something difficult about writing/storytelling but only in short disconnected bursts is that writing anything longform is very difficult. there isn't as much time to practice long-term character development or subtlety (implying character instead of immediately clarifying) when its not really meant to go anywhere but a notes app. its a little frustrating...i'd love to do something more longform though. i've considered maybe just doing some short writing scenes in my various original universes a lot recently mostly because i just havent had time to draw anything fancy recently </3 maybe that would be something...

alright so here's one of my many halftime pub chars. This is where I'll go on and say, yeah, it's going to get a little not-so-pretty to look at. But, I do quite like the world I've built for these guys, and for me to share THAT world, the cast must be known. Small description, and then more words under the cut.

Snowy, hailing from Mt. Silver, is the bartender at the aptly named "Halftime Pub", in an area of the world where fact and fiction merge. Here, most inhabitants are allowed to exist physically and without restrictions; thus, he has a special set of abilities he otherwise wouldn't. The many injuries on his body, sustained from his time on Mt. Silver, no longer pose a threat to his health thanks to Mute's influence, only serving as scars that usually don't interfere with the usual workday. Unlike Mute, his sclera is black, and his eyes take on a few distinct forms, all glowing red. His body temperature is in the negatives permanently thanks to his cold origins, but he is still very much alive, and ironically, the most lively member of the pub's crew. There's always a cold air around him and he's freezing to the touch, which is perfect since all he usually touches are the drinks and he seldom travels from behind the counter. Ice regularly covers parts of his body; in particular, his tear duct is torn and there are icicle tears always under his right eye, but his extremities are prone to showing the more major forms of frostbite as well.

At the pub, he's the most mature of the crew, despite his playful near-permanent grin. He's always got time to listen to the woes of his patrons, and considering a good number of them are spirits or otherwise otherworldly entities, they have a lot to share and get off their mind. He knows how important it is for the mood of the pub to be hospitable to these and others, so by being a bartender with a penchant for flashiness, he can "serve with a smile" all the better with his techniques and passion for the craft of mixing. He knows, though, that he has to make a statement, so he's usually also the loudest and most boisterous voice in the building, but he's polite enough not to interrupt others. And, despite being the most mature, that face falters when it comes to dealing with some of his coworkers. He's also terrible at games.

He thinks of Ellis as a brother in blood, and he is usually the only one that doesn't flinch or react to his sub-zero temperatures. The two have a close relationship, but also a bitter rivalry. Snowy once nailed him in a game of darts, and Ellis has yet to let him live it down. All their arguments usually end in chuckles.

Snowy's knowledge of pain and sadness is instrumental in guiding Mute through some of her...inner crises, trying to set her on the right path so that she doesn't hurt anybody around her. He thinks she's clumsier than Ellis, with them sharing nearly the same anatomy, but interacting with her gives him an above-zero warmness that makes him shiver. He's supportive of her ability to at least try to comfort others in a similar way he does, with the two often working together to calm individuals that get too rowdy, make scenes, or are otherwise too complex for one Celebi alone to solve. Mute has some resistance to his cold touch, being as undead as he is, but the two don't usually come into contact on principle, and he's well aware even just a few seconds can still cause frostbite on her.

Anne is the thorn in Snowy's side that constantly reminds him not to be like her. Her conniving and manipulative ways don't sit right with him, and he's all too happy to argue with her about correct practices and attitudes. Her innocence doesn't work on him, and thus he regularly sees her bad side more often than not, whether it's directly through yelling or indirectly through 'traps' meant to jab at him and get under his skin. He'd never question her aptitude as a chef, however, seeing value in keeping her back there so he doesn't have to do it himself. He does, however, groan every time she asks him to go into the freezer to get something, knowing one day she's gonna close the door on him. Not that anything bad would happen from it - it'd just confirm his worst suspicions and strain their work relationship further. He often gets a clap back though, usually by sneaking up on her and touching her with a freezing finger, which promptly gets him chased out of the kitchen.

Snowy has only needed to rely on Max's abilities only a few times in his tenure, but it's enough for him to think of Max as more than just quiet muscle. He's since tried to get Max to open up, but the only thing the dark Celebi has ever ordered was straight water, and never stuck around long enough for a conversation, going right back to his post at the front door. Snowy believes that one day he's gonna crack that egg and see something other than a slight frown on his face.

