So Your Character Has Attention Deficit Disorder ... Featuring Ari @ Listen to Me Ramble On

ADD is a very foreign concept to me since I've always been focused ever since I was a little kid. There are several people in my life I know who struggle with ADD and I'm familiar with it from Percy Jackson. I'm glad Ari has come to tell us even more about this disorder.
 
Let's welcome Ari!

(Images aren't mine) 

What Being a Social Media Manager for a Magazine Has Taught Me

Last October I became the official social media manager for Splickety Havok Magazine. Since I've been with them for over six months I thought it's high time I do a post about the things I've learned while being one. A social media manager is the person who posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, any social media account really for a company. Basically, I market stuff and build up relationships with my company's audience. So if you ever go to Splickety Havok's Facebook page and comment and the page replies, dat's me.  Same with their Twitter. 

Splickety Havok is a flash fiction magazine. Flash fictions are stories that are 1000 words or less, and the writers are paid when they're published so if you're interested in submitting by all means check out the current themes. I met the founder of the company Ben Wolf years ago at the Florida Christian Writers Conference. Then two of my good friends became employees for the company, then I got published in Havok, and then I found out they needed a social media manager. I wanted more experience on managing social media, so I decided to apply then I ended up getting the job.

A Book Review of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

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Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

So Your Character is From Sri Lanka ... Featuring Dashie @ The Swashbuckler

It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where 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 week's  So Your Character is From Indonesia ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

I actually didn't know anything about this country except the fact that it exists. XD I'm so happy Dashie could come to the blog to tell us more about this cool country!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

Writing Lessons from Movies: How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is one of the best animated films that's come out in the past ten years. Before I saw this film, it felt like the other children's animated features of the early 2010's were riddled with nothing but shallow plots and potty jokes. This film's animation is beautiful, the soundtrack breathtaking, and who couldn't love the characters? It also has some absolutely fantastic writing, which is why I'm highlighting it as this month's Writing Lessons. 

Let's go, bud!

Warning: Spoilers. 

My Dream Reading Space

Arhaus encouraged me to do a post about what my dream reading space would be (Check out their living room page to get a look at what they do!). Thus I've decided to go completely all out. I doubt this place actually exists and I doubt I'll ever have the money to actually do this, but it is dream right?

None of these images are mine.

So Your Character is From Indonesia ... Featuring Cilla @ Paved with Books & Tasya @ The Literary Huntress

It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where 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 week's  So Your Character is from India ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

I honestly didn't know very much about Indonesia before reading these interviews. I know some missionaries who live in India and I've heard them pray in the latest language. I also knew that Indonesia is primarily a Muslim country, but that was the extent of my knowledge until now.

Let's welcome Cilla and Tasya!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

Villain Necrologies & Debacles: Pixar Edition

Villains meet their demises in so many different ways. For some this means death, for other this means an unfortunate incapacitating situation. Writers put a lot of thought into how their antagonist finally fails, but which way is best for your villain? That all depends on so many different circumstances, including audience and genre. This is what inspired my series "Villain Necrologies & Debacles." Over time, I'll be analyzing different animation studios, franchises, and more. These posts are meant to show you what sort of defeats have been done whether common or uncommon, perhaps inspire some villain defeats of your own, or you can just enjoy the morbid humor. Check out last month's Marvel Cinematic Universe Edition!

A lot of Pixar films actually don't have villains, but those that do have had memorable ones. Since Pixar has released less films, this is going to be a shorter list, but it's Pixar so I had to make an edition. Let's go!

Warning: Spoilers for all of the villains in those movies. 

Beautiful People: Parental Edition: Rouyn (Starbloods)

It's time for this month's Beautiful People! Yay! This is a link-up hosted by Paperfury and Further Up and Further In where you answer questions about your characters. I participated in Beautiful People for the last three years every month. Pretty crazy. XD This link-up has been just so helpful with character development. 

Immediately, when I saw the theme for this month's questions, I knew I had to do Rouyn. He's my main character from my high fantasy series Starbloods and he has an interesting relationship with his parents. If you'd like to participate in this link-up yourself, check out either Paperfury or Further Up and Further In to see how. Here we go!

So Your Character Has Asperger's Syndrome ... Featuring Elizabeth Hemingway

I've known a few people with Asperger's, but I've never actually sat and talked with them about the condition, which is why I was really happy to find Elizabeth so she could share with us. According to Wikipedia, Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a developmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.[1] As a milder autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it differs from other ASDs by relatively normal language and intelligence.[4] Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and unusual use of language are common.[5][6] Signs usually begin before two years old and typically last for a person's entire life.

That's the encyclopedia definition, but what is it like to live with Asperger's? Let's welcome Elizabeth!

(Images aren't mine) 

Elderly Characters 101

Many of my favorite characters in fiction are sixty and up. What makes us love them so much? When many young people think of older people they think of that lady down the street that yelled at them for running on their grass or the older man that used to give them candy. So what makes some of the the best older characters indeed the best and how can we in turn write great elderly characters? Let's take a look!

A Book Review of King's Blood by Jill Williamson

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In the second volume of Jill Williamson's Kinsman Chronicles, a remnant has escaped the destruction of the Five Realms and now lives on several hundred ships adrift at sea. As a flock, they sail north into the unknown in hopes of finding land that might become their new home. 

As the king's illness worsens, Sâr Wilek takes authority over the expedition and struggles to rule the disjointed people, while assassination attempts, vicious serpents, and dark magic endanger his life.

One prophecy has come to pass, but another looms dauntingly in the future. Who is this Deliverer? And if the Magonians have him, what might that mean for the realm of Armania?

So Your Character is From India ... Featuring Shanti @ Virtually Read & Rachna @ Rachna's Scriptorium

It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where 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 week's  So Your Character Has Autism ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)