked. I've needed an adventure for a long time and I think this trip will totally rekindle my wandering and creative spirits. "I want to see mountains, mountains, Gandalf!"<br /> <br /> 3.) I'm going to finish Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo and Crooked House by Agatha Christie and hopefully start, The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks!<br /> <br /> 4.) I'd like to work on some more clay sculptures!<br /> <br /> 5.) I think I'll have another review up on Hardcore Gaming 101 for another obscure game lol.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9EQtwACml/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9EQtwACml/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-07-22T18:19:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 22, 2020 at 11:19am PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Last Month on Wanderer's Pen ...</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-review-and-writing-lessons-hunger.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Hunger by Michael Grant</a></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/writing-lessons-from-movies-matrix.html">Writing Lessons from Movies: The Matrix Trilogy</a><br /><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-review-and-writing-lessons-door.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/07/why-im-christian-but-not-christian.html">Why I'm a Christian but Not a Christian Author</a><br /> </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coming Soon to Wanderer's Pen ...</span><br /><br /> August 7: Book Review and Writing Lessons: Scythe by Neal Shusterman<br /> August 14: Writing Lessons from TV Shows: The Witcher<br /> August 21: Book Review and Writing Lessons: Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo<br /> August 28: Monthly Wanderings: August 2020<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm looking forward to next month! :D</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">How was your month? What did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts?</span></b></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3414833843767621137&useLegacyBlogger=true"></a><br /><b>You may also like:</b><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695">Monthly Wanderings: June 2020</a><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695">Monthly Wanderings: May 2020</a><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3414833843767621137/5976026714207257695">Monthly Wanderings: April 2020</a></span></div>
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-51886300605158623242020-07-24T13:00:00.014-04:002020-07-24T13:00:14.741-04:00Why I'm a Christian but Not a Christian Author<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I’m a Christian but I want to break into the mainstream publishing industry. As of right now, that hasn’t happened but I want to shoot for the stars and see how close I get. Honestly, I feel like I’m in this awkward middle in my publishing views like I don’t quite fit into either but ultimately ABA (American Book Association) publishing won out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">When I first started learning about the publishing industry when I was sixteen I didn’t know jack about the business side of writing. I attended a Baptist conference in Florida where I was at least thirty years younger than 75% of the attendees and staff and all of them wanted to publish romance, memoirs, or devotionals so everyone there would for sure publish in CBA (Christian Book Association). Over the six years, I attended that conference I met with more speculative fiction publishers. Some required a heavier Christian influence to submitted manuscripts While others okay with a subtler religious message. My books just don’t have overt Christian messages and though I tried going with some of the more nuanced Christian publishers I also realized they don’t have enough reach as I want and I’m not sure if I want to be branded as a Christian author.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Christian media has given itself a bad reputation. Like 80% of modern Christian media is very cheesy. I’ve ranted about this extensively. I don’t really want to be looped into that and limiting my audience so much. Books with the Christian label even if they’re about dragons with subtle themes will be put in the inspirational section in the book store and most teens won’t go there to find a cool new book to read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">On the other hand, I’m nervous about going into the mainstream publishing industry not so much because of the competition but because I feel like I have to publicly walk on eggshells. I don’t want to be the next author to have a story blasted all over the news and social media about how they wrote a character the wrong way or tweeted something controversial. I take a lot of care to be politically neutral and I’ve even gone back and edited old posts to make sure nothing I said ten years ago when I was in my teenage years and kinda dumb can be dug up. I grew up in a much less sensitive world and modern cancel culture is tough to navigate around. I’m nervous to even express my full views of it here because I don’t want to get canceled because of this post. 😂</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I just want to write good stories that reach a lot of people. That can help a reader escape from life for a bit and take a journey with my characters. I don’t want to push my ideals on other people whether those be religious or political. I want to write my heart and the reader decide how they want to interpret the story. And I don’t want just Christians to read them because that’s restricting myself to watch rapidly shrinking audience. </span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I’m encouraged by more conservative successful writers like C.J. Redwine, Neil Shusterman, Brent Weeks, and Orson Scott Card that I can indeed do this. I can be successful in the secular publishing world and still hold onto my religious beliefs even if I have to be more private about them then I’d like. To met it’s worth it so my characters can hopefully shine into more readers’ lives.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><b>Do you want to publish in ABA or CBA? Have you struggled with which publishing association you're going to go with? Has the publishing business challenged you morally?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">You may also like: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-laments-and-revelations-of.html">The Laments and Revelations of a Christian Geek Writer</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/10/on-this-age-of-nostalgia.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">On This Age of Nostalgia</a></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-rant-about-loki-why-im-morally.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">My Rant About Loki: Why I’m Morally Against What He’s Become in the Fandom</a><br /><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/03/on-putting-cap-on-your-creativity.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">On Putting a Cap on Your Creativity</a><br /><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2014/11/on-when-books-are-made-into-movies.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">On When Books Are Made Into Movies</a></span><br />
