The Most Excellent Bard Eanrin Hat

Good morning, folks! Hope you all are having a great Friday! As some of you requested, here are some pictures of me in my most excellent Bard Eanrin Hat, as made by Mrs. Macha!

It certainly adds a level of confidence worthy of the Bard!

Along with cat-like satisfaction.

All in all, it's a barrel of fun!

For those of you don't know, this was a prize for Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Tales of Goldstone Wood Fan Art Contest! Thanks to everyone who enjoyed and voted for my piece (which is below, in case you missed it)!!!

"Sunan Challenges Risafeth" by Hannah Williams

Writing Quality

In my second draft of Moonscript, I've been working on story cohesion: making sure characters are true to themselves, ensuring actions and turns of events make sense, and so on. Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to come up with a better way to write a scene. My brother has been reading the story as of late and pointing out several problems with inaccuracy of action or plot, which I've been striving to fix.

Just recently, I've discovered the wonder of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld. I hadn't read them before, because they are adult books complete with language, dark issues, and innuendos, but I am reading them now, and they are also inspiring works of brilliance. When you are reading them, almost anything else you are reading (except Sanderson and Stengl) pale in comparison.

So Moonscript was looking rather pale to me. While I have no hope of it being anywhere as genius as Pratchett, I am inspired to write my books better. And then it struck me--reading good books isn't enough. Yes, it is good and it will rub off on you. But study them. Not to copy their style or voice or story, but their quality.

In studying Pratchett I discovered that I write a lot about what people's expressions are and how they are saying things all the time. He usually let you imagine for yourself simply by writing the scene and conversation so clearly. But then I discovered that Anne Elisabeth Stengl did often use facial and voice description, and it also read wonderfully. So once again it was a difference of style. I think their quality lies in this--knowing when to use descriptions, metaphors, and on. Timing and placement are tools to be mastered.

I plan on going through some of my favorite authors, (Stengl, Sanderson, Pratchett, Turner) and taking down notes on how they write scenes, conversations, and more. This technique probably occurred to you some time ago, but I look forward to seeing how it helps me shape my writing.

"For I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth." Job 19:25. May you all have a blessed Easter!

Moonscript Update

May you all have a blessed Good Friday as we remember Who guides our lives and redeemed our souls!

Now, my dear readers, I'm pleased to tell you the second draft of Moonscript is progressing in fine form. There is much I have changed, more to change, and a great deal to perfect. As a matter of fact, I shall soon be writing an article on my search for writing quality.

But I realized my old cover and blurb for Moonscript is rather outdated. So I've set up a new blog page and banner! Enjoy!

The 777 Writing Challenge

I was tagged by Shantelle Mary for the 777 Writing Challenge! The rules are as follows: The 777 challenge requires you go to Page 7 of your work-in-progress, scroll down to Line 7 and share the next 7 lines in a blog post. Once you have done this, you can tag 7 other bloggers to do the same with their work-in-progress

So I'll share from my WIP Moonscript. Mind you, this is from the second draft, so it is subject to change.
 

 Among all the people who’d passed through Denji’s only inn, Tellie had never encountered anyone as foreboding as the four men she served tonight. In the past four years that she’d worked at the inn, she’d had her share of unsavory customers, from dimwitted vagrants to filthy hunters who gloated of gory kills that made her stomach twist. 

These men were different. There was a foreign danger about them—the kind that should be far away but instead was very close. They were strangers to this land, she was sure. They were also plotting something devious.

And I tag Clara Diane Thompson, Allison Rudivich, Rebeka Borshevsky, Savannah Jezowski, Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Erin Hodge, and Emma Jayne.

Book Reviews of Warning

I like writing positive book reviews about books I love. However, every once in a while, there are books I feel I should warn people about. So today, you get two of those reviews. Both these books I did not finish. The first I read part of on a preview and then looked up the rest on reviews. The other I started skimming over the last third.

Fairest

 by Marissa Meyer

Most of you probably know by now how I feel about Fairest, the prequel book in the popular Lunar Chronicles. But in case you don't, here goes.

Fairest is the tragic tale of Levana who is so lonely for love that she turns her crush into an obsession which later translates to a very intimate and disturbing lust story. Oh yes, and did we mention she has the ability to mind control, so she literally do whatever she wants with the guy?

It's a horrible story and totally inappropriate for teens and YA. Even for adults, it's a complete waste of time. I know a lot of you fans will nonetheless be curious to read it, because there are interesting things of note related to the rest of the series. My advice? Look it up on online on reviews or its wikia page. That way at least, you won't feel so personally contaminated by Levana's twisted perspective.

A Curse as Dark as Gold

Elizabeth C. Bunce

It's a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin . The writing of this story is truly wonderful, bringing the characters and world to life. Indeed, it is SO real, you might as well be reading a historical fiction. SO real...that the magic felt way more like demonic activity than faerie.

So I started to find myself rather disturbed. Although this story does have a happy ending, the mess this girl gets herself into would not have had a happy ending realistically without God. At one point, it is so creepy when the Rumpelstiltskin character says, "Ah, but who has authority over me?" There is mention of a religion alongside all the superstition, but there is nothing to indicate a divine good able to stop the creepiness of curses and ill luck. 

There's no inappropriate content in here. But it's not a fairytale, it's a ghost story. So if that's not your thing, you may want to stay away. 

Book Review--Out of Darkness Rising by Gillian Bronte Adams

Darkness reigns unchallenged.

For the villagers on the accursed Island, life has only one meaning - death. Bound to the Island by the curse, the villagers suffer beneath the iron claw of the Serpent, daily breathing the poison of his breath and dying to appease his insatiable appetite.

When Marya’s parents are slain by the serpent for their belief in a legendary king, she becomes an outcast. Struggling to survive and avoid the vengeance of the Tribunal, Marya is torn between legend and the harsh reality of the Island. Yet when a forgotten promise springs to life, she cannot help wondering if the old stories might in fact be true. And if they are, will the promise prove stronger than the curse?

Through My Window

Gillian Bronte Adams has proven herself able to stand amongst the greats of Christian fantasy authors.

This stand alone fantasy novella displays the incredible beauty and power of allegory. The prologue alone is the best representative of Lucifer's fall that I've ever read in fantasy. Gillian is a master of epic prose that grabs you tight and steals your breath.

Alas, I lament that the story is rather short. I would have loved to see Gillian expand Marya's original plot-line in order to drive up suspense and mystery.

Nonetheless, this is a wonderful example of quality writing and convicting truth that will capture any reader, especially those wishing to rediscover the epicness in the story of our fall and redemption.