By far his most strained relationship and one that nearly everyone in the pub knows about is the relationship he has with Doom, the supplier that only shows up every now and then with product. Every moment Doom is in the pub, Snowy is either nipping at her heel to coax her into getting more supplies - and Snowy *hates* when he can't sell something - or he is chiding her for her work ethic, which is worse than Anne's despite those two also bickering. Like with Anne, though, he doesn't envy her position, as her role is crucial, so he has to put up with her explosive temperament and whatever quality or quantity she brings. On the polar opposite end, he also knows Doom is one of the most complex and hurt individuals to regularly step foot in the pub, and is merely trying to cope with her shattered emotions and broken heart. One hour the two will be at each other's throats, and the next, Doom is downing half a glass of beer and bawling her eyes out all over the counter. Her wails are one of only a few things that make him shiver...but he knows he can't help her, and she will revert back to her antagonistic personality after the alcohol runs its short course through her. He's tried to understand her, but she seems disinterested in making friends, leaving him dashed every time he tries.

Addendum: while not readily apparent, he is hiding quite a bit of graphic damage under his clothing. All for appearances, of course, as there are some injuries he can't hide. Most notably, his entire right side is pretty much gone, and the only skin he has under the clothing is around his hips and some parts by his left shoulder. The most noticeable aspect of his appearance, other than it being pretty gruesome, is that there is a piece of Nevermeltice lodged in his body where his heart would be. He thinks nothing of it; though, it being there is likely why he is so cold to the touch. One of the oddities of the Merged world is how deformed a body can be while still being among the 'living', and Snowy is the perfect example. He makes it a point to never be in public without clothing for this specific reason alone, even though as a Celebi he has no need for them, and there are others that show off much worse damage to their bodies on the regular.

Telling Stories Through Patience and Implication: More Showing, Less Telling

Sometimes I get asked by other writers how to make their scenes and writing more immersive, like how to influence readers to experience that “I feel like I’m right in the scene, or the room with these characters, and I’m crying” kind of reaction to their words. I had an idea on the way home from taking my kid to preschool today and thought I’d make it into an advice post: on how to use more ACTION and DESCRIPTION of object and place in our writing, instead of relying too much on interior monologue when telling stories. I also thought it would be useful to talk about forcing patience (for yourself and for your reader), and also using implication rather than purely narration to both push the story forward and to stimulate climactic, emotional moments and/or reveals. This is a little long! But if you’re so inclined, I hope it helps!!

Why is using too much interior monologue ineffectual in telling stories?

One thing I’ve learned over many many years of reading and writing and also teaching reading and writing is that there is a HUGE distinction between the inclination to tell stories through telling and then the inclination to tell stories through showing. The “telling” way, which is often funneled through a close third or first person POV and manifests as a list and/or series of interior thoughts and abstract perception is something that we, as writers, often start off doing. This is because choosing to write is largely choosing to put a part of your inner self on the page, and the easiest, most obvious way to do that is by narrating interior monologue. It looks something like this:

She felt pain. Real pain. Pain for the first time. And hunger. Like she was falling through a glass plate and never hitting the ground, falling so fast, and she wanted to land, but there was nowhere to fall to, and so she just kept wanting. And wanting. And her heart felt forever wound into the threads of time and imagination. She was helpless to his touch, and yet she hated everything about it, because it was old. So she just kept falling, hoping maybe somewhere there would be a surface for her to land.

There is nothing wrong with this “interiority” type of writing. It can often be quite beautiful and imaginative. As long as it is not the only or super dominant type of writing in a story. This type of writing is very “telling.” It’s explaining the meaning and feelings of a character’s mind, as well as the themes of the story, to the readers in a somewhat unfiltered way. But note that it’s also very far up in the writer’s head, and because it is so abstract, this type of writing all by itself actually cancels immersion for most readers. It is like floating in a sea of feelings, which might be interesting at first, especially if the prose is beautiful, but after a while, you get tired as the reader, and you find yourself searching for a lifeboat. This type of writing is often found scattered in with dialogue in scenes as well--replacing action and description, and it’s sometimes italicized to indicate that it is an “inner thought” of the POV character.

So what is the opposite of this? Well, the opposite would be pure showing, ie: using description of action and object only to imply emotion and idea (rather than simply telling emotion and idea):

She went to the bathroom, and when she got back, she sat down at her desk. The room was warm. She stared at the picture frame he had purchased for her at a truck stop in Missoula, Montana five years before. She had never put anything in the picture frame. It was still the same smiling people from the stock photo provided by the manufacturer. A long time ago, they had used to go paddling down the Clark Fork river and then tie the canoe to a sturdy root in the bank and hold hands on the shore. Now, he had not held her hand in many months. She picked up the picture frame and then she placed it in a drawer, and then she got up to dust the curtains.