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</div>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-26825620960449373442020-07-17T13:00:00.000-04:002020-07-17T13:00:00.535-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aidan Thomas is miserable. And it's much more than the strange nightmares he's been having. Just when life seemed to be coming together for Aidan, his parents suddenly move the family across the country to take care of his wheelchair-bound grandfather. When strange events begin to occur, Aidan is drawn into his grandfather's basement where he discovers three ancient scrolls and an invitation to another world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No longer confined to the realm of his own imagination, Aidan embarks on an adventure where he joins them in the struggle between good and evil. With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, Aidan faces Paragory, the eternal enemy. Will Aidan be willing to risk everything and trust the unseen hand of the one true king? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The answer comes from The Door Within.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Series:</b> The Door Within (Book 1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Genre:</b> Middle Grade Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> Thomas Nelson Inc; First Edition Third Printing edition (August 9, 2005)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Page Count:</b> 316 pages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’ve heard of this book for years but never got to it until recently. One of my good friends prompted me to get it while at Realm Makers and I even got the book signed by the author, but as much as I wanted to like it the story just didn’t do it for me. </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot:</span> It’s a pretty typical fantasy plot with a modern twist. I’d pitch it as The Chronicles of Narnia meets <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>. It has very heavy Christian allegorical themes that have distinctive similarities to Narnia and then there are people there that resemble those in the real world like <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> or <i>Ni No Kuni</i>. The backstory plot read by Aiden in scrolls is basically the story of Christ and Lucifer and one of the main subplots is Aiden leading his dad’s parallel universe twin to Christ. Narnia had more subtly and finesse than this book in my opinion. And though Narnia was obviously omniscient, this book seemed third person limited until all of a sudden there was head-hopping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know this book is targeted to Middle Graders but I’ve read books like Percy Jackson and the Olympians as a teen and an adult and the books still have a universal appeal. Some of the kiddy slapstick things that happened to Aiden made me roll my eyes. Even as a kid those weren’t funny to me. Maybe I would like this style of storytelling at that age but now it feels too old hat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Characters:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> None of the characters really latched onto me. The MC Aiden is fine I guess. He has some cute quirky aspects of him like how he wanted to catch bugs from the other world and bring them home but he felt like a character I’ve read a million times. I did really empathize with him about the pain of moving and making new friends and the fascination with a fantasy world but that was the extent of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The side characters were alright I guess. Gwenne was kinda sweet. It was obvious the twelve knights represented the twelve disciples though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I really don’t like anagrams of prevalent names. It’s basically a spoiler in a name and two characters were named Rucifel and Ascriot. Pretty obvious that the latter guy was going to betray everyone and the former was the head of the evil dude’s armies and allying with him is a bad idea. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Setting:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> world was pretty creative. There were some fun creatures like mortiwraiths, blackthornes, lantern spiders, and moonrascals that were fun. The glimpses being like twins from another world reminded me of Ni No Kuni and that’s an interesting concept. Knights riding on unicorns and dragons are pretty cool too. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fact that their eyes glinted different colors depending on their loyalties was cool, except that Ascriot somehow managed to bypass that rule with no explanation.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Most of the epic things I listed above.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Theme:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There were themes of courage that were nice but I wasn’t that crazy about the seemingly anti-science sentiment on page 96.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Content Cautions:</span> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is some violence but that’s the only concern. Some people are stabbed or shot with arrows with some blood mentioned and some people die of poisoned arrows. Any more intense violence is off-screen. There’s a surprising death count of named characters but again most of them die off-screen. Also, a unicorn dies in this thing called “the stilling” and it gave me flashbacks of Artax from the Never Ending Story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Allegories</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> -</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Door Within has a strong allegory about the death and resurrection of Christ and Lucifer’s fall from grace. This is very obviously catered for a Christian audience because of the strength of this allegory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b> Allegories can have powerful storytelling. There are more obvious ones like in <i>The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</i>, and more subtle ones like <i>the Fellowship of the Ring</i>. The more obviousness of the allegory is really dependent on your audience. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anagram Names -</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> As I mentioned before there are two obvious anagram names. Ascriot = Iscariot as in Judas Iscariot. Rucifel aka Lucifer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> If you’re going to do an anagram name and you want the character to be a traitor or something probably should make it less obvious. Personally, I think anagram names should be confined to comedy or satire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Overall, I could see my younger self liking it but at this age, it wasn’t for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author: </span><b>Wayne Thomas Batson</b> is the Bestselling author of five </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDY3_36K7IrzifYMhn58SMHoo08m83W7xIDR_j9smdLK0kIv7WMeZsMExrTbeb5qmVq8KgWrtoohsfDnYuHlJLKE8DnGsrz1pgOV9iSW4uTq4M7z2k10NmEoMPQrZJ5_ANj0tQtYx9V88/s1600/wayne+thomas+batson+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="231" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDY3_36K7IrzifYMhn58SMHoo08m83W7xIDR_j9smdLK0kIv7WMeZsMExrTbeb5qmVq8KgWrtoohsfDnYuHlJLKE8DnGsrz1pgOV9iSW4uTq4M7z2k10NmEoMPQrZJ5_ANj0tQtYx9V88/s200/wayne+thomas+batson+2.jpg" width="160" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">adventure novels including the fantasy epic Door Within Trilogy and the pirate duo Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire. A middle school Reading and English teacher for 18 years, Batson loves to challenge—and be challenged by—his students. So, when he began writing stories to supplement the school district’s curriculum, it was his students who taught their teacher a lesson. Batson’s students were so taken by one of the stories that, over a thirteen-year span, they pushed him to make it into a full-length novel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That story became The Door Within. Since then, Batson’s students continue to be his frontline editors. Says Batson, “Two things you can count on from middle school students: Intelligence and Honesty. Kids are so much more perceptive than a lot of us ‘Big Folk’ give them credit for. And when something’s not write in the story, they’ll tell you about in very clear terms.” Batson is teaming up with author and friend Christopher Hopper for a new book series, The Berinfell Prophecies. The first book, Curse of the Spider King, hit bookstores in October 2009. It promises to turn the traditional “portal fantasy” on its head, posing the question: What would happen if the fantasy came to us? Batson believes his books appeal to so many kids and adults because, at a deep level, we all long to do something that matters, and we all dream of another world.