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Lack of Genius: October 2010

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Thursday, October 28, 2010. Interrogation 101: Writing Workshop. This semester, I'm required to take a writing workshop wherein I transform a lame seminar paper into an awesome article which dozens of academic journals will be dying to publish. (That is to say, if I'm lucky, one academic journal will consider publishing it after I've implemented their extensive revision sections.). And I have to say, it's been torture. And, let...

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Lack of Genius: January 2012

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Monday, January 23, 2012. Fabulous Dialogue - Part One. This blog entry is dedicated to Howard Hendrix. What makes a line of dialogue fabulous? You know the kind of line I mean: It zips. It sings. It makes you gasp or laugh or gives you goosebumps. It is eminently quotable. If you're feeling self indulgent, it's the page you flip back to or the scene you rewind - over and over and over. So why is this line SO FABULOUS? It adds ...

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Lack of Genius: February 2012

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Sunday, February 26, 2012. What is magical realism? Part 1: Science Fiction. Although originally a painting term applied to a group of German surrealists, "magical realism" came to be associated with literature in the 1940s. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. The problem with this definition is that it ignores what I believe is the heart of magical realism. It describes what magical realism does. Defines scien...

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Lack of Genius: September 2010

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Tuesday, September 14, 2010. At last, my long overdue post on Mockingjay. Now that it comes down to it, I find I don't actually have as much to say about this book as I thought I did. Essentially, I thought it was a terrible book with a beautiful ending. I'll try to briefly sum up why I feel this way:. And YET, that ENDING! But there are much worse games to play. Wednesday, September 8, 2010. And, in joyful news, a character wa...

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Lack of Genius: June 2011

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Tuesday, June 14, 2011. Weird Al Rocks My World. I'd been a sort of casual admirer of his songs for some time, but since I don't listen to a lot of popular music, the finer points of his parodies are usually lost on me. But Friday night I found a reason to fall in love with him. Not to mention that he has fabulous hair. Well, that's it. I feel like I should have some profound conclusion, but I don't. I'm just fascinated. The re...

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Lack of Genius: Like a Virgin Pitch Contest

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Sunday, July 14, 2013. Like a Virgin Pitch Contest. I FINISHED THE BOOK! And now I'm querying and entering contests, which is so exciting! It was a long journey to get to this point, with a ton of learning (and un-learning of bad habits), but I've got a book I really believe in, which is a major reward in and of itself :). As a contestant, I've been asked to post a list of writing and non-writing firsts, so here they are:.

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Lack of Genius: December 2012

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Thursday, December 27, 2012. My novel is available on Kindle! I am super pleased to announce that my historical romance novel, The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter. Is now available for download on Kindle! It is also available in paperback from Amazon's print-on-demand affiliate, CreateSpace, HERE. Tuesday, December 11, 2012. Mortimer, Who Plagiarized and Was Assassinated: A Cautionary Tale. Mortimer seemed an innocuous child.

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Lack of Genius: August 2010

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Tuesday, August 31, 2010. A WIP seen through a glass darkly. Very darkly. I'm happy to report that yesterday's writing went very well (I'm relieved too - I'd been stuck for a couple of days, and at this late stage that makes me very anxious). I ended up creating a brand new scene with one of my favorite characters and even throwing in a little romantic tension (ooooooh). With A Wizard of Earthsea. Monday, August 30, 2010. And I...

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Lack of Genius: January 2011

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In which an aspiring novelist goes to grad school while balancing on one leg. Sunday, January 30, 2011. Review: The Convenient Marriage. By Georgette Heyer, 1934, 307 p. Thanks to my membership in Paperback Swap. I finally scored this beautiful edition of one of my all time favorite Regency romance novels, by the incomparable Georgette Heyer. But much as I enjoy the historical trivia smorgasbord, what has always delighted me about Heyer is her talent for hilarious dialogue. Where did you hit him? Oh, ver...