The above type of writing communicates a similar sense of sadness and unclear emotion over a relationship that seems to have changed or died, but that emotional message is communicated through a kind of literal stoicism: actions and descriptions of objects, not the character’s interior monologue. It is not as overtly emotional, but this type of writing is a very effective tool, because it puts things in the scene, creates actions for the characters to undertake, sets up choices that affect the physical world, and attends to setting as well as exposition and character code. It puts your reader in a concrete place, too, a lifeboat, so to speak, giving them actual information to process. It is a break from the effusive emotion we see in the first example, balancing said effusion with stoic and solid objects in the world.

A (Brief) Case for Why We Should All Read Hemingway

Note that most writing has a combination of both of these things--the interior and the exterior. But some writers avoid interior monologue altogether, or reserve it only for VERY important moments. Many of them are short story writers of the modern tradition of Realism, ie: Ernest Hemingway and his many acolytes of the 1970s and 80s--Ray Carver, Ann Beattie, Joy Williams, etc. Even if you hate this sort of writing, it is worth studying. Why? 

Many writers, particularly young writers, I find, eschew writing like Hemingway’s as stilted and boring, and in truth, I did not fully appreciate Hemingway till I was in my late twenties (I’m “old” lol). But I think the reason we reject Hemingway is because it is just...so different from what we’re used to. It demands a great deal of us, the reader, and it never EVER tells us what to think, what to feel, or what the characters are thinking or feeling. Instead, it communicates ALL of this through pure description of action, object, and setting. When you learn how to read Hemingway effectively, even if you still don’t love it, you will see that he is an excellent teacher when it comes to using ONLY action and description to communicate messages about emotion and theme. This is a valuable skill in terms of taking steps toward immersion in your writing and creating concrete settings and pictures for your reader to experience. His writing is very stylized but also very stoic in this way, and it is my experience that a great deal of writing these days could use a bit more stoicism and a bit less effusion, because it is robust ACTION and DESCRIPTION that immerses readers in scenes and settings the most--not soft and abstract interiority and feelings alone.

How Implication Works in Writing, ie: Make Your Readers WORK

The word implication here just literally means “implied meaning.” When I’m teaching, one of the most tell-tale qualities that I look for in a writer’s work is whether they rely too much on overt, over-explained meaning and theme via interiority and narration, or whether they use some form of implication in their writing: do they IMPLY their themes through action and description in the story, attend to both setting and process writing, and do they allow their characters to make choices and their reader to do a little work. The latter style usually indicates a writer that is somewhat more mature in their craft. They have read more and understand the importance of setting and action in fiction. They take their cues from books, not movies and TV. But even if you read a LOT, it’s really difficult and takes a long time to get out of your own head as a writer, and to acknowledge that the most important thing in terms of pushing any story forward is action, not thought or narration, and the most important trait in terms of immersing your reader in any scene or situation is through description of action, description of setting, and description of process (ie: giving your characters something to do).

A common problem I see when teaching writing is the tendency to hand readers everything on a silver platter through the narration of the story: here is what the character is feeling, and here is what the story is about. This is usually handled in the most overt, effusive way possible, and very poetically in very poetic prose. It is also a tendency related to the tradition of “voiceover,” a product of film and TV. But the thing is, much of this is really the writer making notes for themselves, often overcompensating for their failure or unwillingness to imply these ideas earlier or later through more successful means. However, as we grow as writers--by reading more, writing more, and learning over time--we slowly start to realize that readers are independent factions, and they have agency, and they are privy to MUCH more than we realize. They want to see characters doing concrete things in a concrete place, not just read their thoughts all the time. So it’s okay to allow the reader to do a little bit of work, to keep some or much of your meaning and messaging implied, and to allow your ideas to build and unfold overtime, through action and description. When writing, it is very difficult to avoid saying exactly the thing you want to say, and saying it as soon as possible. But as with everything, in writing, patience is a virtue, and it is a skill acquired over time.

An Example in a Song

The thing that drove me to make this post in the first place, while I was driving home from my kid’s preschool this morning, was actually a song. It came on Spotify, and I had not heard it in some time, but I have always thought that, in terms of stories, it is one of the best songs there is. The song is “Making Pies” by the folk singer Patty Griffin. In this song, there is very little interiority and literally zero effusiveness in terms of communicating or expressing emotion. It is tightly held, and its stoicism, in and of itself, is a part of the story it is trying to tell. Even its title is a concrete action: Making Pies. The best thing about this song is its patience in telling the story, and how it also demands patience in its listener. 