</span>Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-20186234218928063812020-07-10T13:00:00.000-04:002020-07-10T13:00:11.191-04:00Writing Lessons from Movies: The Matrix Trilogy<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since I’m at home a lot more than normal I’ve had time to watch movies I’ve been wanting to watch for a long time and the Matrix trilogy was a franchise I’ve wanted to see for I don’t know how long. I watched the first one as a teen but that was like ten years ago and Netflix had all three so I binged them all. Normally I make these posts about movies, shows, and video games I absolutely adore, but this time I’m going to be more critical because this series had such potential then dropped the ball on the second and third movie. Besides the unsatisfying ending that I won’t go into cause spoilers, I’m going to go into some other nitpicks that would have went a long way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Matrix is about a man named Neo who discovers that the world he knew was only a computer simulation created by machines to keep the human race pacified as they’re used for batteries for a nightmarish dystopian reality. He journeys with allies Morpheus and Trinity to save humanity for distinction and liberate those trapped in the Matrix.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Warning: Spoilers in point two.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">1.) Using Names from History - </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Trinity, Morpheus, Zion, Seraph, and the Merovingian are the names of places and characters and all have historical and religious origins. The majority of these are Judeo Christian references but I think Morpheus is my favorite since he named himself after the Greek god of sleep and dreams. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How this can be applied to writing: </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Naming characters after historical or religious figures or places can add extra depth to your characters. Now this is a concept that works best in science-fiction because in fantasy it can seem a little out of place since that world doesn’t share our history but it can be a fun Easter egg if pulled off well such as how in <i>Falling Skies</i> Tom Mason and his sons were named after a Union soldier and his three sons in the Civil War or Cassiopeia in the 5th Wave was named after the brave Greek mythological figure and constellation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2.) Weaving in Allegories - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Usually religious allegories are more of a fantasy thing but the Matrix trilogy has strong allegorical references. Neo and Agent Smith have very similar interactions and character traits as Jesus and Lucifer. Agent Smith sees himself as a perverse savior. Neo ends up sacrificing his life for humanity and then comes back to life. The two of them have a climactic battle for humanity. </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How this can be applied to writing: </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Allegories are tricky and range from very obvious like Aslan’s sacrifice for Edmund in <i>the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> or more subtle like Gandalf’s sacrifice and rebirth in <i>the Lord of the Rings</i>. How strong or subtle your allegory really depends on your audience. Take into account things like age and religious affiliation. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">Allegories don’t have to be limited to religion either. You can do allegories of events that happened in history or myths too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">3.) Take Care Fight Scenes Don’t Go On For Too Long - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my critiques for the series is that the fight scenes in the second and third films go on for too long. It feels like the story stops to have a fight scene with a lot of kickbutt moves. The worst offender is the car chase in <i>Matrix Reloaded</i>. The fight scenes for the first film were just the right length. Long enough to build suspense but short enough so it doesn't feel like the story is pausing for some punches, swords, and guns. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Believe it or not, fight scenes can actually get boring. Drawing out high action scenes can take away from emotional investment and if there's no emotional investment in a fight scene it can start feeling dull. Watching people hit each other can get old. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">Every scene in your story needs to keep the plot moving.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So what do you do if you just have to have a long battle scene like for a war? <i>The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King </i>has a very very long battle sequence with the Battle of Pelenor fields but this is broken up by intermittent scenes like the plot thread with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas getting the Dead Army. In <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-book-review-of-kingdom-of-ash-by.html">Kingdom of Ash</a> </i>by Sarah J. Maas she uses a similar technique while Aedion is fighting a long battle.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">4.) Nicknames for Baddies - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the machine world there are a bunch of bad robots called sentinels that the rebels nickname "squiddies" because of their squidlike appearance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>I feel like it's a very sci-fi thing to nickname your baddies (such as Skitters and Harnesses in <i>Falling Skies</i>), but this was also done historically like Revolutionary troops calling the British soldiers redcoats, bloody backs, or lobsters (because of their bright red military coats) or Americans calling German troops Heinies (short for Heinrich) in WWI. These nicknames are derived mostly from appearance. These were given to be insults but I also think that these nicknames can help make the enemy feel less scary to the fighters, so it helps them psychologically. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the case for <i>Falling Skies</i>, the characters didn't know what the Skitters were actually called so they had to come up with their own name. Also remember that nicknames may not be universal. In the case of the Skitters they're also called Cooties, Cockroaches, and Chinchas by other people. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">5.) Make Sure Swears Fit Your World - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Another critique of the Matrix trilogy is their swears. They use God's name as a base for many of their swears, but it just felt so out of place since the people of the world of the Matrix don't seem to know who God is since they don't practice the Christian religion. Perhaps the natural-born humans found out about it from people who've been in the Matrix, but it still felt awkward to adopt a swear that isn't part of your lifestyle in some way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Swears have a base in something usually excrement, sex, someone's intelligence, or genitalia. When your characters use swears they have something to do with daily life. All of the aforementioned things are the more vulgar and crude parts of humanity, so usually, a made-up swear has something to do with that. For example in <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-book-review-of-maze-runner-by-james.html">The Maze Runner </a></i>the boy's made-up swears mostly have to do with bodily functions like "klunk" or in <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2016/01/writing-lessons-from-tv-shows-firefly.html">Firefly</a> </i>they have words like "rutting" or in <i>the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt </i>"plowing." You can figure out what those last two are in reference to. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If it has to do with religion then it's more logical for them to use swears that have something to do with a known religion. If that makes sense. Such as how in <i>The Chronicles of Narnia </i>characters swear by Aslan's mane or in <i>the Witcher</i> Skelligans swear by the goddess Freya.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Conclusion - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: center;">Though the Matrix trilogy has its flaws it's still worth a watch if anything to get a million cultural references.</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Have you seen <i>The Matrix Trilogy</i>? Have you noticed these writing aspects? What movies have you noticed have good writing? Let's geek out together!</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You may also like:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/writing-lessons-from-video-games-ori.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Ori and the Will of the Wisps</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/04/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy X</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/03/writing-lessons-from-video-games-legend.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess vs. Okami</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/02/writing-lessons-from-video-games.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Horizon Zero Dawn</a></span></div>
