After my positive experience during NaNoWriMo last November (when I wrote a stack of words on my WIP) I'm now considering signing up for Camp NaNoWriMo. Yep. It can all happen again in April and/or July -- the word slinging, the discipline, the moral support from the writing community. This time we have the flexibility … Continue reading Packing for Camp NaNoWriMo
I seem to have been spending all my blogging time watching episodes of the Science Fiction series Fringe recently... So this post is going to address a question that's been at the forefront of my mind as I watch Season 3. (Warning: Spoilers.) How would you feel if a doppelganger took over your life for … Continue reading If I had a doppelganger, who would notice?
The theme is I was thinking about something metaphorical, since I'm trying to progress both my careers at the moment... But I couldn't find exactly the image concept I wanted. And then I was so inspired by the fact that the Alhambra had inspired the theme in the first place, that I decided to … Continue reading Weekly photo challenge: forward
It's amazing the things you come across when sorting through your junk pile, er, study. This box was presented to me last year for my birthday. Inside was my real present, but the outside was so spectacularly decorated I had to pause and admire. And my sister told me my (then) nearly two-year-old nephew had … Continue reading The box I don’t want to get rid of
Some might think them a cliche, but for me castles are one of the quintessential hallmarks of classical fantasy. I love them -- soaring towers and turrets, imposing battlements, mazes of halls and corridors and bedchambers, walls so thick the characters can hold parties upon them . . . and so often overlooking a majestic landscape or … Continue reading C is for castle
I've been getting back into my WIP this week, which is hugely satisfying. After hitting the wall during NaNoWriMo in November, I lost momentum -- mainly because December is always crazy with Christmas and the start of summer, and then I was just getting going again in January when... stuff happened. But I am going … Continue reading Being an update on writerly progress
Last year, I gave my nine year old niece the first Harry Potter book for her birthday. She wasn't much of a bookworm... in fact, she preferred books on science or the natural world. Nonetheless, I decided to impose my love of Harry Potter on her and crossed my fingers that she would like it. … Continue reading But what if Hogwarts really does exist?
In books, it's considered something of a taboo to have a female character who cries more than once. Especially if she is the protagonist. Especially if she is to be considered a 'strong' female character. This is for good reason -- there's nothing more annoying (or cliched) than a main character bursting into tears at the … Continue reading Is it OK for strong women to cry?
It's time for the second installment of my A-Z of Fantasy series, inspired by the letter B (what else?)! Although several fantasy B words resonate with me, that which calls strongest to me today is BARD. Perhaps it's the siren call of song winding through my senses after an evening singing with the Soulsongsters. Or … Continue reading B is for Bard
My new D&D character is a ranger called Ash. She is a northern plainswoman, a 'pale-skinned barbarian' in the imaginary world of our game. Hailing from a remote plains village that has recently been raided by thieving goblins, Ash and the village cleric (Alix) are the only surviving members of a party that set out … Continue reading D&D Chronicles: A tough induction for Ash
Ellen Gregory 