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- Writing a Book with Multiple POVs Part 2: Storyby Mary DeSantisPicture it: Holiday, year of choice. Fifteen people sit around a table, three of whom decide they will tell the story of an event they all recently attended. As they do, the other twelve sit and listen as the first storyteller starts, the second one interrupts to say the first…
- What don’t you know?by Mary DeSantisBack in January when I decided to start blogging again, I didn’t really have a plan. I chose the words “humanity, community, story” as the motivation for the blog and the tagline of my website because I wanted to bring a little corner of those things to the internet, whether…
- Acceptance of Imperfectionby Mary DeSantisDespite having a degree in psychology, I actually quite dislike using terminology to define how I’m feeling. Perhaps it’s because the degree makes me more aware that I’m just plopping down labels that may or may not completely fit my experience. That said, there is one label I’ve been feeling…
- Don’t Underestimate the Power of Normalby Mary DeSantis…because it makes no sense to do that if you don’t— Confused? Thought so. Now imagine that sentence had gone on for pages, but instead of whatever it was talking about, it detailed a sudden immersion into a fantasy world that looked, acted, and otherwise was nothing like Earth. But…
- Writing a Book with Multiple POVs Part 1: Structureby Mary DeSantisWriting multiple perspectives in a novel can be likened to the common idiom “there are two sides to every story,” where you replace “two” with however many characters’ points-of-view (or POVs) are used to tell the story. While this adage is a quick way to understand the multi-POV structure, there…
- If at First You Don’t Make the Cut…by Mary DeSantisIf no news is good news, then what’s news that isn’t good or bad news? (If you don’t know, it’s okay. I don’t either.) A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about my journey of writing short stories to themed deadlines and subbing them for the heck of it.…
- Can I turn My Table-Top Role-Playing Game Into a Novel? Yes, But It Will Take Some Workby Mary DeSantisI played in my first TTRPG campaign at age seven. My parents really didn’t mess around with “starting them early.” My character was a thief-type named Nara. She had dark hair (like me), violet eyes (not like me), and was uncannily accurate with a bow “because magic.” (Clearly, seven-year-old me…
- Target Acquired … Um, Audience?by Mary DeSantisI’ve noticed an upswing in the casual use of the f-bomb in books and movies within the last few years. I’m not here to debate whether this is a good or a bad thing. It’s a style choice. Not necessarily one I enjoy, but again, personal preference. Rather, what I’ve…