[Image Description: "He froze, hand inches away from the blade when he heard the growling, lifted his gaze, and despite his swollen eyes and blurry vision, he could see the fangs of a large and snarling gray wolf. On the animal’s back was the girl from the dungeon whose hands he had broken, and a fae boy with white hair". End Image Description]

Okay so I know It's not that well structured but also, I was rushing to meet my daily goal AND turn an assignment in so 😂

Did you ever think, “what if the #Teletubbies on TV are just captive juveniles” and wonder what the fully matured adults would look like?

No?

Well… too bad, I guess.

Peter Paul Rubens. Detail from Tereus Confronted with the Head of his Son Itys, 1636-38.

Tereus was a Thracian king,the son of Ares and husband of Procne. Procne and Tereus had a son, Itys.

Hello there! (I love your hair ♥︎)

I assume you mean ‘cut what you love’ during the revision process, right? I prefer to call it ‘kill your darlings.’ In the past I have talked about editing (or chopping) out parts of the story that may not be effective— even if you like them, or enjoyed writing them. You can read more about my feelings, here c;

Instead, I want to spend this time to tackle the misconception of ‘cut what you love.’

It doesn’t mean what some people think it means.

Those of you who have seen my Top 5 Tips For Revision know that the overall message of that post was that (during the revision process) you must be able to look at your work objectively.

That is the exact same sentiment from which the advice ‘kill your darlings’ (or the misinterpreted ‘cut what you love’) comes from. The reality is that, from time to time, we end up writing things that may not be necessary, or effective, to the story.

I can already tell that someone is rolling their eyes at me, and that’s okay~ we can all have different opinions on this. What counts as ‘important’ and ‘not important’ is entirely subjective. I get that— but during the revision process you HAVE to be able to look at your writing and ask:

"Does this really need to be here? And if the answer is yes, am I choosing to keep this passage/paragraph/element because I believe the story is better because of it… or is it because I am attached to the time and effort I spent writing it?"

That’s it.

That is seriously the key to creating the best story possible: don’t waste the reader’s time with things that are not important to the story. This is also the secret for improving pacing. Again, I can feel that some of you may be taking my words wrongly, so let me clarify as to what I am NOT saying:

I am NOT saying that you have to dumb-down your story.

I am NOT saying that you have to sacrifice your artistic vision

I am NOT saying that you have to cut everything that you love

What is your job as a writer? To tell a compelling story.

Let’s say that again.

What is your job as a writer? To tell a compelling story.

Let me tell you about my first book. When I wrote the first draft of Ravensgem the opening was A LOT more different than it is now. It was a long, and epic retelling of the birth of Gadeen (the fantasy world where the story takes place). It was big, and expansive, and full of magical realism. I liked it. I loved writing it. But when I started editing the book that opening stood out like a sore thumb.

I didn’t want to chop out the entire opening of the book, I mean I nearly killed myself trying to get that first line right— you know? I didn’t want to just throw all of that work down the drain…

But that was exactly what I had to do.

I gave the book time. I let it sit. I came back and I looked at it objectively. I looked at it as though it had been written by someone else. I looked at the book as a whole, and I realized that opening had to go. Yeah, it was epic. Yeah it was fun to write— but Ravensgem was not about an epic fantasy world and the history that brought it to life. It was a story about people, about a young man choosing strife over safety and about a young woman choosing love over wealth.

I rewrote the opening into what it is today. I had fun. I enjoyed it. And I created something better than what was there before.

This is the entire point of revision.

Is it hard to chop out days (if not weeks) of ‘work’? Of course— but you need to remind yourself why you are doing all of this for:

To tell a compelling story.

I don’t know about you, but I want my stories to be awesome. I want my stories to be the best they could possibly be. And that sometimes means that you have to take out the entire opening of a book and start from scratch. Why? Why do all of this? Why go through all of this trouble? Because, at the end of the day, you are doing this… to tell a compelling story.

I hope this helps! If you, or any other writerly friend, has any more questions make sure to send them my way!

2000 years ago today, the Roman Emperor Augustus died. His reign marked the start of a 200-year period of peace and prosperity for the empire.

For Teenage Girls With Wild Ambition and Trembling Hearts, Clementine von Radics (via jebiwonkenobi)

xx.

-Anna F

After a big change occurs in your life, it’s most likely that you’ll feel lost and unsure of what to do. But don’t worry! Check out the link for some tips that will help you out!

8 Things To Do When You’re Feeling Lost

Legend (1985) 

The Last Unicorn (1982)

Ladyhawke (1985)

Labyrinth (1986)

The Secret of Nimh (1982) 

The Neverending Story (1984)

Red Sonja (1985)

Masters of the Universe (1987)

Return to Oz (1985)

Highlander (1986)

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Krull (1983)

Excalibur (1981)

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Dark Crystal (1982)

The Princess Bride (1987)

Willow (1988)

Bow Brooch

2nd Century AD

Roman