starsandsteelandbrokenglass

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

Andromeda by Arthur Rackham

#art

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

WIP of Penelope with her forever-unfinished shroud.

#art #odyssey #penelope #oof

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

#cursive #clock #latin :) #and typing i think? #i can type without looking at the keyboard if that's what they mean

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

Total Solar Eclipse l April 2024 l U.S. & Canada

Cr. Deran Hall l Rami Ammoun(236) l GabeWasylko l OThingstodo l ZachHolderWx l Joshua Intini l Alfredo Juárez l KuzcoKhanda

#eclipse #inspiration

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

March 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I can't believe March is already over. The semester is flying by as usual. I've got a conference paper to prep, abstracts to submit, and a dissertation to write. Got my summer plans mostly figured out, but now I have to start thinking about the fall. March was another pretty decent reading month though! 12 books and about 3,800 pages across the board.

Leisure Reading:

The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel José Older- 4.5/5 stars; really great storytelling and memorable characters about a period of history I knew pretty much nothing about

Where Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7) by Seanan McGuire- 4/5 stars; didn't hit me quite as heavily as the last one, but a solid addition to the series, and quite different in some ways

The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst- 3.5/5 stars; some bits of this were a bit slow and I didn't love all the characters, but I did appreciate the take on what it means to be a hero *after* being a hero (and after the age of 45)

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian- 5/5 stars; this was amazing--funny, poignant, suspenseful, and super relatable from a humanities PhD standpoint

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune- 3.25/5; good messages, though sometimes a bit on the nose for me, and cool to see a retelling of Pinocchio, even if it's not a personal favorite

Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung by Nina MacLaughlin- 4.25/5 stars; I can be picky about my myth retellings, but I quite liked this, especially the wide variety of voices we got to hear

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia- 4.25/5 stars; this was a lot of fun, and while I was a little disappointed with the ending, I think it's my favorite of her stuff I've read since Mexican Gothic

The Annotated African American Folktales edited by Maria Tatar and Henry Louis Gates Jr.- no rating because I generally don't do that for short story collections, but this was great and super informative!

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates- 4/5 stars; a little slow, but I definitely get why this was so hyped up when it came out

Academic Reading:

Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol J. Clover

White Terror: The Horror Film from Obama to Trump by Russell Meeuf

Lies and Fiction in the Ancient World edited by Christopher Gill and T.P. Wiseman

My favorite book this month was definitely Gold Diggers--I actually think it's probably my favorite read of the year so far! Excited to see what April brings!

Currently Reading: Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina and It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror edited by Joe Vallese

#reading #mine #reading wrap up #monthly wrap up #march 2024

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

8am incest study

12pm cannibalism debate

12:30 tea break

1pm necrophilia discussion

3pm eroticism

6pm dinner + beer

#classics conferences if i'm being honest #academia

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

just wanted to post about the books unbanned initiative — it allows teens/college students to get library cards in the following cities:

brooklyn public library (ages 13-21) — email [email protected] to get your free card

seattle public library (ages 13-26) — sign up here

boston public library (ages 13-26) — sign up here

la county library (ages 13-18; california only) — sign up here

san diego public library (ages 12 -26) — sign up here

brooklyn public library, seattle public library, boston public library and la county library all use libby, whereas the san diego public library uses cloud library.

there's also the queer liberation library, which is a free digital library you can sign up for here. anyone with a US mailing address can apply for this one, and there's no age limit!

#reading #libraries #nice

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

#about to be me

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

*examines your pdf folder* have you read them all?

#academia

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

“Someone you haven’t even met yet is wondering what it’d be like to know someone like you.”

— Iain Thomas

#quotes #oh #iain thomas

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

Ways to Skip Time In Your Stories

Finding ways to skip time in stories can feel challenging. Writers often worry it’ll make their work feel too amateur or negatively affect their pacing. 

The truth is that every author includes ways they skip time to maintain their pacing and plot. Check out a few ways to do it with confidence. 

1. Start a New Chapter

Yes, it’s really that simple. Go back to your favorite books and note how each chapter ends. You’ll likely find a few of these tricks that transition the story in ways that match the story’s flow.

Ideas to End a Chapter

The protagonist goes to sleep (likely overused, but practical)

The characters end a conversation

One character informs another of a plot twist

Unexpected action occurs, like a car crash

2. Emphasize the Season

You don’t need to tell the reader exact dates or hours to pass the time. You could mention the season instead.

If a scene or chapter ends in the summer and you need your plot to start in winter, make your protagonist mention something about the leaves changing color and giving way to snow before your action picks up again. It will only take a sentence or two, so it’s also an effective method for short stories.

3. Visualize a Movie Montage

Imagine watching a movie about a character who goes on a summer adventure. They backpack through Europe, but they have to take a flight to get there. 