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-6139068266454191402020-07-03T13:00:00.000-04:002020-07-03T13:00:07.445-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: Hunger by Michael Grant<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's been three months since all the adults disappeared. Gone. Food ran out weeks ago and starvation is imminent. Meanwhile, the normal teens have grown resentful of the kids with powers. And when an unthinkable tragedy occurs, chaos descends upon the town. There is no longer right and wrong. Each kid is out for himself and even the good ones turn murderous. But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Series:</b> Gone (Book 2)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA Science-Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> Katherine Tegen Books; 1 edition (April 8, 2014)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Page Count:</b> 608 pages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've made it through book two of the <i>Gone </i>series and man, was it crazy! Things just get worse and worse for the poor kids of the FAYZ but thankfully, there was lots of hope along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot:</span> Though there's a literal ticking clock with each chapter, there's also the invisible ticking clock of everyone slowly starving as the title implies. The kids have to find food and soon or they're all done for. On top of that, there's conflict from the Coates kids and the mysterious gaiaphage. Michael Grant just knows how to compound trouble on the characters! The first book took me some time to get into but this one I was pulled in straight away. The climax was insane, but there was a great ending. Like the last book the prose is still pretty rough, but with a slight improvement. However, like before the dialogue is spot on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Characters:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> All of the kids really act like kids. From forgetting to do things, to being lazy, to missing their parents, to just being overwhelmed with all of the enormous stress of this crazy situation. You never forget that these are children who are going through this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found my new favorite character being Albert in this book. He became the hero as to how the kids began to get food. I found myself relating to him the most since I would be doing a lot of the things he did. XD I got a little irritated with Sam and Astrid when they were upset with his economic plans, but I grew to like the pair again as the book went. They're just such a cute couple! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are so many characters in this series it's hard to keep track of them all, but I also really like Lana and her bravery and defiance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Setting:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The setting hasn't changed since the kids are still stuck in the Fayz. Not very much new territory is explored in this twenty-mile or so radius, but there is more shown of the state park, the nuclear power plant, agricultural areas, and the gold mine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The powers are super cool. There are even new ones in this book like controlling density and entering others' dreams. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Theme:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hunger is the title of the book and subsequently the theme. The book doesn't just deal with hunger in the literal sense with starvation which is the focal plot point, but it also deals with the gaiaphage, the mysterious enemy, being "Hungry in the dark" as well as Mary Terrafino's bulimia. Even some other hungers like the hunger for love or even revenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Content Cautions:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like the previous book there is a considerable amount of content for a YA novel. Though the characters are fourteen and fifteen, I would think that would be the bare minimum age-appropriate reader level. Anyone younger would have to be pretty mature to handle the content.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the violence department, the notable parts were worms eating two boys alive and coming out of their faces (this made me squeamish), a kid eaten down to the skeleton by worms (not described in extreme detail but enough to know it was not pretty), a boy is accidentally murdered by his brain being microwaved with a boy's power, mention of a kid being crushed to roadkill, a ten-year-old is shot in the leg and falls to his death, a girl is smashed by a door, kids hit other kids with bludgeoning instruments, broken limbs, lots of blood, world's worst road burn, kids are mentioned to have eaten dogs and cats, and a kid being tortured by being whipped.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then there is also some innocent kissing, a boy thinks very vaguely about being in bed with a girl, and there is a lesbian character. Kids also become alcoholics and addicted to substances, including weed. Most of it is mentioned in passing but there's a scene where kids are smoking joints. A girl is bulimic and makes herself throw up. Lastly, kids give the middle finger a couple of times and they say d*** and a** once or twice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Concussions Aren't a Joke -</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> A number of kids in this series are hit across the head with bludgeoning objects like crowbars and baseball bats. Some even die or sustain permanent damage such as facial tics or brain damage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Getting hit in the head isn't a joke. It's slapstick in kids' movies or common in action movies for people to be hit in the head and get knocked out and wake up with just a headache. As someone who's had a concussion and known people who've had them just getting a mild concussion from blacking out for a minute or two is really not fun. Do your research on concussions!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Accurate Portrayal of a Self-Harm Mental Illness -</b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mary Terrafino is bulimic and she keeps this secret to herself. As is characteristic with the illness she feels like no matter what she does she's not thin enough. She binge eats then forces herself to throw it all up. But what really made this portrayal stand out was when she mentioned that she knew what she was doing was wrong, but she shut off those warning bells. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> People are often more self-aware of themselves than you think. In the fog of mental illness, a person can try to grasp for light but instead reject it and push themselves farther down. It's sad, but it adds depth to a character when you add these sorts of struggles.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Characters Getting Stressed -</b> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sam Temple is put in charge of over three hundred kids and he's only fourteen. After a while, this really really wears on him. He can't sleep and his mental health takes a huge hit. He starts lashing out at his loved ones. It's just too much for a teenager.