To ring in the new year, I’d like to talk about my favorite authors, the writers who inspire me, who move me, and whose writing style I love. Every time I pick up a book of theirs, whether I’ve never read it before or I’ve read it dozens of times, these are the writers who …
Tag: fiction
Reading Recap 2023 – Part 3: Mysteries, Histories, and Adventures
Here’s to the last blog of the year! Not including school books, I read 50 books this year! That’s much more than I expected. Let’s dive into my reads from the last third of the year. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall (3/5 Stars): Unlike the earlier entries in the series (which I reviewed …
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My Villain Manifesto: Reflections on Antagonists in Fiction
Back in my old theater days, I was typecast as the villain. I played Cinderella’s stepmother (twice), Shere Khan in the Jungle Book, and—one of my favorites—Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. I’ll admit, it feels rather empowering to be the bad guy, gliding across the stage, robed in black, the other actors trembling before you… Me …
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Writing with a Day Job: Find Your People
Welcome back to part two of four on “writing with a day job,” or writing for busy people. Whether you’ve got a non-creative or creative fulltime gig, you’re a freelancer seeking to make a living while working on your novels, or a parent with a novelists’ dream, you’ve come to the right place. Two weeks …
Writing with a Day Job: Productivity
I long for a time where I can be a full-time writer. Anyone else? Instead, I’m what some might label a “Midnight Novelist.” (Well, really more of a “Lunch Break Novelist”—I don’t have the stamina to stay up late after a long day of work.) Or, as I like to call it, a Writer with …
By Madelynn Orion 