Here is the song (youtube | spotify), and here are the lyrics. If you read and listen closely, especially the second time through, you’ll see just how long it takes Griffin to get the actual crux of the story, and even then, all is done through implication. Examples: In the first verse, she asks: “Did I show you this picture of my nephew taken at his big birthday surprise, at my sister’s house last Sunday?” This question is our first major clue into the narrator’s life: she has no children of her own, and she probably lives close to the place where she grew up. This, all by itself, is not a big deal, but as the song unfolds, more and more details begin to arise, cluing us into her sadness and sense of isolation and resignation: the constant, monotone repetition of “making pies,” the walking to work, the graying hair, the fact that she types for the local pastor on Thursdays, as it is an excuse to leave the house, her somewhat cynical, but ultimately resigned relationship to her religion, via her description of Jesus on the wall. All of these things show us SO MUCH about this character. We can feel her very distinct and specific sadness, even as she never ONCE tells us how she feels.

The first REAL clue that we get about her life and the story comes at the end of the second verse: “Did I show you this picture of my sweetheart, taken of us before the war? Of the Greek and his Italian girl, one Sunday at the shore.” This is a huge reveal, done through an action (not a thought): the showing and description of a photograph. We learn so much in the ensuing four lines, which are entirely descriptions of action and place:

We tied our ribbons to the fire escape They were taken by the birds Who flew home to the country As the bombs rained on the world

Once this happens, we know. We now know everything there is to know, because we’ve been set up that way. This is the entire story, right here, and not ONCE does the narrator ACTUALLY “tell” us what happened. She does not say, “The only man I’ve ever loved died in the war, and now my life is an ongoing loop of resignation, quiet bitterness, and depression.” All of this she IMPLIES to us, through description of action (walking to work, making pies, typing for Father Mike on Thursdays, repeat) as well as description of objects (hair color, photographs, Jesus on the wall, the birds, the bombs). This song is beautifully sad and highly immersive in its storytelling. The reason for that is, it uses patience and subtle clues through action and description to tempt the audience forth, and then it uses more pointed clues through action and description to make its final reveal--but it takes a long time to get there. In this sense, the pay-off is immense, and it is an incredibly effective song. We aren’t just hearing about her feelings. We’re seeing what happened and experiencing those feelings for ourselves. 

A slight tangent, but still related: One of the hugest problems I see with lots of current writing, particularly in how it manifests in the modern Hollywood filmmaking tradition, is that there is literally no patience anymore, anywhere. The “hook and snare” is all that matters. Modern dramatic television shows explain their entire thematic purpose via voiceover in the very first scene of the very first episode of the series. Modern action movies spend no time establishing character or contextual lens, and instead dive straight into violence and speed. Nobody trusts their audience. Nobody has any patience. Quietly terrifying blockbuster movies like Alien (1979), which unfold slowly over time, relying on character code, dramatic irony, and careful suspense are now incredibly rare outside the art house. Instead, we are hit with a barrage of color and animation. All messaging is linked directly to the surface level. Characters are stock, cliche, and/or one-dimensional in scope. And too many writers, as they are highly entrenched in the visual media culture of the day, are using these same cues in their fiction: tell the reader exactly what to feel, when to feel it, and how, instead of allowing for patience, build, and reveal, which allows the readers to figure through and come to the emotional climax by themselves. It is the latter that results in immersion.

Conclusion

Why do we love the stories that we love? I will use some modern video games that I love to show that, yes, even in visual media, incredible storytelling through implication exists. Games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption 2 employ all facets of setting, character code, and action to tell their stories. They are often maddening, because we, the player, can often see what is coming, though by the time we realize, it’s usually far too late, and we can only watch it come to a boil, just beneath the surface, unable to do anything about it. We are controlling characters who, thrown into action, decision-making, consequences, and often fear for their lives, simply do not see what we see. We watch them make mistakes, and watch these mistakes unfold, manifesting in ways we could not have foreseen, and sometimes not for dozens of hours of gameplay. HUGE moments in these games, like Joel and Ellie’s reunion at the end of the Winter chapter of The Last of Us, or Arthur’s iconic “I’m afraid” line at the train station with Sister Calderon toward the end of Chapter 6 in Red Dead Redemption 2 are not contrived through overt telling and explanation of theme and emotion in the narration of the game. They are earned as longterm, complicated results of many, many actions and interactions that have lead up to these very poignant, very emotional and climactic moments in the story. The themes of the story are not only and overtly told by the characters, or by a narrator, or through voiceover. They are also shown (or reflected) through the setting--the way it looks, the atmosphere, how it changes over time, through the individual quests, how they look, and the types of choices they force the characters to make. 

