Hmm…

Author: harmamae

  • Poetry

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    harmamae
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    Poetry is whirling words Apple trees and bright blue birds Words that make you feel happy That is poetry. I’ll be the first to admit what little poetry I’ve written is mostly light-hearted flights of fancy. The one above was on my Grade 8 poetry portfolio, so it seems fitting to start off a short…

  • Fantasy Round-up

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    harmamae
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    Lately I’ve had people ask how I get inspiration when writing, and one big part of it is – reading other books! Good books show what works, what techniques are out there, and what tropes exist (obviously not for the purpose of blatant copying, that would be pointless). Bad books show what fails horribly, and…

  • Observations on Being Single

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    harmamae
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    Obligatory Valentine’s Day Post There are two types of Valentine’s Day posts that singles write: posts whining about how depressing Valentine’s Day is when everybody around them is in a relationships, and posts celebrating how singles get to spend the whole day spoiling no one but themselves (oh goodie). This is not one of those…

  • Fanfiction: For Geeks Only?

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    harmamae
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    Or, What I Learned From Writing Fanfiction   So, now that I’m looking back over my looooooooong career as a fanfiction author (just kidding) and wondering whether it was a useless exercise. After all, when I look back at some of the drivel I posted on fanfiction.net, I cringe. And it’s not like I could ever…

  • In It For the Long Haul (or, Facing Writer’s Block)

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    harmamae
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    “Nothing stinks like a pile of unpublished writing,” is a quote I saw online once (apparently Sylvia Plath said it). If so, then my room must reek. I’ve got shelves and shelves of the stuff, and very little published writing. On top of that, most of what’s on my shelves is unpublishable – not only…

  • Finding Time to Write

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    harmamae
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    It’s the last week of January, and resolutions are meeting reality. All those lovely, grand plans we started the year with are starting to look a lot harder to achieve. Yeah, my resolution was to write more often. I know, I’m not the only writer out there who finds it hard to find time to…

  • Thank You, Random Stranger

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    harmamae
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    Or, The Adventures of My Little Red Car I don’t think too many people have heard this story yet, since I was pretty shell-shocked after it happened. Car, Meet Ditch So, I’m on my way to a potluck after church, and the roads are not too great but I’m going under the speed limit (probably…

  • Your Name in Print

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    harmamae
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    When I was younger (and more naïve about the difficulties in getting published), I wondered why anyone would write for something that didn’t pay you for your writing. What was the point of writing for free? Of course, I didn’t even dream of the rise of blogging, where thousands of people write everyday for no…

  • Typing Vs. Hand-Writing

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    harmamae
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    By the way, I’ve noticed some new visitors here at Stories and Stuff! I’d just like to say “Welcome,” and if you leave a comment I’ll be sure to check out your blog, if you want. Apparently some writer can just plunk themselves in front of a computer and start writing their masterpiece. I’ve always…

  • After-effects of a Snowstorm

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    harmamae
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    Walking down the back alley to school, it’s obvious we’re dealing with the after-effects of three feet of snow falling in three days. Snow banks are higher than our picnic table. Windrows are up to my waist. The sound of snow shovels scraping sidewalks is all around me. Some neighbours have shovelled their driveway snow…