My 12-year-old son, a voracious reader, recommended this YA dystopian book to me. Here's my opinion. Thomas comes to himself in an elevator, his memory wiped, and emerges into a boxed in area called the Glade. Inside are a bunch of young boys with their own cobbled-together society and their own slang. Their objective: to… Continue reading Thursday Titles: The Maze Runner
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Tuesday Critique: Alessa’s promise
In this excerpt from my work in progress, a time travel story set in Renaissance Florence, Alessa has just met Mason, and has seen a portrait of herself that has yet to be painted.Alessa couldn’t feel as sorry as she ought. Oh, Matteo was trying as hard as possible to make her feel sorry, appealing to… Continue reading Tuesday Critique: Alessa’s promise
Monday Motivation: Let it Go
If you have a daughter, you know this song. You're probably singing it right now. And if you're anything like the millions of people who love all things Frozen, this song probably resonated with you.There is something profound about the song, the moment in the movie when frightened, oppressed, crushed little Elsa blossoms and becomes… Continue reading Monday Motivation: Let it Go
Writer Wednesday: 10 Questions to Ask Your Character
The internet is full of helpful lists of questions to ask your date so you can get to know them. But have you ever thought about using these questions to get to know your characters? After all, you're about to embark on an intimate journey with this person. You need to know more than just… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: 10 Questions to Ask Your Character
Tuesday Critique: Mason Meets a Master
In this latest excerpt from my Renaissance time travel story, the hero meets a hero of his own, the artist Botticelli. Please feel free to share any feedback, as honest as possible. :)Mason recognized Sandro Botticelli easily from his self portrait, picking him out from his apprentices at once. A man of around forty, with… Continue reading Tuesday Critique: Mason Meets a Master
Monday Motivation: 3 Myths about Daydreaming
I've always been a daydreamer. More often than not, as a child, it got me into trouble. But the more I've thought about my wool-gathering habit as an adult, the more I realize that my greatest strengths rely on this sometimes misunderstood state of mind. Here are some ways I think we've got daydreaming wrong.Myth… Continue reading Monday Motivation: 3 Myths about Daydreaming
Thursday Titles: The Mortal Instruments
So, a while ago I posted a review on the first book of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones. I didn't like it that much. But I gave the rest of the series a try, and here's my opinion. The story began to improve in book two (City of Ashes) and really hit its… Continue reading Thursday Titles: The Mortal Instruments
Writer Wednesday: Getting Reacquainted with your Manuscript
Have you ever come back to a work in progress after a break and found it a stranger?This is something I've done many a time. Hello there, book-to-be. Who are you exactly? And where do we go from here?I've made plenty of mistakes with this process, daunting mistakes that almost made me give up on… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: Getting Reacquainted with your Manuscript
Tuesday Critique: In the Garden of San Marco
Here's a new excerpt from my time travel story set in Renaissance Florence. Hope you like it! 🙂 Please feel free to comment and critique. Mason stepped into the garden, feeling as though he’d just entered Eden. Birdsong and the trickle of fountains mixed with the sough of the wind through a million leaves. The… Continue reading Tuesday Critique: In the Garden of San Marco
Monday Motivation: Get Back Up Again
Ever watched a baby learn how to walk? I've had the privilege of a front row seat to this phenomenon four times. And every once in a while I'd marvel at how they struggled, how they pushed through each phase of learning, from rolling over to running, how they failed and fell - often in… Continue reading Monday Motivation: Get Back Up Again
Erin E. M. Hatton 