Hmm…

Category: On Writing

  • Why Writers Should Take a History Degree

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    harmamae
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    “Take journalism,” people will advise young, aspiring writers who feel they should go to university to get a degree in something. “You’ll learn more about writing, and get a practical job out of it too.” Clearly this was not advice I took, or could take, since none of the colleges around where I live offered…

  • Unicorns in the Streets: What is Genre, Anyway?

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    harmamae
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    J.K. Rowling just released her latest book yesterday, and surprise, surprise, it is not about wizards. Or magic. Or unicorns. She has firmly departed her old stomping grounds of children’s fantasy, and forayed into what might be called contemporary adult fiction. Which got me thinking – why do we draw such hard and fast lines…

  • Real-life Romance: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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    harmamae
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    Real life is better than fiction sometimes. More unbelievable than fiction too, but that’s another topic. This post will be the first of four to mesh two of my favourite blog topics: romance and history. ‘Cuz I realized, when I thought about it, that I knew at least four stories from history that were eventful…

  • How Not to Write About Brazil (Several Tips)

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    harmamae
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    Let’s just say you’re going to write a novel set in Brazil. I know, I know, there’s not a whole ton of novels out there set in Brazil, but I think the world could use a few more set in South America. If you’re going to go that route, or even if you just want…

  • Just Write What You Mean

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    by

    harmamae
    in

    There’s Got to be a Common-Sense Approach to the Language Rules Presciptivists vs. Descriptivists – apparently these are two sides of a lingual battle that involves literary theorists, writers and all-around grammar nazis. The New Yorker magazine (that bastion of literary prestige!) kicked things off by describing an old conflict between those who want to…

  • Another E-book Prediction Link

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    harmamae
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    So I’ve spent the last three days trying to fight off a nasty virus of some kind, and though my head is swimming with all kinds of great ideas for blog posts (thanks to the stress of exams finally being over), I have almost no energy to write them. Therefore, I will follow up on…

  • Blogging Responsibly

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    harmamae
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    Blogging is a funny thing. Many times I’ve poured thought into some topic, feeling like a post about it really needs to get out there. That this little thing I’ve noticed about the world around me has got to be noticed by other people too. Then – nothing. No reaction from the internet at large.…

  • Harder to Write Romance Than Criticize It

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    harmamae
    in

    “If you think it’s so awful, why don’t you try to do it yourself?” That’s the sort of thing you get thrown at you if you criticize something. No one’s said it specifically to me, even after going on and on about ‘The Trouble With Modern Romance,’ ‘Healthy Romance Makes Bad Novels,’ and ‘The Missing…

  • Remembering E-book Details – Harder Than With Print

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    harmamae
    in ,

    I realized I should’ve mentioned earlier that no post would be going up yesterday, since it was Good Friday and a holiday (and wow, I was glad to have a holiday after writing so many history papers!) Instead, I’m putting up a short post today. I came across this article on Time.com the other day,…

  • Will Ebooks Kill the Printed Book?

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    by

    harmamae
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    A lot of hardcore readers were doubtful when the Kindle came out, but there’s no denying sales of ebooks have skyrocketed these past few years. More and more people own e-readers, and several authors are making more money self-publishing electronically than they could ever make with a traditional publisher. Does this spell death for the…