In this sense, patience and implication are the keys to stories that infuriate us with immersion and make us cry. If you want to slow down a moment, or a scene, or you want to hit your reader over the head with an emotional reveal, focus on earning that moment, scene, or reveal over time, and through much more than simple interior monologue of characters. Use the setting, use action and process writing to communicate your characters feelings and thoughts and the themes of your writing, and to simply anchor your readers in a PLACE. You can STILL use interior monologue, but balance it--with concrete stuff in the world, concrete actions, and concrete choices for your characters to make. Remember, the key to immersion is NOT to tell the reader to be immersed by relying only on beautiful language and narration of thought, feeling, and idea. It is to actually put them in the concrete world you’ve made, and to have them experience those thoughts, feelings, and ideas organically, for themselves.

Philcon Programming: Craft of Writing & Business of Writing panels and workshops

PHILCON IS ONE WEEK AWAY!  Philcon.org   Nov 08 - 10, 2019 Cherry Hill, New Jersey Our listing on Sched.com will be live soon, but in the meantime, here’s an overview of the weekend.

And here are the items aimed specifically at those looking to improve their writing, and those who are looking to get published or who are already published and looking to up their book-creating and book-selling game: Friday, 6pm Intro to NaNoWriMo & Flash Fiction Challenge National Novel Writing Month is an annual event designed to push both original fiction and fanfic writers past their doubts and all the way to a goal of 50,000 words in 30 days. Learn how to tackle the dreaded writer's block and try your hand at some wacky writing prompts to get your imagination going! [Presented by Katrina S. Forest] Friday, 7pm Genre Publications in 2019 How has the nature of SF&F magazines evolved to survive in the era of the internet? Friday, 8pm Will My Publisher Expect Me To Go On Tour? We talk a lot about ways to sell your first novel, but what happens after your novel sells? A discussion of debut author questions, issues, opportunities, and challenges.  Friday, 10pm Workshop: Plot Planning with StoryForge and Tarot Cards ~ 90 min How do you go from story idea to outline? What motivates your characters? Who are their antagonists? Discover how to use StoryForge cards and classic Tarot layouts to build a bridge from vague concept to finished narrative. [Presented by D.L. Carter] * Saturday, 10am Games as Character Builders Writers often think of games as distractions, but they can also be a great source of inspiration. We'll explore how we can use creative games (both board and video) to help springboard ideas and flesh out new characters. [Presented by Katrina S. Forest] Saturday, 10am Workshop: Performing a Reading You may write the best dialogue, descriptions, or sentences ever to see print, but the art of presenting your work orally presents a different set of challenges. Let's go over what they are, and how to overcome them. [Presented by Gordon Linzner] Saturday, 11am How To NOT Sell Your Book Common (and not-so-common) mistakes to avoid while approaching publishers. Saturday, Noon Ask a Small Publisher What do you want to know about getting into the world of publishing? Here’s a chance to ask the pros what they suggest. Saturday, Noon I Want To Do Better How to write non-European fantasy settings without resorting to stereotypes and offensive tropes. Saturday, 1pm How to Establish Your Own Imprint How to legally establish your imprint, obtain ISBNs, what distribution options are available, what you need to know about formatting for the digital age, and how to design (or find a designer for) a good logo. Saturday, 3pm Building Your Own Anthology What goes into the creation of an anthology? Is it better to have a broad topic for it or a narrow one? How do you solicit works? And who can you get to publish it? Saturday, 3pm Adapting Novels Into Screenplays Is there still room for the subplots? Does the pacing need to change? Should certain characters be given a smaller- or larger- part? How do you discern which elements can easily be portrayed in visuals, and how do you handle the ones which can't? Saturday, 4pm Borrowing From Literary Fiction There's been a spate of genre-blending novels and films lately; think Annihilation Station Eleven, and The Magicians. These stories borrow elements of literary fiction and mix them with sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. What benefits arise from blending them together? What are the complications? And what can writers learn from these works to better their own style? [Presented by the Phoenixville Writer's Group] Saturday, 5pm Building Your Readership with Libraries The ebook landscape is in flux and there’s no better time to get your self-published books into libraries and in front of millions of readers. Learn how to make your ebooks available to libraries via Overdrive- and how to make your print books orderable as well. Explore different lending models as well as how to connect personally with your local librarians to further your visibility. [Presented by Dena Heilik of the Philadelphia Free Library] Saturday, 5pm Workshop: Writing Knockout Fight Scenes! How do you write a fight scene that feels immersive to your reader, rather than just a recounting of its choreography? [Presented by Christopher D. Ochs] Saturday, 7pm What Kind of Editor Do I Need? Yes, there's more than one kind! There are developmental editors, line editors, copy editors, proofreaders... We'll explain the difference between them, how to tell which you want, and where to find reliable ones. Saturday, 7pm Workshop: Getting Real About Fantasy Writing ~ 2 Hours Bring your stories! This workshop will focus on writers reading from their work, and getting feedback about what elements are strong and how others might be improved. [Presented by Charles Barouch and Ann Stolinsky] Saturday, 10pm Meet the Editors! Magazine and small press editors discuss what goes into creating their publications, from the economics of staying viable in the electronic age to getting appropriate submissions. * Sunday, 10am Self-Publishing for [Error - No Longer Exists] You've selected your self-publishing venue, submitted your work, but then the platform shuts down or changes their rules in a significant way. What are your options? Sunday, 10am Workshop: How To Give an Interview Once you've reached a certain level of success as a writer, editor or expert in a field, you ought to be prepared for journalist interviews. After all, the better you can present yourself and your work, the more likely you are to receive future publicity! [Presented by Randee Dawn] Sunday, 11am Your Story Doesn't Start Until Page Eleven? ...and that's a problem. How does a writer recognize when a narrative needs major surgery? Sunday, 11am Non-fiction Books that Fiction Writers Should Read Panelists discuss books they find important, and why. Sunday, Noon Rituals for Conjuring Novel Titles Is an actual summoning circle required to find the perfect name for your book, or are there other methods you can use? Sunday, 1pm The Art of the Pitch Whether it’s a novel or a TV show, how you present your product will make or break a potential publisher’s interest. What are the do’s and the do-not’s for different media types? When is less “more?” How do you decide what needs to be removed versus what should remain? Sunday, 1pm Book Layout and Design for Beginners [Presented by Danielle Ackley-McPhail] Sunday, 1pm Elements of Cover Design [Presented by Christopher D. Ochs] # Stay tuned for updates about our other content tracks for the weekend!

