Author: Sonora

5 Reasons Why NaNoWriMo is Awesome

/ Sonora / Leave a comment

If you are a writer, then you should be participating in NaNoWriMo.

I know, it’s a lot to ask. 50,000 words in a month is a big goal. Not everyone has the time, not everyone wants to, not everyone even thinks it’s worthwhile. Plus, November’s already started– it’s too late, right? The list goes on.

But hear me out. In my opinion, even if you file yourself under one of the above reasons not to, it doesn’t matter. Do it anyway. Here are my reasons why the benefits of participating in NaNoWriMo outweigh the negatives. Continue reading →

Review of Chime by Franny Billingsley

/ Sonora / Leave a comment

Chime is like a fairytale. No, not the Disney kind. Like one of the original Grimms tales, where Cinderella’s stepsisters cut off bits of their own feet.

Chime is like a fairytale told as a stream (or, should I say,river…) of thought from a 17-year -old girl who claims to be a witch.

Chime is, by far, one of the craziest things I’ve ever read. Continue reading →

How to Write a Unique Story

/ Sonora / 4 Comments

You can’t.

Okay, the title of this post is misleading, but bear with me.

The issue of creating a unique story used to constantly plague me while I was writing Aza. I could see so many connections to my favorite books at the time– the tribes came from Warriors by Erin Hunter, the camouflaged cloaks were from Ranger’s Apprentice (even though I came up with the idea before I read that series) by John Flannagan… the list goes on. There were times when I considered giving up just because of Aza’s lack of uniqueness.

Luckily I didn’t, and now I realize something: no one can write a truly unique story. Here are the reasons why: Continue reading →

Figuring Out the Middle of Your Story

/ Sonora / Leave a comment

Anyone who has ever tried to write a story has been there: We know how to begin, and we know how to end, but… what about the middle?

I am currently struggling with this problem in my re-write of Marsip, the sequel to Aza. I’ve taken the lamest way to deal with the ‘middle problem’, which is to ignore it and work on a different novel*. I would suggest not following my bad example and saving the option of ignoring your story as a last resort.

Because there are many other ways forward. Continue reading →

Giving Your Work to Test Readers

/ Sonora / Leave a comment

Have you ever spent hours working on a story, ironing out the mistakes, honing it to perfection? Imagine you give this story to a friend who reads it through and says, “I don’t get it.”

No one likes to be told their writing has problems, but everyone wants their writing to be a as perfect as possible. Figuring out the problems in your writing is the first step to improving it, so why are we so against hearing words like, “I don’t understand this bit,” or “you should change that bit”?

Because it hurts– it hurts being told your work needs more editing. Continue reading →

Review of The Zamonia Series by Walter Moers

/ Sonora / Leave a comment

For some reason, I always seem to make things more complicated for myself. I decided to try doing a book review, so I started with a favourite series of mine. It’s not an easy series to review either, as I quickly found out…

…but maybe a complicated review suits the Zamonia Series— which could arguably compete against a labyrinth for the number of twists-and-turns. Continue reading →

Writing Memorable Characters

/ Sonora / 1 Comment

The man was standing stiff and upright, which made his stomach strain at the buttons of his white shirt. His face was screwed up like a bulldog, and his beady eyes shifted slowly back and forth over the crowd like everyone was up to no good.

If I was writing about a security guard, I might describe him something like that. Capturing someone’s character is an important skill to have, because without characters you have no story. Continue reading →

Inspiration for the Forest of Monsters in Aza

/ Sonora / 1 Comment

 

IMG_4779

Monsters loomed behind the trees.

Inspiration can come from anywhere– music, gossip, personal experiences, other stories. No matter what you’re doing, your brain is stockpiling information to use for later. The harder part is to actually produce writing from it.

When I sit down to write my brain isn’t absorbing new information (besides the feel of my pen or the sound of my keyboard). I have to use what’s already there. Most of the time, new information or “inspiration” comes when I’m doing something new and exciting without any way to write it down. When you start feeling inspired, slow down. Think about the way you’re feeling. Notice the details. Even if you don’t plan to write anything, taking a moment to observe will help you remember better. Continue reading →

A Dream in the Shape of a Book

/ Sonora / Leave a comment

For as long as I can remember I wanted to make books. When I was four or five I was the illustrator. I spent hours drawing pictures of me going to the library for storytime or doing cartwheels in my gymnastics class. I remember writing stories about fairies who lived in trees, and re-telling little red riding hood. I dictated the stories to my mom and she wrote them down.

It was after the excitement of learning to read and write wore off that I discovered my dream.

I was going to write a real book. Continue reading →