I found this one particularly encouraging as (personally) I find it super easy to forget at times. :P How about you?
~
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
~ Exploring the great adventure with fellow travelers—and what's up with her books ~
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ April 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
3 Things I Love in a Good Story // Emma Nikki
from Emma Nikki
1. Emotional drama
2. Tension filled plot
I expect to be left at a cliffhanger after each scene, and I enjoy that (I tell people I don’t, but that’s definitely not true). If a story doesn’t have much action or suspense it will fall just below the line of boring or predictable for me.
3. Beautiful nasty villains
(Note from Heidi: Thanks so much for sharing, Emma!)
~ ~ ~
And... would you like to share three of your favorite things in a guest post? You don’t have to be a writer to qualify! This series is by story lovers for story lovers.
For post specifics/guidelines you can see the initial post here, then send Heidi a quick email at ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com. (Don’t be shy. I’d love to have you! :))
For post specifics/guidelines you can see the initial post here, then send Heidi a quick email at ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com. (Don’t be shy. I’d love to have you! :))
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Inkling Explorations Link-Up // April 2016
(Note: if you're interested in participating and new to the blog, you can find our link-up explanation/guidelines + more buttons here. :))
This month's selection is: A description of a lady in literature
My choice comes from G.K. Chesterton's The Ball and the Cross (which, by the way, I still haven't completely made sense of), but -- all that notwithstanding -- the words are enough to take your breath at times and the following description's fascinating.
"Madeleine Durand was physically a sleepy young woman, and might easily have been supposed to be morally a lazy one. It is, however, certain that the work of her house was done somehow, and it is even more rapidly ascertainable that nobody else did it. The logician is, therefore, driven back upon the assumption that she did it; and that lends a sort of mysterious interest to her personality at the beginning. She had very broad, low, and level brows, which seemed even lower because her warm yellow hair clustered down to her eyebrows; and she had a face just plump enough not to look as powerful as it was. Anything that was heavy in all this was abruptly lightened by two large, light china-blue eyes, lightened all of a sudden as if it had been lifted into the air by two big blue butterflies. The rest of her was less than middle-sized, and was of a casual and comfortable sort...
"Both the father and the daughter (i.e. Madeleine) were of the sort that would normally have avoided all observation; that is, all observation in that extraordinary modern world which calls out everything except strength. Both of them had strength below the surface; they were like quiet peasants owning enormous and unquarried mines. The father with his square face and grey side whiskers, the daughter with her square face and golden fringe of hair, were both stronger than they knew; stronger than anyone knew. The father... believed in Man. The daughter believed in God; and was even stronger. They neither of them believed in themselves; for that is a decadent weakness.
"The daughter was called a devotee. She left upon ordinary people the impression -- the somewhat irritating impression -- produced by such a person; it can only be described as the sense of strong water being perpetually poured into some abyss. She did her housework easily; she achieved her social relations sweetly; she was never neglectful and never unkind. This accounted for all that was soft in her, but not for all that was hard. She trod firmly as if going somewhere; she flung her face back as if defying something; she hardly spoke a cross word, yet there was often battle in her eyes. The modern man asked doubtfully where all this silent energy went to. He would have stared still more doubtfully if he had been told that it all went into her prayers."
~ ~ ~
"Madeleine Durand was physically a sleepy young woman, and might easily have been supposed to be morally a lazy one. It is, however, certain that the work of her house was done somehow, and it is even more rapidly ascertainable that nobody else did it. The logician is, therefore, driven back upon the assumption that she did it; and that lends a sort of mysterious interest to her personality at the beginning. She had very broad, low, and level brows, which seemed even lower because her warm yellow hair clustered down to her eyebrows; and she had a face just plump enough not to look as powerful as it was. Anything that was heavy in all this was abruptly lightened by two large, light china-blue eyes, lightened all of a sudden as if it had been lifted into the air by two big blue butterflies. The rest of her was less than middle-sized, and was of a casual and comfortable sort...
"The daughter was called a devotee. She left upon ordinary people the impression -- the somewhat irritating impression -- produced by such a person; it can only be described as the sense of strong water being perpetually poured into some abyss. She did her housework easily; she achieved her social relations sweetly; she was never neglectful and never unkind. This accounted for all that was soft in her, but not for all that was hard. She trod firmly as if going somewhere; she flung her face back as if defying something; she hardly spoke a cross word, yet there was often battle in her eyes. The modern man asked doubtfully where all this silent energy went to. He would have stared still more doubtfully if he had been told that it all went into her prayers."
Tell me! Have you read and enjoyed any Chesterton?
~ ~ ~
Just leave your own link here in a comment and I'll add it to the post. As always, entries are open through the end of the month and I can't wait to see your selections!
Entrants:
*How to do it*
1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!
That's all there is to it!
Up next month: A scene making beautiful use of special effects/CGI in film
Thursday, March 31, 2016
"What Meanest Thou?" // #2
It's time for our second What Meanest Thou post! And (per popular request), it's a further study in period (mostly medieval) dress with lots of pictures this time around. So here ye go...
#1: Kirtle
A woman's gown or outer petticoat (i.e. what would generally be referenced as her 'dress' in modern terms). Often worn over a shift (see point #4 below).