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stress isn't something to underestimate either. It can hurt health and relationships. When characters go through stressful situations like surviving in the wilderness or fighting for their lives, don't forget that this is going to take a mental toll on your characters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A good sequel and I'm excited to read the next one!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvzgkismEKPg86GvY8CJmA62VeLN3XGjiPvDP-EEm6dYzvkgDUvSL1adcWrHo7Bas7-1kso5vZ9NPRIbwcNHZEul96QXamtvqjoKvEgJdGRKgp05J4tqciYZWHpErA0aFB_jH3yLqZvU/s1600/MichaelGrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvzgkismEKPg86GvY8CJmA62VeLN3XGjiPvDP-EEm6dYzvkgDUvSL1adcWrHo7Bas7-1kso5vZ9NPRIbwcNHZEul96QXamtvqjoKvEgJdGRKgp05J4tqciYZWHpErA0aFB_jH3yLqZvU/s200/MichaelGrant.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">About the Author:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Michael Grant</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">was born in a manger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay, no he wasn't. And that was a stupid thing to say. There was no manger. It was a log cabin. A log cabin in Los Angeles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or possibly a trailer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And then while defending his country (technically it was his father, he was just an Army brat,) he moved all over the country and to France and became the incredibly well-educated, well-rounded, well-adjusted . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yeah, okay that last part's a lie, too. The moving everywhere thing is true. But the sad reality is that Michael's a rootless, disconnected, indifferently-educated, sullen, obnoxious, disaffected misanthrope. With no hair. I mean seriously: look at the man's head. Do you see hair? No.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Where was I? I mean he.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Michael Grant is married to Katherine (K.A.) Applegate. They've been together for 36 years. Which doesn't say much for Katherine's judgment does it? And they've been writing for 25ish years, sometimes as partners -- BOYFRIENDS/GIRLFRIENDS, ANIMORPHS, EVERWORLD -- and sometimes on their own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Michael and Katherine have two kids, Jake 18 and Julia 16. (Feet tall. Get it? 16 feet tall? Ah hah hah. Yeah, okay: not funny.) Anyway, the point is that Michael Grant is the author or co-author of 150 books. Yeah: 150, including most recently the critically-acclaimed FRONT LINES, and of course the also critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling, GONE series</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can be reached on Twitter @MichaelGrantBks, or through FrontLinesBook.com which has all kinds of interesting content. So, click on over there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Other Books By This Author I've Reviewed:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-review-and-writing-lessons-gone-by.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Gone by Michael Grant</a></span><br />
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-4444973438178289732020-06-30T13:00:00.000-04:002020-06-30T13:00:06.039-04:00Monthly Wanderings: June 2020<div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This month has been better than the last ones. It was good to see family and friends after a long time and get progress in editing.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What I did:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) I’m over halfway into my edits for the Rose in the Wolf! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.) I got to visit my good friend Lyssa! We played Animal Crossing together, went out to a ramen restaurant, and watched the Witcher while eating Dickey Farms peach ice cream. Best ice cream in the south! She’s the first friend I’ve seen in months and it was just so nice to be with a friend in person. Webcamming isn’t the same.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My aunt passed away from cancer back in March and because COVID sucks we had to delay a memorial service until this month, so I went up to SC this past weekend for that and to see family and celebrate her life.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CB_MBIGgyxj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-06-28T17:34:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 28, 2020 at 10:34am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.) I’ve finished the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins and Scythe by Neil Shusterman! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBWLzrbgqBI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-06-12T19:23:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 12, 2020 at 12:23pm PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.) I’m working on a sculpture for my friend’s birthday! It’s good to work with clay again. After she gets it I’ll show you guys pictures!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Geeky Department:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) I’m still diligent with Animal Crossing! I’ve loved catching sharks this month haha!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.) I’m also playing the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I technically started it around Christmas but I just wasn’t getting into it. But now I’ve given it a second shot and I’m enjoying it. I could do with less content but I just really love Geralt. ❤️</span><br />
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</a><br />
<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdm_bUg_P3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-06-15T16:35:33+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 15, 2020 at 9:35am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.) I’ve also started the Witcher Netflix show! Man, Henry Cavill nails Geralt so well it’s crazy.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjD5ONtnpnj4_1xcBKXM_OMOaYyOqYRQyCzCx4WCgMGj1VV6vzg3oIPVocrCbit_wsWsmfFTJ9dh3dyqib9KE3hRPmgLzfR9LpXhW05QdgF0DLsYPLsJeLvBgdZEmYsYvSAf26cvP_vI/s1600/the-witcher-netflix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1306" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjD5ONtnpnj4_1xcBKXM_OMOaYyOqYRQyCzCx4WCgMGj1VV6vzg3oIPVocrCbit_wsWsmfFTJ9dh3dyqib9KE3hRPmgLzfR9LpXhW05QdgF0DLsYPLsJeLvBgdZEmYsYvSAf26cvP_vI/s640/the-witcher-netflix.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.) I’ve been playing RingFit Adventure pretty consistently! And I’m actually seeing results! Who says video games can’t be good for your health?!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQ7WmEggeb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-06-10T18:23:21+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 10, 2020 at 11:23am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What I'm Going to Do:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.) I’m going to finish editing The Rose in the Wolf and send it off to my agent! 🤞🤞🤞</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.) There’s a possibility that I could be going to the beach but not totally sure and I’m also working on a super-secret mission. I can’t fulfill travel dreams right now so I’m working on other dreams I can do at home and hopefully, I can reveal this mission soon!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.) I’m hoping to finish <i>Lies</i> by Michael Grant and <i>The Awakened</i> by Richard Spillman and start <i>Gatekeepers</i> by Robert Liparulo.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3hR1PAeOF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Victoria Grace Howell (Tucker) (@travelingtoristories)</a> on <time datetime="2020-06-25T18:05:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 25, 2020 at 11:05am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.) I’m definitely going to finish my </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sculpture cause my friend’s birthday is in July haha.