Nine Lives, Fresh Perspectives

The Doll Doctor - I (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/251528591-the-doll-doctor-i?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_info When Angela Baker's doll breaks, she discovers that when she experiments with magic, magic will experiments with her...

Between Places (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/62877996-between-places?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_info&ref_id=19107546

Ex Parte Caikovskis (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/23693382-ex-parte-caikovskis?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_info&ref_id=19107546

Top Ten Writing Mistakes Editors See Every Day

Originally posted on Blot the Skrip and Jar It:

In addition to writing and teaching, one of the things I do for a living is to evaluate manuscripts for their suitability for publication. I read fiction (and non-fiction) across several genres, and write comprehensive reports on the books. I try always to guide the author towards knocking his or her project into a shape that could be credibly…

A Note on Magical Crime – /r/worldbuilding challenge ‘Con Men’

(Brescester Gazette, 11 Harpa 1,985 IC)

‘After recent events, it is evident that young gentlemen of fortune, living in Ludlin as the stewards of their parents’ trade concerns, take good care not to entangle themselves in any attempts on their lives and their property. The case of Alexei Volkovsky, son of Tirsk shipping magnates, and Vladimir Voronov, chairman of the Marcaster match factory owned…

After the evening meal, backs began to straighten and eyes brighten. A shower had crossed Carraig Dubh shortly before supper, but the evening sky was now cloudless. Giedre was up to her arms in water when Stanislovas came to her and told her that the dishes could wait until the morning.

The “colonists” were being given back their shamans to go with the priests that had accompanied them to the…

Cross-post from /r/magicbuilding: Brainstorming – [Brainstorm] How does the supernatural affect your world’s natural or human-created landscape, or the natural bodies of its practitioners?

This is a big plot-point in the Dungeons and Dragons setting Dark Sun, where ancient magic battles had destroyed the planet, draining life-force from it and turning it into a gigantic dustbowl with a silt sea.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Magic creates – but does it draw its power from anywhere? Do your wizards drain mana from the land, or does the very existence of…

Ellipses . . . The Silent Killer

Originally posted on Ryan McSwain:

We all have our pet peeves. I know a woman that can’t stand the sound of someone rubbing a balloon. My dad has this thing about poor technique in the application of Elmer’s Glue. I’ve heard some great rants about inconsistent numbering in movie sequels.

I hate ellipses in dialogue.

My hatred for this punctuation borders on the irrational. If the third person…