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Thanks for the ask! 

What people want to do with their writing differs. Some write for fun, to have a laugh with the rest of the fandom/community; it’s a hobby. Some are trying to see if they’ve got what it takes to become professional writers; some just like the ship and have no interest beyond that. They’re all valid reasons to write. My advice is to the kind of fledgling author I used to be, the one who wanted to be a professional and wanted their writing to be decent, and it’s this:

Read a lot

Write a lot

Step out of your comfort zone

Attend workshops/read writing guides/be open to critique 

[discussion under the cut ‘cause it’s looooooong]

1. Read a lot

It goes without saying; reading is what feeds a writer. I did a travel writing workshop once and the editor told us that he could always tell from someone’s writing what they’d been reading. What one reads the most comes through in one’s writing whether they intend it or not. This “or not” is why I’ve been vigilant ever since to avoid reading anything that I don’t want to be influenced by: gossip mags, for instance, or run-of-the-mill urban fantasy.

As for fic writers, I’d suggest reading the best examples of writing in your fandom. Read them often and try to see what it is about them that you love and you’d like to emulate: is it the banter? The prose? The UST and emotions? The plot? How did the author do it? Tip #4 below helps with that.

I’d also strongly advise resisting the temptation to read only fic. Like the editor above, now I can usually tell if an author has been consuming only fanfic, because the sentences sound familiar. Fanfic can be restrictive when it’s the only thing you consume. People like to rail against published books on tumblr, but as someone who actually wants to be published one day, that attitude irritates me. It’s also false. There’s a ton of marvellous stuff out there, books from people from all over the world, books with great prose or great plot, books from marginalised authors, classics that are classics for a reason, new authors doing incredible stuff. 

tl;dr: read the best writing you can get your hands on (incl. published books) as often as you can

2. Write a lot

This also goes without saying. Writing is a skill; the more you practice, the better you become at it. Fic is amazing for it! You practice writing plot, dialogue, characterisation, description. You might insert on original character or two.