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Last Month on Wanderer's Pen ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-review-and-writing-lessons-gone-by.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: Gone by Michael Grant</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake</a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-review-and-writing-lessons-ballad.html">Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Coming Soon to Wanderer's Pen ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>July 3: Book Review and Writing Lessons: Hunger by Michael Grant -</b> I've finished the sequel to <i>Gone</i> and man so much happened!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">July</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>10: Writing Lessons from Movies: The Matrix Trilogy -</b> Since I have way more free time on my hands, I decided to finally watch the Matrix trilogy. I watched the first one when I was a teen, but never watched the other two!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">July</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">17: </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson -</b> A friend recommended this book to me, though I've heard of it since I was a kid!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">July</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>24: Why I Opted Out of CBA Publishing -</b> I'm going for mainstream publishing and I'm going to talk about why I made that decision.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">July</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>31: Monthly Summary: July 2020 -</b> Like this but for July. ;)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF9E6GR3_gOjBt0NqSMd9BFtJKayxQq2KmKc_aHuVCfX4_UFx7FghVBJ8rRcgW6CgiPxr89I4YBVsUcFvNIoFCd4_rebrgLmENKzGzkw_uyynhHPVNgb_TMS6n5qnUMrF7_9IIF_xS08/s1600/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Hunger+by+Michael+Grant.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF9E6GR3_gOjBt0NqSMd9BFtJKayxQq2KmKc_aHuVCfX4_UFx7FghVBJ8rRcgW6CgiPxr89I4YBVsUcFvNIoFCd4_rebrgLmENKzGzkw_uyynhHPVNgb_TMS6n5qnUMrF7_9IIF_xS08/s640/Book+Review+and+Writing+Lessons+Hunger+by+Michael+Grant.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This month had its ups and downs emotionally. This year has just been insane and maybe there's still a sliver of hope that the latter half will be better. XD</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>How was your month? What did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts?</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You may also like:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/monthly-wanderings-may-2020.html">Monthly Wanderings: May 2020</a></span><br />
<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/04/monthly-wanderings-april-2020.html" style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Monthly Wanderings: April 2020</span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/03/monthly-wanderings-march-2020.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: March 2020</a></span><br style="text-align: justify;" /><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; text-align: left;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/02/monthly-wanderings-february-2020.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: February 2020</a></span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/01/monthly-wanderings-january-2020.html" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration-line: none;">Monthly Wanderings: January 2020</a></span></span></span></div>
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-84813912329524998982020-06-19T13:00:00.000-04:002020-06-19T13:00:03.268-04:00Book Review and Writing Lessons: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Ambition will fuel him.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Competition will drive him.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>But power has its price.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Series:</b> The Hunger Games (0)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Genre:</b> YA Science-Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> Scholastic Press (May 19, 2020)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Page Count: </b>528 pages</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could hardly put this book down! So many things about Snow and <a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/11/writing-lessons-from-movies-hunger-games.html">the Hunger Games </a>world make sense now! It was so cool to read about the history of Panem. Honestly, Katniss has it easy compared to the 10th Hunger Games. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Plot:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> First of all, though this is a prequel, I recommend reading it after the other Hunger Games books. It will have more effect. It's best having the enigma that is Snow in Katniss's POV and then later unraveling him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Second, the plot is divided into three sections: before the games, during the games, and a good chunk actually takes place after the games. So much happens before the games that it feels like the games started before they officially began. Suzanne Collins is great at making sure there are always stakes and tension even if that doesn't mean life and death peril. I never lost interest though during the latter half I got anxious as to what Snow's ultimate decision for his life would be so I found myself speed reading a little bit. But the ending was satisfying. My best way of saying it without getting spoilery is that it was good for Snow on the outside but not good for his soul. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Characters:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snow is incredibly well-written. He's sympathetic enough so you care about him. At one point my heart just completely broke for him. He knows what it means to suffer, but as expected he has a downward character arc. It's masterfully done. I understand him so much more now and how he handles Katniss and how he justifies his behavior as President of Panem. Throughout the book, he teeters between choices of right and wrong as he forges his path. It's his choice in the end to become the chilling antagonist known in Katniss's story. I do think that Donald Sutherland's performance influenced this book though. A lot of his personality only revealed in the movies came into play in the book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As is characteristic of Suzanne Collins, her side characters are just as vibrant as her protagonist. Lucy Gray is a treat. I love how Suzanne Collins gives her things that make her a signature character like her rainbow dress. She's drastically different from Katniss Everdeen so she can't at all be compared to our Girl on Fire. What they do have in common is song though. Lucy Gray loves to sing and she sings many songs throughout the book. Some old traditional songs and some we've come to know and love in Katniss's story. Lucy Gray is so full of life and at the same time so enduring and smart. You can't help but fall in love with her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snow's friend Sejanus is just too pure for this world and Dr. Gaul makes my skin crawl. She's an intimidating and devious villain. I loved seeing some great backstory about the mysterious Tigris as well. I love her connection to clothes and how she says that they tell her stories. There are also ancestors to familiar characters which are fun Easter Eggs to find. There are other characters I loved too but I feel like mentioning specifics would be spoilers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Setting:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Panem at the time of the 10th Hunger Games was a very different world from the Panem of the 74th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games was far from perfection in Snow's younger years. Standard procedures in the 74th Games weren't even come up with yet sixty years prior. Panem and the Districts still have the war fresh on their minds. Many remember it vividly. It's also interesting seeing the psychology of trying to make people watch these brutal games because at first, even Capitol citizens weren't crazy about it. The way tributes were treated before, during, and after the tenth Hunger Games ... Well, let's just say that Katniss had it easy compared to this. Hunger had a way larger part to play. