Category: writing
-
“A bit monstrous.”
In March I had the opportunity to practice my public speaking skills at our literary agency’s retreat by giving a short lecture to my agency siblings. I chose to cover a topic I was already familiar with: how the patriarchy has shaped our understanding of narrative structure (a philosophical tributary from my critical thesis from…
-
September Vibes
Every September I go through some kind of deep rejuvination. Instead of winding down with the summer and the sun, my energy and productivity all seem to ramp up, nearly effortlessly. These days my thoughts are clearer, my intentions purer, my moods more balanced. Part of this might be because I’ve been acutely focused on…
-
5 Minutes a Day Keeps the Self-Loathing Away!
I suppose I should have made this post earlier in the month, but I generally forget that people might be interested in anything I’m doing/have to say because #internalizedselfdeprication (but I’ve been working on that!). But a funny thing happens when you start giving yourself permission to speak from the heart regardless of who might/not hear…
-
The Language of Dreams
Since I’m being my authentic runcible witchy self on here, I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind a lot the past few weeks: dreams. Years ago I saw a popular blogger at a literary agency post an article about dream sequences in fiction. Her #hottake was that if your novel…
-
Happy New Year
It’s still the beginning of the academic year for lots of people. It’s the beginning of Persephone’s descent into the Underworld. It is the end of the Days of Awe–the stretch of days between Rosh Hashannah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur. To me, it feels like new beginnings. Maybe it’s because these past…
-
Spring, Sprang, Sprung
It’s officially SPRING! No, don’t look at the snow outside. Or the thermometer. Or the clouds obscuring the precious, golden, lemony sunlight… it is officially spring! JUST GO WITH IT. Spring, like many things in our calendar and in our world, is rife with symbolism and meanings that have been liberally applied by human beings since…
-
Abusing the Use of Sexual Assult in YA
If you haven’t seen this article on The Victimization of Lara Croft, read it. It brings to mind an issue I have, specifically about YA novels, that has been bugging the hell out of me lately: there is too much god damn sexual assault. Before you get upset and say “it’s a real thing and YA…
-
5 Reasons Why Aspiring Authors Should Not Trust The Internet
Call me a hippy, or an optimist, or whatever you like, but I have a personal rule about any kind of advice: if it makes you feel good, take it; if it makes you feel like shit, it’s probably wrong. At least, it’s probably wrong for you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve…
-
In Like a Lion
It’s MARCH. WHAT? Winter has been shockingly–shockingly–mild here in Buffalo. For the first time in years, we can accurately say at the beginning of March that spring is right around the corner. For me, spring always brings with it a surge of passion and determination. My To-Do list quadruples, but so does my Got-Done list (and…
-
Wailing at the Wall
Life has been a whirlwind. Let me tell you about the past few weeks as succinctly as I can. Nothing major has happened, not by certain standards anyway. But my brain and my heart have been on a strange journey that can’t quite be captured in words. Perhaps that’s the reason behind my blog-silence–it’s certainly never…
-
The Artist as Batman
Like most of you, I have a day job. I happen to work at a pharmaceutical telemarketing group from 8:30 to 5, not using my degree in media study whatsoever. Maybe I’m using a little bit of my anthropology minor when dealing with a bazillion unpleasant receptionists (however, the cross-cultural appearance of generic job dissatisfaction in a particular segment of the working population is…