๐ธ๐๐ก, ๐๐๐๐ฆ, ๐ฟ๐๐ฃ๐ author Elizabeth Gilbert has decided not to publish her February 2024 novel. She says itโs because the book is set in the Soviet Union of the 1930s, and due to Russiaโs ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the subject and setting could prove upsetting to her present-day readers.
Writing is a journey of self-discovery and exploration, a quest to bring to life the stories that have been swirling around in my head for as long as I can remember.
Part fiction. Part real. Itโs somewhere in between.ย When someone tells me they write nonfiction, I sometimes reply, โItโs ๐๐๐ fiction.โ I get strange looks, especially from those who have their heads entrenched deeply in what they term as reality
Iโve used all three of these methods at some point. Initially, I was more of a pantser and went in with whatever was in my head, usually the beginning and end with a few moments in the middle. These books mostly didnโt work because I was just starting out and didnโt know how to set a scene or write decent description and other technical stuff.
When I was asked to write a guest post for Lisa’s Writopia, Lisa noted that my graphic novel is an expansion of a short film. She wanted to know: is there a feature film in the works? The question got me thinking about the unique journey my story has taken โ from the screen to the page โ and the future that may be in store for it.
I write mysteries because itโs the genre I most enjoy reading even though I have a fair share of biographies, historical fiction, and sports-related books in my personal library. But if Iโm settling down to read for pure enjoyment, you can bet itโs a mystery or a thriller in my hands.
I recently released my first fantasy novel, ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด, and I would love to share how this book came to be.ย It has been a long journey for this first novel in the Awakening series, but so many aspects of my culture, my personal life, and my journey as a writer have come into play so that ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด really feels like an appendage of myself.
After many months of mistakes and banging my head against the wall, I came up with a few principles related to creating fictional worlds. Iโve never written them down before and theyโre by no means perfect, but they may help you craft your own world or at least generate some thoughts on how you would approach it.
Bringing characters to life gives me the ability to live a hundred lives with no boundaries, limits, or rules.
What is poetry? This art form isnโt willing to be defined, labeled, or nailed down. Its words are the chiseled marble of language. It is a paint-spattered canvas, but the poet uses words instead of paint, and you are the canvas.
