How Novels Like “Circe” Show Ancient Stories In A New Light

“How Novels Like “Circe” Show Ancient Stories In A New Light”
Mikaella Clements | October 22, 2018 | Buzz Feed News

Ben Kothe / BuzzFeed News; Getty Images

In three recent novels that reimagine ancient epics — Circe, The Mere Wife, and The Silence of the Girls — authors wrestle with both their source material and the centuries of cultural baggage it carries.

Writers have always come back to older texts, finding new twists on old legends. Jean Rhys and James Joyce weren’t the first in the Western tradition to do it, when Rhys reimagined Jane Eyre’s doomed Bertha Mason in Wide Sargasso Sea and Joyce sent Odysseus walking the streets of Dublin in Ulysses. Virgil, Chaucer, and Shakespeare all found the roots of some of their plots in stories from other writers. Even now, with more stringent concepts of originality and plagiarism, adaptations of classic texts are a healthy part of our literary ecosystem, from Hogarth Press’s Shakespeare adaptation series to an ever-expanding array of Jane Austen homages.

Retelling old stories is not just a chance to revisit familiar and beloved characters or settings, but to bring out something new. Helen Oyeyemi’s Boy, Snow, Bird is an uncanny take on the Snow White fairy tale and delves into the politics of racial passing. Emily Wilson’s much-celebrated translation of The Odyssey uses its language to draw attention to the hypocrisies within the original text, while picking a fight with centuries of misogynist translation. In adaptations, writers can expand the breadth of a text or a narrative, to say something about their own historical period… and to shed new light on the original text.

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HOW PUBLISHING WORKS: A BOOK DESIGNER’S PERSPECTIVE

“How Publishing Works: A Book Designer’s Perspective” | Zoë Sadokierski | 13th November, 2014 | Aerogramme Writers’ Studio.

Publishing is the process of getting the author’s story out of her or his head and into the hands of a reader. Zoe Sadokierski

Authors don’t write books, they write manuscripts. Publishing is the process of getting an author’s manuscript into the hands of a reader, by materialising it – giving it form, as a book. This may be printed (a codex) or digital (an ebook).

The author’s manuscript is either solicited (the publisher asks them to write it) or unsolicited (the author writes it, then shops for a publisher). Being rejected is awful and publishing contracts are complicated, so many authors employ an agent to negotiate a deal with a publisher.

The “publisher” refers to either the publishing house (such as Penguin Random House or Text Publishing), or the person whose title is Publisher. Within a single publishing house there may be several publishers, each overseeing a different list based on genre. For example, there may be a literary publisher, an academic publisher and a non-fiction publisher within the same publishing house.

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Rewriting the 7 Rules of Dialogue

“Rewriting the 7 Rules of Dialogue” by Steven James | 28th June 2016 | Writer’s Digest: The Writer’s Dig.

“Most of us have heard the typical advice about writing dialogue—make sure your characters don’t all sound the same, include only what’s essential, opt for the word said over other dialogue tags, and so on.

While these blanket suggestions can get you headed in the right direction, they don’t take into account the subtleties of subtext, characterization, digressions, placement of speaker attributions, and the potentially detrimental effect of “proper” punctuation.

So, let’s delve into the well-intentioned advice you’ll most commonly hear, and what you need to know instead.”

1. Dialogue should stay on topic.
2. Use dialogue as you would actual speech.
3. Opt for the speaker attribution said over all others.
4. Avoid long speeches.
5. Be grammatically correct.
6. Show what the characters are doing while they’re talking.
7. Keep characters’ speech consistent.

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The Ward Room – Military and Technical Assistance for Authors

The Ward Room – Military and Technical Assistance for Authors

The Ward Room Mission Statement

To provide accurate and concise information about the confusing world of the US Military. The Ward Room’s main goal is to assist authors, editors and others who are working on a military themed written project that have a desire to enhance the detail to be as authentic as possible.

Topics covered under Writer Resources

• Gun Versus Weapon, rifle, sidearm, or firearm
• Magazine Versus Clip
• Silencers Versus Suppressors
• Bullet, Cartridge, and Round
• Vehicles

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16 Rules of Blog Writing & Layout

“16 Rules of Blog Writing & Layout”| 30th January, 2017 | Writers Write.

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5 Things Breaking Bad Can Teach Us About Writing

“5 Things Breaking Bad Can Teach Us About Writing” by Cris Freese | 26th November 26, 2016 | Writer’s Digest.

“I think the general consensus among those writers who teach the craft is that you must read—and read widely—about the craft of writing, particularly those authors who write in your genre. But I think there’s a lot you can learn about writing from other mediums, too. Specifically television. Every other week, I’ll bring you takeaways from some of the best television shows out there. These are meant to be specific concepts, themes, techniques, etc., that a writer can learn from the show. This post will help you understand the intricacies of plot.

This week we’ll take a look at Breaking Bad. Potential spoilers follow. This post will focus specifically on some crucial elements of storytelling, and how you can use them to develop an excellent plot. Each one of these elements is used successfully in the hit show Breaking Bad. I’ll show you how each one is used in this show, and provide a potential application for your own plot.”

“1. Craft Unique Character Motivations
The number one thing you need for a successful and compelling plot is character motivation. Every character in Breaking Bad has terrific motivation for their actions.”

“2. Develop Multiple Conflicts
Good plots are nothing without good conflict. With multiple characters who all have unique motivations, you can create conflicts between each of these characters.”