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A part of the book is set in District 12 and I love how vivid the setting is. As someone who's grown up in the south and was born in North Carolina, she did such a good job at describing. I love the details like the smothering humid summer heat, the muddy lakes full of fish, and even mentioning bug bites on people's legs. It just brings back a lot of memories. I also loved that Katniss aka Arrowroot flowers were mentioned. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Epic Things:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's just so much amazing symbolism. I love it, especially regarding the Mockingjays. Snow despises them because he considers them unnatural. Something unexpectedly created. Something that can't be controlled. The Capitol expected the Jabberjays to die out but instead, they mated with District mockingbirds and created Mockingjays. Something new. Something that can't be controlled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also love all of the songs! I can't wait for a wave of covers to come out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Theme:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snow mentions that Sejanus gets himself into multiple "ethical quagmire" and that describes also what Snow deals with. Throughout the book he's making formative decisions about his ideology of the world. Dr. Gaul wants to convince him that humanity is very evil and needs to be controlled and that's why it's the Capitol's duty is to keep control. She believes everyone is evil when it comes to fighting for their lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"That's mankind in its natural state. That's humanity undressed." ~ Dr. Gaul</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sejanus presents arguments to the opposite. That there is still hope for humanity and it's worth the risk of being good in a world where everyone's pressuring you to do evil. Humanity makes mistakes but that doesn't mean that everyone is capable of great evil. Snow has to choose between these two perspectives or something in between.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Content Cautions:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a Hunger Games book, so of course expect some violence. There isn't any extremely graphic detail. Men hit women, a story of cannibalism is briefly described not in much detail, there's a scary mutated bunny (yeah you laugh now), human experimentation is briefly shown, someone's throat is slit, characters are shot, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">people bitten by snakes and wounds leak rainbow-colored pus, human-eating rat mentioned, a bullet-riddled corpse hanging from a crane, a person takes an ax to the neck, a person dies of tuberculosis, two characters openly mention suicidal thoughts, a character is beaten until dead with a board, people being dragged behind horses on display, characters get rabies and show advanced symptoms including foaming mouths, there's a good bit of blood in sections, characters die from bad falls, characters are stabbed with a trident, a character dies by a broken neck, children are badly beaten, a character dies by an ax to the head, people are mentioned to have been blown up, and three people are hanged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's a character mentioned to be a morphling addict. He self-medicates several times. There's a little kissing. A gay character and a lesbian character are very briefly mentioned. Some boys get very drunk and have hangovers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's some really minor swearing, including piss said four times and a** two or three times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Institutions Don't Start Out Perfect -</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Hunger Games of Snow's youth was barely recognizable of the games we know. It was very imperfect. Lots of mistakes were made. It was also inefficient. But people just in the book start establishing new practices to make the games "better."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When an institution starts whether it be good or ill, there are going to be mistakes made along the way. When people try something new they're not going to get it right. In <a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-review-and-writing-lessons-gone-by.html"><i>Gone</i>,</a> the kids' governing system is far from perfect as they try to create some semblance of order. In <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-book-review-of-queens-resistance-by.html">Queen's Resistance</a></i>, establishing a new government after the fall of a previous one is a long difficult one with lots of mistakes along the way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Leave Your Chapters on a Cliffhanger -</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So many chapters in this book leave off on a cliffhanger that forces you to keep going, "One more chapter." Collins ends her chapters with sentences that both shocked and drew several gasps out of me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's a writing tip that says that you should start your scenes late and end them early. You want to keep your reader reading, so entice them with cliffhangers and even take it to a next level and add hooks to the beginning of each chapter. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*SPOILERS*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.)</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Symbolism in the Treatment of Objects -</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I know this is a spoiler but I had to mention this hence the warnings. Throughout the book Snow talks about how his mother's compact and rose-scented powder inside is one of his most precious possessions because he can still smell his mother with it. He loved his mother and she was very kind to him. One of his other special possessions is his father's compass. His father was a harsh and strict man.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Near the end of the book after Snow makes his decision to continue on a downward path, the powder from his mother's compact is soggy from the rain he was just in. Instead of trying to save it, he discards it, discarding one of the last tender parts of his life and instead keeps his father's compass, signifying him following in his father's footsteps.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing:</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Objects can be such powerful metaphors. How your character treats possessions can symbolize how they feel. When Werner smashes his radio in <i><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-book-review-of-all-light-we-cannot.html">All the Light We Cannot See</a></i>, it signifies how he's rejecting his independence for the Nazi idealism. Having characters do things like this strengthens your themes and their character development.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*END OF SPOILERS*</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span> All in all this is one of the best books I've ever read. I aspire to write this well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">About the Author:</span> <b>Suzanne Collins</b> has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Collins made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling five-book series for middle-grade readers The Underland Chronicles, which has received numerous accolades in both the United States and abroad. In the award-winning The Hunger Games trilogy, Collins continues to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut.</span><br />