At the beginning, a new writer’s output might not be as amazing as what they’d like it to be, but recognising that it’s not there yet is actually a huge step in improving. So write loads, and don’t be afraid to write things no one will see. Set a word count target (you could join a community such as @gywo​) and try to reach that target. It could be 300 words a day or 2k words every weekend or a total of 12k a month, whatever works for you. Make writing a habit. Ask people here to prompt you, write off-the-cuff. Some of it won’t be great – to you. But there’ll always be a reader who loves the quick drabble you wrote. And even if the post goes unnoticed, move on. Write the next drabble/fic, and then the next. Just keep writing and keep making it the best you can.

tl;dr: write your arse off

3. Step out of your comfort zone

This tip isn’t one you usually see in these kinds of lists, but to me it’s an important one. What I mean is that complacency can be a writer’s biggest enemy. Say you’ve reached a decent writing level, you’ve got some readers, you’re having fun writing your fics. They’re becoming popular so you think you’re doing something right and write some more in the same vein. This is all good, but it might also lead to stagnation.

Stepping out of your comfort zone shakes things up. This advice relates to the other tips. First, read something that you normally avoid, esp. if people are saying it’s a fantastic piece of writing. My thinking is that if X fic has rave reviews but happens to be mpreg (which I loathe), the benefits of being exposed to the great writing outweigh the mpreg–and I can always skim through that part. Do consider your triggers if you have any and look after yourself, but also don’t confuse them with dislikes. 

Reading outside your genre is a great way to shake things up: if you’re into Eighth-Year drarry, read them as fifty-year-olds. If you only read Auror case fics, read a smoking-hot PWP or an achingly-cute domestic drarry. If the books you buy are all adult sci-fi, try this contemporary YA everyone’s been raving about. Read poetry, if you don’t! Even if you don’t get it. Just read it, consider the word choices and put it aside. You don’t have to read outside your comfort zone all the time, but try to do it with some regularity and make sure you choose great quality works. 

Same with writing: if you write in one genre, try writing a story in another. Maybe you’ll fuck it up. No one needs to see it. At least you’ve tried. This is where workshops or writing exercises come in handy. Recently I took part in one where some drarry authors wrote a paragraph with sentences up to seven words, and another that was only one sentence. Imagine writing a 200-word sentence! You’ll probably never use it in your life, but it’s such a great way to practise sentence structure and see the effect it has on tone and pacing. Prompts can help as well: some of the AU prompts I received were things I longed to write, but others were harder. Some I fucked up. But I wrote a flower shop fic for a friend, which is something I’d never in my life write willingly lol, and it turned out wonderful and it’s actually become very popular. I’m currently writing a historical AU, which is def outside my comfort zone, and it’s taking me ages, but it also forces me to examine it from all angles to find how to make it work for me, and that means I get to learn a bit more about writer-me. 

Writing outside your comfort zone is also about writing things that might make you emotional. Natalie Goldberg’s writing book (mentioned above) was one of the first I read and it’s influenced me a great deal: she says that when you feel choked up or upset or emotional while writing a scene, keep writing. You’ve tapped into a vein. Digging deep in a character’s psyche might make you uncomfortable, sure; it means digging deep inside yourself and some dark parts of you that you might not necessarily like. Keep going. For me, that’s what pushes someone’s writing from good to amazing. It’s why some fics stand out, get recced loads and are lauded, even if they don’t have a huge amount of kudos.

tl;dr: read books outside your genre, do writing exercises and write things that make you emotional 

4. Attend workshops/read writing guides/be open to critique

Let me repeat that this is advice for people who want their writing to be better and who possibly want to go pro. If you’re writing as a hobby, you needn’t pay attention to this. For the rest: learning the technical aspects of the craft can make a huge difference in your writing.

At first, you might enjoy a fic and not know why. Workshops and writing guides can help you identify what it is you liked. You’ll be able to examine a novel with a different eye when you’re familiar with the 3-act structure rather than go “wow, the pacing was amazing, I couldn’t put this down, but I don’t know why”.

There are dozens of writing guides out there. After reading more than thirty, I can confirm they get repetitive after a while. But read a couple of them, at the very least. Check if your library has: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin (though I wouldn’t rec this one if you’re completely new), On Writing by King, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (which is also really funny). 

