Writing Advice: Certainty

There is no “seeming” or any synonym thereof in writing. There is no “he began to peddle” or “she started to yield.” Unless something has stopped your characters in the process of doing something, then you are direct. “He peddled” and “She yielded.” Anything less is robbing the readers of excitement.

Things do not “seem” in your story, and if they do, they must only do so if you want to create uncertainty. Yes, there is hesitation in real life, but your story should not be real life. If your story is to be as depressing as real life, it should because the character tried and failed, not that they never tried to begin with.

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Review: Borrasca by C. K. Walker (Bourasca? Borraskwa?! ¿¿Boruscka??)

Novel: Thriller, horror. Contains violence and disturbing imagery. Warning: This review contains minor spoilers. Do you like tragic thrillers, bordering on horror? Stories which seem like they originate from the pits of humanity which we do not understand and do not wish to? Small towns with big secrets? Twists that you know are coming from a mile away, but find yourself too surrounded by fog to know the nature of this twist until it is footsteps are right upon you and your heart is tearing to get out of your rib cage??? If any of these apply to you (or god forbid, them all), then Borrasca may just be the book for you. The book starts out with the old “I’m moving to a small town because of my dad/mom’s new job. Of course, in this book, the change of job is a lot more...

“Who Could That Be At This Hour?” By Lemony Snicket, in which Lemony sneaks around at too late of an hour

BE ADVISED! Along with containing minor spoilers, this review will be less about the book itself and more about the series of All The Wrong Questions and what it accomplishes and what it fails. When I was around twelve or thirteen I first picked up “Who could that be at this hour?” It instantly captured my imagination with its air of intrigue and fascinating, semi-surreal setting. I grew up with the previous serious in the Lemony Snicketverse, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and I hadn’t yet discovered my love of noir films so many of the tropes at play were initially lost on me. Looking back, older and more mature, I can see the seams. Already in the first book of a series of four, I can see the moments where the story lags. Having read all four books, I can see that while Handler is a master of delivering a powerful and clever satire, he doesn’t know how to break his own routines. It’s less noticeable in the first book than it is in later entries, but we are alrea...

Observation: Sins Forgotten

NOTE: This was written some time ago by yours truly. The Seven Deadly sins are a staple of our culture. Everyone knows of Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath, Lust, and Pride, and tries to avoid them. We fight these impulses daily and generally act as though they define all forms of evil, in one way or the other. Thus, I find it ironic that the forgotten sin, Vainglory, is more prominent in this day and age than all others, and I intend to identify why this sin was forgotten and why it is important that they should be remembered. Vainglory originates from Middle English and Medieval Latin, in Western Europe. It means “to boast in vain” or to be ostentatious about one’s own abilities. So why should it be re...

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