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<br />Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3414833843767621137.post-10052615139841902112020-06-12T13:00:00.000-04:002020-06-12T13:00:14.238-04:00Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy VII Remake<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been anticipating this game since last year when I started getting interested in the original <i>Final Fantasy VII </i>after playing <i>Kingdom Hearts </i>since the franchise features some of the beloved characters. I decided to wait for the remake and after hearing good things about the game I snagged it on release day! This is a long game (and <i>Animal Crossing </i>is distracting), but I'm so glad I played it and I can't wait until the next part releases! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Final Fantasy VII Remake </i>is about an ex-SOLDIER named Cloud Strife. He takes up a mercenary gig with a group of eco-terrorists who have the goal to destroy the mako reactors powering the city to save the planet. When their mission fails horribly, things escalate and Cloud becomes more involved than he'd anticipated when he stumbles upon a mysterious florist and hooded ghosts. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Warning: Spoilers in points four and five--especially five.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">1.) A Socially Awkward Character - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Cloud is a socially awkward muffin. He constantly stumbles to find the right thing to say or he finds himself saying the blunt thing and/or the wrong thing. I laughed out loud several times at his stern but adorkable personality. It was so unique and endearing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Wedge: Hold on, bro!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Cloud: Don’t call me, bro.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Wedge: Can you give me a minute?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Cloud: No. *pushes them both off the platform to parachute down to the city *</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Don't underestimate the adorableness of adorkable characters. But it also can be a struggle. Cloud has difficulty connecting with people, but over time he warms up to his friends and though he keeps his personality, he adapts to them as well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2.) A Government Narrative - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Throughout the game, the Shinra Electric Power Company is trying to frame Avalanche which is composed of Barret, Tifa, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie as ruthless terrorists. You hear this over news broadcasts or in rumors among citizen conversations or even straight from their mouths in cutscenes or hologram messages to our protagonists. Avalanche wants to stop the greedy power consumption of the company without hurting anyone, but Shinra goes as far as to hurt other people to make them look terrible. This poses as a massive obstacle for Avalance as they have little to no public support for their goals. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Sometimes the most effective way to subdue a force against the government is to spread lies and if everyone thinks they're true it's hard for the truth to push through. An enemy government can send assassins or whatever but sometimes it's most effective to turn the true good guys into the supposed enemies such as what Snow wanted to do to Katniss in <i>Catching Fire </i>when he tried to manipulate her into killing Finnick.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3.) Character Specialties - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Each member of the main team has a specialty whether in combat or virtue or knowledge. Cloud is an expert with his massive sword and can make powerful close-range attacks. He also knows a lot about Shinra tech and he's loyal to a fault once he makes good friends. Barret with his mechanical gun attached to his arm is great with long-range attacks. He also is great at boosting morale. He has a Baptist preacher-vibe to him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tifa is excellent with hand-to-hand combat. She knows how to pinpoint pressure points. She's also the glue of the team. She keeps everyone together even if they disagree. Aerith specializes in magic especially healing magic. Her optimism and kindness keep the team hopeful even in the darkest situations.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">How this can be applied to writing: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">What do each of your main characters contribute to the team? What makes them irreplaceable? How do they stand out among the other characters?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4.) A Neutral Force - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The whispers are mysterious arbiters of fate. These ghostly apparitions intercede at poignant areas in the story to either ensure events happen or prevent events from happening. These intercessions work for the good or ill of the main characters. The whispers have their own goal and you don't know if this will bode a happy or a tragic end.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>Some characters or creatures don't pick a side. They have their own goals and ambitions that sometimes help or harm the respective sides. This could be as simple as protecting their home or as big as feeling like the world should go how neither of the "good or bad" sides want. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">5.) Drive in the Emotional Punches - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Even the original name with Popeye the Sailor Man graphics was famous for not holding back when it comes to emotional punches. This remake emphasizes those to the umpteenth degree with more fleshed-out characters, great graphics, and a high-quality score. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Two pretty major characters die near the midpoint of the game. These deaths had an extra impact because you knew that Jessie had a family who loves her and Biggs had a heart for orphans. They died trying to stop a horrible event from occurring and they die in Cloud's arms. On top of that, a section of a city where hundreds of people lived is destroyed in mere minutes. You hear conversations about loved-ones trying to find their family members and crying over their losses. You can't help feeling at least a fraction of this horrible grief.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How this can be applied to writing: </b>It's a sad fact but many of us have become jaded over deaths we see in movies. We don't feel for the masses of people who die because there's nothing personal about it. But if include loved ones grieving for those lost or you know that some of those lives had the potential to create great good in the world you mourn for their losses. Show your reader why these people should be missed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Conclusion - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: center;">The Final Fantasy series strikes again with an amazing story and characters. They're definitely a wonderful teacher in writing!</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Have you seen <i>Final Fantasy VII Remake</i>? Have you noticed these writing aspects? What movies have you noticed have good writing? Let's geek out together!</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/05/writing-lessons-from-video-games-ori.html">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Ori and the Will of the Wisps</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/04/writing-lessons-from-video-games-final.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Final Fantasy X</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/03/writing-lessons-from-video-games-legend.html" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess vs. Okami</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/02/writing-lessons-from-video-games.html" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Horizon Zero Dawn</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2020/01/writing-lessons-from-video-games.html" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing Lessons from Video Games: Forgotton Anne</span></a></div>
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Victoria Grace Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.com0