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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Writing During a Crisis 2 years, 4 months ago
Writing for some is an escape; for others it’s work. Either way, we do not write as a torture (though it may torture us) but instead as a vocation. Writing is our duty, our purpose, our drive; so how can one c […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, American Gods by Neil Gaiman 4 years, 1 month ago
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is an award-winning epic fantasy novel set in the contemporary US. It is a sometimes sprawling and often ingenious book, offering both a rich and wide-reaching world of gods and m […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Writing the Fourth Draft 4 years, 3 months ago
Follows: Third Draft
Upon completing the third draft, and getting it to the best possible version of itself, the writer will need some help. This is a prime opportunity to pass the piece to others – trusted […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Writing the Third Draft 4 years, 4 months ago
Follows: Second Draft
After some time has passed from the second draft, the writer can readdress the story from a more objective viewpoint. The third draft is not another rewrite, but rather it is […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Writing the Second Draft 4 years, 4 months ago
Follows: First Draft
Once the first draft is complete, time needs to pass before the writer can work on the second. It needs to gestate and the writer, as the least-objective person to assess the merit of their […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Writing the First Draft 4 years, 4 months ago
When writing a new story, particularly one over a few thousand words, several drafts will be required. This is a necessary process, as the story will improve with each draft a writer undertakes.
The first draft […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers 4 years, 5 months ago
The King in Yellow is a collection of ten short stories by Robert W Chambers that are very loosely connected by recurring themes and concepts, though not always directly. Published in 1895, the title comes from a […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris 4 years, 7 months ago
Some characters surpass the constraints of their books; becoming more through reputation than that which they were originally written. To do this takes a great amount of skill and is a rarity amongst novels. With […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, What Makes a Good Story? 4 years, 7 months ago
Stories are strange things. They are difficult to define, yet always contain the same elements: characters, a plot, and a journey. In a good story those three parts need to all be written […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Whit by Iain Banks 4 years, 10 months ago
Whit, or Isis Amongst the Unsaved, is the story of Isis Whit, a young girl also known as The Blessed Very Reverend Gaia-Marie Isis Saraswati Minerva Mirza Whit of Luskentyre, Beloved Elect of God III, who is a […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Conclave by Robert Harris 4 years, 11 months ago
Delving into a novel about the election of a new Pope brings about two fears: either it will be extensively and overly detailed with a complex process that drowns out the plot, leading it to be overwrought and […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith 5 years ago
As a crime novel, The Talented Mr Ripley does not necessarily fit the rules. Similarly, as a thriller, it is once again outside of the regular parameters. In fact, it is more a character study than anything […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, Should You Use a Soft Opening? 5 years ago
From time to time, soft openings are en vogue. Writing a before-the-book section can help transition readers from the mundane of reality into the pages, but they are not always needed and often their purposes are […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The Pigeons 5 years, 1 month ago
They trot along the street, their heads bobbing and nervous, as if they have lost their way amongst the parked cars. They are just looking to find some shelter, something that’s away from the non-existent breeze t […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker 5 years, 3 months ago
The Scarlet Gospels is a horror story that is both hideously gruesome and immensely fun. Clive Barker brings two of his most celebrated characters together and pits them against each other in a battle of wits and […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 5 years, 4 months ago
The Old Man and the Sea is Hemingway’s masterpiece. A short novel—barely more than a novella—it tells the story of an old man, struggling to stay financially afloat, who sets out to sea to catch a marlin. He does […]
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 5 years, 9 months ago
To say The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is funny is an understatement. This book is laugh-out-loud hilarious, from its snarky voice to the words ‘Don’t Panic’ written in big, friendly letters on the back. T […]
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J A DuMairier changed their profile picture 5 years, 10 months ago
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J A DuMairier became a registered member 5 years, 10 months ago
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J A DuMairier wrote a new post, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 5 years, 10 months ago
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. The writing is poor, the characterisation non-existent, and the plot overly-complicated yet paper-thin—it gets to the point where I […]
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