You likely wouldn’t see them standing in airport security lines, napping in a terminal or watching a full movie on their flight to their destination. Instead, you’d get a montage of them driving to the airport with a shot of their plane cruising over the open ocean.

Writers can do the same thing, minus the soundtrack in the background. Describe how your character got to their destination when a new chapter or scene starts. Your readers will get the general idea and appreciate getting straight to the plot that made them pick up your story in the first place.

Here are a few ideas to do this in just a few sentences:

One delayed flight and a bad airplane dinner later, I was walking out of the Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport with an aching back and excited heart.

My trip began with the perfect flight. I got an entire row of seats to myself, which made napping through the trip much easier. A flight attendant roused me awake when it was time to land. I couldn’t believe how fast I’d arrived in Athens that quickly.

My flight was just long enough to catch up on the movies I’d been missing over the last year. The landing gear bounced along the runway in Rome just as the Barbie credits started flashing across my iPad.

4. Showcase Some Confusion

Sometimes we aren’t aware of what time it is. We only know time has passed. That might be the best way to make time pass in your story if your protagonist gets confused, caught by surprise, or otherwise discombobulated.

These are some examples:

I woke up with a bad taste in my mouth. The sun was already peaking in the clear blue sky. How long had it been since my explosive video call with my ex the night before?

The time machine landed with a thud that knocked me to the ground. The control panel exploded in shimmering sparks. What year was it?

Working a double shift always left my brain spinning. I left work, walking across the parking lot with only the stars watching my back. I could feel the hours aching in my feet, but didn’t care what time it really was. I just needed to sleep.

5. Employ a Phrase

There are many quick phrases you can use to make your time jumps immediately clear. Consider using a few of these when you feel creatively stuck:

Later that morning

A few weeks later

After months of trying

Six hours later

The following week

As the store closed for the night

-----

There are many other ways to make time pass in a story. Starting with these could help you figure out the best way to move your story forward without disrupting its pacing. 

Remember, you’re in control of your story at all times. There’s always a way through creative challenges if you take a deep breath and try something new.

#writing #pacing

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

Good Traits Gone Bad

Exploring good traits gone bad in a novel can add depth and complexity to your characters. Here are a few examples of good traits that can take a negative turn:

1. Empathy turning into manipulation: A character with a strong sense of empathy may use it to manipulate others' emotions and gain an advantage.

2. Confidence becoming arrogance: Excessive confidence can lead to arrogance, where a character belittles others and dismisses their opinions.

3. Ambition turning into obsession: A character's ambition can transform into an unhealthy obsession, causing them to prioritize success at any cost, including sacrificing relationships and moral values.

4. Loyalty becoming blind devotion: Initially loyal, a character may become blindly devoted to a cause or person, disregarding their own well-being and critical thinking.

5. Courage turning into recklessness: A character's courage can morph into reckless behavior, endangering themselves and others due to an overestimation of their abilities.

6. Determination becoming stubbornness: Excessive determination can lead to stubbornness, where a character refuses to consider alternative perspectives or change their course of action, even when it's detrimental.

7. Optimism becoming naivety: Unwavering optimism can transform into naivety, causing a character to overlook dangers or be easily deceived.

8. Protectiveness turning into possessiveness: A character's protective nature can evolve into possessiveness, where they become overly controlling and jealous in relationships.

9. Altruism becoming self-neglect: A character's selflessness may lead to neglecting their own needs and well-being, to the point of self-sacrifice and burnout.

10. Honesty becoming brutal bluntness: A character's commitment to honesty can turn into brutal bluntness, hurting others with harsh and tactless remarks.

These examples demonstrate how even admirable traits can have negative consequences when taken to extremes or used improperly. By exploring the complexities of these traits, you can create compelling and multi-dimensional characters in your novel.

Happy writing!

#writing #characters

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

new uquiz omg. what kind of warmth are you? been working on this forever pls take it <3

#soup on a cold day #quizzes

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

Do I contradict myself?

Very well then I contradict myself,

(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

Song of Myself 51, Walt Whitman

#quotes #walt whitman

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

one important thing that Must be understood about interpersonal relationships is that you have to stop interacting with people who love you like they’re one slip-up away from leaving you. you have to trust that the ppl you love mean what they say. you have to believe that when they say “this hurt my feelings,” that they’re also saying, “can you please love me this other way next time?” and you have to wrap your head around the fact that even if you don’t understand Why someone loves you, you can accept that that they do. true, honest, & open love does not function like hp in a video game !!!!!!

#sigh

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

Girl Combing her Hair, 1909 by William McGregor Paxton (American, 1869–1941)

#art

[starsandsteelandbrokenglass]

happy ides of march

#classics #ides #my fav post