Spinning Silver was the January choice for my work book club. And while I didn’t finish the novel in time for the meeting, I’m still going to write an evaluation here. Spoilers to come, and my overall verdict is 4/5 stars. Would recommend. Organization We’ll start with quasi-criticism. I wasn’t repulsed by the organization or…
Tag: Fiction
Writing a Novel with the Loose Draft
Today, let’s talk about loose drafting, a writing strategy that is a mix of plotting and pantsing.
Book Review: The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
I loved The Hate U Give. 5/5 stars. Pacing I was incredibly impressed with the pacing. The book was hard to put down from the beginning, largely because each chapter had a conflict that needed to be resolved, with each chapter’s conflict flowing into the overall conflicts of the book. I don’t utilize conflict that…
Brené Brown Meets the Sorting Hat Chats
I’ve been thinking about Hogwarts Sortings again recently, for two reasons. One, a little while ago a co-worker clued me in on the Sorting Hat Chats quiz. And two, I’m re-reading Braving the Wilderness as part of my work with Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and one of our discussions centered around our core values.
So today we’re going to talk Hogwarts. Again.
Book Review: Piecing Me Together, by Renée Watson
Piecing Me Together was a bit slowly paced for me, but in the end I loved the book. 5/5 stars. Spoilers to follow. Pacing For the first half of the book, we watch Jade live her life. While we’re getting used to her reality, this is interesting. However, for me, this get-to-know-Jade period lasted too…
3 Tone Exercises to Make You a More Agile Writer
Here are a few exercises to help you develop your tone-forming muscles. Note that I’m not going over what tone is in much any depth here, so hit the Googles first if you need a review.
The Hufflepuff Files: Of Bears and Badgers
My mom, my sister, and my youngest brother definitely have some good Hufflepuff qualities, which have inspired today’s post. Let me know in the comments what you’ve learned from people with different personalities.
How to Find Your True Hogwarts House: Part 2, Tales for the Wizengamot
Last week I told you how I think J.K. Rowling’s bias toward Gryffindor established an inherently flawed Sorting system that has been reformed by fans. This week, I’m here to give you textual evidence that the books themselves both explicitly and implicitly lead people to believe Gryffindor is superior. Ready for your evidence? Great! I’ve…
How to Find Your True Hogwarts House: Part 1, The Parting of the Ways
Like any self-respecting Potterheaded self-improvement bookworm, I’ve spent a lot of time agonizing over what my one true Hogwarts house is. In the process, I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing the Sorting system itself. My conclusion? I think I’ve found a way to sort people. But it’s not a quiz, and before I finally…
Kenna Ainsley 