#2: Surcoat
An outer coat of rich material. A man's loose robe worn over armor; a sleeveless garment worn as part of the insignia of an order of knighthood. Can also reference a woman's sleeveless overdress (see pictures 4 and 5 below in this category).
#3: Smock
A loose dress or blouse with the upper part closely gathered, it was/is an outer garment worn by men, women and children. Similar to the tunic in that it spans many historical periods.
 |
| Elizabethan smock |
 |
| Elizabeth shirt and Jacobean smock |
#4: Shift
A woman's long, straight, unwaisted, loose-fitting undergarment. Often worn as a nightdress as well. (Spans many historical periods.)
 |
| Early 19th century |
So there you have it! :) What are your thoughts? Have you ever confused any of these terms?
Heidi Peterson is a lover of wide-spreading land, summer dust, white pounding waterfalls, and mountain tops; also of good dark coffee and rich stories. Most of all she's a lover of the One who is the Word, the Word made flesh. You can visit her additional blog (where she shares more about books, movies, and further marvels of life) at: Along the Brandywine.
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Monday, March 28, 2016
Quote of the Month ~ March 2016
~
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Thursday, March 24, 2016
3 Things I Love in a Good Story // Emma Jane
from Emma Jane
1. Sparkling Dialogue
I’m really not sure why I used the word ‘sparkling’ -- it may or may not be the best choice for what I mean, but it just popped into my head and I thought, why not. ;-P What I really mean is dialogue, and I didn’t want to just say ‘good dialogue’ because that’s boring and I’m pretty sure everyone would say the same thing.
Besides characters, dialogue is probably the most important thing in a story for me -- in fact, it’s what defines the characters. Dialogue is what shows you how the characters think, how they interact with each other. It’s very important that it be realistic and have a natural flow to it; it’s got to sound like how people really talk. One thing that really bothers me about dialogue in a lot of books (mostly adult books, I’ve noticed) is when the characters say things to each other for the sole purpose of informing the reader of what’s going on -- you know they wouldn’t say that to each other, they’re only saying that because the author wants you, the reader, to know. That seems lame to me. If characters talk to each other in an honest, easy way, that really draws me in, and I feel more connected to them. It’s the same with movies.
Some examples of Books With Exceptional Dialogue: True Grit by Charles Portis (DUH DUH DUH); The Lizzie Searches for Love series by Linda Byler (which are pretty much the sweetest books on the planet); Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (or anything by Larry McMurtry, for that matter)
2. Original description
I love analogies, and metaphors, and all kinds of yummy descriptions. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of extensive description -- I could do without thirty pages about the history of bombs, Mr. Victor Hugo -- but if the author has an insightful way of looking at things and a creative way of describing things, then give it to me, baby! I say ‘original’ because I tend to get annoyed with an author if they keep using a certain word to describe something that I’ve seen countless authors use for the same thing. I love it when authors come up with their own -- it shows great imagination. (Depending on what kind of book it is, I might even go with made-up words, but very rarely. ;-P)
So yes, I love creative description, but in moderation. I don’t need to know everything; I want to be able to imagine a fair bit of it for myself.
Some Examples of Books With Refreshing Description: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery; the Sarah, Plain and Tall books by Patricia MacLachlan; the Songbird series by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck
3. Strong Bonds Between Characters
I’ve noticed a pattern in books and movies I especially adore, and it usually has something to do with strong relationships between the characters. By this I mean, characters who care about each other, who sacrifice things for each other. This also goes with Strong Characters in General, I suppose. And most of my favorite stories have some kind of strong bond between siblings, between married people, between friends, or even between a crazy trigger-happy grandma and a shy granddaughter. (I love you, Richard Peck.) What’s even more fun is if it’s an unexpected bond, one that grows stronger through the course of the book/movie/whatever.
Some examples: August King and Annalees in The Journey of August King; Paul McLean and Normal McLean in A River Runs Through It (THAT MOVIE THOUGH); Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call in Lonesome Dove (seriously, don’t get me started); Orry Main and George Hazard in North and South (the most epic friendship ever recorded on screen); Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in...well, real life, and Wyatt Earp and Tombstone; Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdal in A Year Down Yonder; Cabot Murray and Eden Day in Yankee Stranger; Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe in the Anne books; Atticus Finch and Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird; Simon Birch and Joe what’s-his-name in Simon Birch; and on and on….
(Note from Heidi: Thank you so much for sharing, Emma! :))
~ ~ ~
And... would you like to share three of your favorite things in a guest post? You don’t have to be a writer to qualify! This series is by story lovers for story lovers.
For post specifics/guidelines you can see the initial post here, then send Heidi a quick email at ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com. (Don’t be shy. I’d love to have you! :))
For post specifics/guidelines you can see the initial post here, then send Heidi a quick email at ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com. (Don’t be shy. I’d love to have you! :))
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Book Release // Lost Lake House by Elisabeth Grace Foley
Today I'm delighted to be helping out with the celebrations for Elisabeth Foley's latest story Lost Lake House, which just released yesterday!
A rendition of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (set in the Jazz Age), it's available on Smashwords, Kobo, Nook, and also here on Amazon. I posted a review for it (including the story summary, etc) on my personal/review blog, so be sure to read that HERE. I can't wait to hear your thoughts and hope you're all having a lovely Thursday!
~ ~ ~
Visit and contact at: Sharing the Journey // Along the Brandywine // ladyofanorien(at)gmail(dot)com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
