Are We Boycotting Mulan 2020 for the Wrong Reasons?

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Screen grab from Mulan

Yes, and that’s a problem.

Disney’s release of Mulan 2020 was preceded by the headline news that the lead actress, Liu Yifei, had “tweeted” support of the Hong Kong police. Why is everyone so upset? Because the Hong Kong police have been aggressively stifling freedom of speech during protests for human rights. Why am I upset? Because the remake is a terrible film that I believe has worse connotations for human rights than Liu’s post on Weibo.

To understand the extent of why Mulan 2020 was a mistake, it’s first important to examine the 1998 film. It’s nearly impossible for a remake to exist without carrying baggage from the original and this film is no exception.

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Writing Prompt #23

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Is this a last minute writing prompt? Yes. But what’s wrong with last minute? As a society, we place so much value in productivity. Any activity that doesn’t contribute to productivity is thought of as time wasting.

These ideas are so pervasive I’m sure we’ve all felt guilt over spending an hour watching youtube, sleeping in late one morning, or checking Twitter. The idea seems to be that these activities are all fine, but only as long as you’re productive enough.

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Interview with Cherish D. Smith

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Cherish D. Smith is a talented poet and budding historical YA novelist. Her beautiful and diverse characters will have you rooting and blushing for them in equal measures. You can find her on Twitter @icherishwriting.

 

What characters and themes do you like to write about and what inspires them?

I tend to write the quiet characters. I love a quiet character with giant dreams that almost make you go, “This? You want to do what? I mean I guess. If you like it, I love it.” And I am a bit of a romantic, so I love a good “love trumps all.” Is it vain to say that I’m inspired by myself? I have a somewhat quiet personality and ambitious dreams and I am quite easy to make blush. Lol.

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Writing Prompt #22

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I wasn’t planning to do a writing prompt for another few weeks, but I’ve found it very difficult to work over the last few days. If you’re coming from the future or another dimension and need an update: covid cases in the UK just jumped back to May’s numbers (bad), I’m pretty sure politics just had diarrhoea (very bad), and I had an argument with a friend about human rights (very very… sad). I’m sure we’ve all been there; it’s really hard when you take a state of mind for granted and someone you care about doesn’t share it. It feels a little bit like I’m at the eye of a hurricane, stuck inside at my laptop only able to stare helplessly at the chaos around me.

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Interview with Joy L. Smith

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JoyInterviewPicJoy L. Smith is an up and coming YA novelist. She writes characters as diverse as they are powerful and inspiring–Joy is one incredible human bean. You can find her on twitter @JoyJoyWrites.

 

What characters and themes do you like to write about and what inspires them?

I think the main thing about the characters I write is that they’re Black girls. They’re city girls like me. They have that one thing that really keeps them going. I love to write about family and friendship and love because it’s important to me that Black girls know that there isn’t one clear story to tell about those three things. It’s all a bit complicated. And I love simple things but also complicated things too. For me I like to give my characters a skill that I was obsessed with as a kid or still wish I had. So you’ll see my characters love their theater references, ballet, acting and BMX biking among other things that make me happy, but inspire them.

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Content VS Creator

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Can we still appreciate content made by a creator whose views and actions have inflicted harm on others? This question is by no means new, but it is still an important one. Numerous creators throughout history have been abusive, racist, or just generally unpleasant people. In the last few years, huge movements like #MeToo have outed many creators as sexual abusers over multiple creative industries. In light of 2020’s BLM protests and JK Rowling’s transphobic essay, I know many people are grappling with their feelings about art they consume. This post is not designed to convince anyone of what they should think, but as a series of thought experiments and a toolkit to help you make up your own mind. Continue reading →

Why you should read diverse stories

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girl-2696947_1920Society is all too quick to label criticism as just another ‘sensitive opinion’. This attitude dismisses real problems and silences people from under-represented groups. I’m discussing diversity in my blog because I want to do my bit in promoting equality and I think analysing diversity in stories is a good place to start.

Lack of diversity is not a new issue. Throughout history, there has always been an ideal human that was represented in media from medieval paintings to silent movies and sketches in newspapers. Kind of like a time-travelling Barbie and Ken. Continue reading →

Dear 2020

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Dear 2020 - https://sonorahillsauthor.com/

Where were you in March 2020? When science was shunned, again? When a well-known author’s fear of the unknown gave fuel to the fires of transphobes? When in May a man cried, “I can’t breathe”?

I’m thinking about the future and the human rights questions of the next generation. Will they be angry at us for the part our ignorance played? I don’t know. I don’t know how to write this post either, so bear with me. Continue reading →

Writing Prompt #21 — The Lost Prompt!

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I found this prompt recently, and I could have sworn I had already posted it. Apparently not. I did this with three other people, but I’ve been unable to track down their writing for it. I don’t even remember when we did the prompt. Last autumn maybe?

Regardless, I do remember it being a lot of fun, so here it is: the lost prompt.

Snap Shot

The rules: Stare at the picture. What does it make you think of? What story is it telling? Okay–thought of something? Good. Now set a timer to 10 minutes and start writing that story. Ready, set, go!

The image:

Writing Prompt #21 -- the lost prompt! https://sonorahillsauthor.com/

Here’s what I wrote. If you want to share what you’ve written, I’d love to see it! You can post it in the comments below if you like.

Happy writing!

5 Tips for Referencing in Scientific Writing

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In scientific writing, referencing is the secret to success. Contrary to what it seems, a scientific paper should be easy to follow and all statements should be backed up by “proof”, whether that proof is your own data or another’s.  If it’s not yours, you reference it, and prop yourself up on great science of the past. Done well, this makes your words and science believable. Here are my tips for avoiding easy referencing mistakes and improving your writing! Continue reading →