“3. How to Use Foreshadowing Effectively
Breaking Bad uses foreshadowing throughout the plot. Sometimes it’s more heavy-handed than other times.”

“4. Utilize Flashbacks and Flash Forwards
I don’t recommend using these two techniques often in fiction, but using them sparingly can be effective in creating suspense in your plot.”

“5. The Importance of Recurring Plot Elements
Recurring elements are important because they draw plot lines together. They connect stories and people, and they recall to earlier points in a story, or point to something in the future.”

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Do You Need an Author Platform?

“Do You Need an Author Platform” by Mia Botha | 16th July, 2014 | Writers Write.

“Is it important to have a platform?

An author needs an author platform. It generates sales, it creates awareness, and it builds relationships for future sales. It also gives you credibility and establishes you as a serious writer.It is not only for authors who wish to self-publish. Authors who publish traditionally are also required to have an online presence. Social media interaction and blogging are large parts of the publicity strategy for the publisher. eBooks and eReaders have played a huge role in this.

For any aspiring author it is something you need to establish as soon as possible. Your online presence is where you will direct publishers in your query letters and how you will reach readers if you wish to self-publish. Basically you want to build your following before you publish.

How do you start?

Your blog is your base; which other sites you choose to use is up to you. Spend some time on each one before you decide. You use your social media pages to direct your readers to your blog or website. You can set up a blog using any of the sites. It is free and easy. So easy even I could do it. I got stuck at stages, but Google, or a friend, could always help me out. For your author platform you should think carefully about the topic of your blog or website. You can use it as a showcase, as an informative site for other writers, as a place to express your creativity, or as a window into a writer’s life.

 

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5 Elements You Need In Chapter One To Hook Your Reader

“Write Your Novel In A Year – Week 48: 5 Elements You Need In Chapter One To Hook Your Reader” by Anthony Ehlers | 2nd December, 2016 | Writers Write.

“Goal setting

1. Focus on polishing your first chapter.

Breaking it down

Your first chapter is the window to a showroom, beckoning us with a display of shiny new cars that promise adventure, an exquisite new dress in a shop window that hints at romance, or a candy display at a market promising the best sugar high ever.

How do you make sure you entice the reader in? How do you make that first critical chapter a moment of seduction, one the reader will never forget? In short, how do you get them hooked?

①  The first line is your last chance to grab the reader.

②  The world on the first page.

③  An unforgettable character or characters.

④ A challenging or thought-provoking question.

⑤ A last page that promises more.”

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4 Super Easy Ways To Create Characters For Short Stories

“4 Super Easy Ways To Create Characters For Short Stories” by Mia Botha | May 3rd, 2017 | Writers Write.

“Characters in Novels versus Characters in Short Stories

Creating characters in short stories is the same as creating characters in novels, but once again, when dealing with a reduced word count we have to make our writing work harder. We don’t have 80 000 words to develop a character arc. How can we work with a reduced count and still have a fully developed character?

1. Write Epic Descriptions

Sometimes we only need one line to summarise a character. Find a way to describe them that creates an image for the reader of who they are.”

“2. Dialogue

How does your character talk? Vocabulary, sentence structure and how they talk all help us to show character.

The age, level of education and nationality will all influence how your character speaks.”

“3. Body Language

Make your characters move. This conveys a lot about them. Make sure to use strong verbs.
Don’t say: the woman walked. That doesn’t tell us a lot about the woman. Rather say: she strode, she raced, she shuffled, she tiptoed. Those all create images and different scenarios.”

“4. Internal Thoughts

Internal thoughts are still one of the simplest ways of showing character. Once you are in the mind of a character you can share their motivation, thought processes and backstory.”

“By using a combination of these methods, you’ll be able to convey as much of your character as possible using the least number of words. Tip: Don’t forget to apply to principles of ‘show, don’t tell’ to really pack a punch.

Happy writing.”

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8 Archetypes For Heroes & Heroines (and their Villianous Counterparts)

“8 Archetypes For Heroes & Heroines” | 2nd August 2013 | Writers Write.

“We found this great resource for writers on tvtropes. If you’re looking for archetypes for male and female characters, have a look at this list. Follow the link at the end to read more, and to find a list of examples.

Archetypes for Heroes

1. Apollo: The Businessman
2. Ares: The Protector
3. Hades: The Recluse
4. Hermes: The Fool
5. Dionysus: The Woman’s Man
6. Osiris: The Male Messiah
7. Poseidon: The Artist
8. Zeus: The King

Their villainous versions are as follows:

1. Apollo: The Traitor
2. Ares: The Gladiator
3. Hades: The Warlock
4. Hermes: The Derelict
5. Dionysus: The Seducer
6. Osiris: The Punisher
7. Poseidon: The Abuser
8. Zeus: The Dictator

Archetypes for Heroines

1. Aphrodite: The Seductive Muse
2. Artemis: The Amazon
3. Athena: The Father’s Daughter
4. Demeter: The Nurturer
5. Hera: The Matriarch
6. Hestia: The Mystic
7. Isis: The Female Messiah
8. Persephone: The Maiden

Their villainous versions are as follows:

1. Aphrodite: The Femme Fatale
2. Artemis: The Gorgon
3. Athena: The Backstabber
4. Demeter: The Overcontrolling Mother
5. Hera: The Scorned Woman
6. Hestia: The Betrayer
7. Isis: The Destroyer
8. Persephone: The Troubled Teen”

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