Attending a workshop/accepting critique is the hardest to arrange. It requires other people, you can’t read it or borrow it from your library. Now, I’ve heard from people who attended creative writing seminars that they were in class with a bunch of idiots who had strong opinions as to what’s literature and what’s not. If that’s something you’d rather not face, then there are creative writing MOOCs around where people are kinder and more supportive. I’ve taken several and am a huge advocate of them. You can audit a MOOC (watch the video with the lecture, do the reading, skip the assignment) but participating will help the most. You might get 1-2 or even 15 people commenting on your work, telling you what worked and what didn’t. Some common elements will arise: perhaps everyone liked the dialogue, but many felt the description was lacking. It’s not a pleasant feeling, but you’ll have a clearer idea of what works and what doesn’t. Examining each piece of critique and seeing if you agree or not with it is a big step in improving.

Having your work betaed is of course the number one thing you can do to improve, and having a good beta is invaluable–and not always easy to find. Try to find a good beta. Finally, If you’re in a fandom community, see if you can arrange a workshop thing with your friends. Just make sure that you’re all on board with critiquing each other’s writing with kindness, but also not just squeeing. Squeeing can take place with critiquing, it’s not mutually exclusive. 

tl;dr: learn the technical aspects of the craft and learn to accept critique

Thanks for the ask! I hope you don’t mind such a detailed answer :))

Weekly Reading

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. The sequel to Ancillary Justice, which ended with former-spaceship-AI/current-human-body Breq having started a civil war in the Radchaai Empire (though one mostly conducted through propaganda and cold-war-ish maneuvering than outright battles) and, rather than assassinating the emperor, having been co-opted to fight for her side. In that role, Breq is given the captaincy of a new spaceship and sent to Athoek Station: a system not particularly wealthy, important, or strategically located, but which might be fought over if the war goes on long enough. There Breq discovers that the imperialism and military hierarchy of the Radchaai – shockingly! – goes right down to the roots of even the most random of places, and sets out to correct what injustices of slums, sharecropping, debt cycles, and ethnic tensions she can. It's a much smaller book than Ancillary Justice. The war is far away throughout this book, and not particularly relevant. Instead of the fate of the entire empire, Breq changes the lives of three or four people, none of them particularly important. There's Breq's new 'baby lieutenant', a 17 year old from a minor family in her first job; an illiterate worker on a tea plantation and her younger sister; the abused girlfriend of a rich, spoiled young woman whose privilege has left her bored and cruel; an underling whose criminal record makes her the first suspect when a new crime is committed. Ancillary Justice was a critique of imperialism on a grand, life-or-death galaxy-wide scale; Ancillary Sword is a critique of the petty, everyday consequences of imperialism, the sort of thing that you might not notice even when you're looking directly at it because it's become part of the expected background of your world. Which is not to say it's a bad book, or a boring one! Not at all. People are shot, bombs explode, and the climatic scene is a masterpiece of drama and action that ties together several plot threads in ways I hadn't seen coming at all. And that's aside from the interest of just watching these characters interact, the messy underappreciated work of trying to figure out the right thing to do and to actually accomplish something in situations of multiple stakeholders, and Leckie's engaging, straightforward prose. I've seen this described as a 'novel of manners', and while I don't think that's quite right, if you enjoy that genre you'll probably enjoy this book. Leckie is also a master of "cool bits" (elements that aren't particularly important to the plot or themes, but are just enjoyable to read about): Breq's collection of songs, many based on real-world choral shape singing; penis festivals and mourning rituals; a minor character's collection of fancy dinnerware sets. I absolutely adore this book and this trilogy, and can't possibly say enough good things about it. Write Smart, Write Happy: How to Become a More Productive, Resilient and Successful Writer by Cheryl St. John. There are a lotof writing books out there, for every possible type of, approach to, and interpretation of writing. St. John is a romance author, and while she doesn't actually mention that within this book, I think it's discernible through the style of her advice. I've noticed that romance authors tend to approach writing as a job, a craft like any other – potentially explained by the fact that it's a genre where it's not uncommon for authors to put out three books a year, unlike literary fiction, in which famous authors who publish once a decade (or less!) are easy to find. It's an approach I personally find very appealing, while books on writing with a more mystical or therapeutic bent put me off. Nothing wrong with either method, but Write Smart, Write Happy is very much not Bird by Bird or Writing Down the Bones; it's a more practical, businesslike, unsentimental take on writing. Basically, Write Smart, Write Happy is for you if you're interested in a writing book that's more about getting the words on the page and meeting deadlines and less about writing from the heart or finding your personal muse of inspiration. Which is not say it's a perfect book. I was hoping for lots of specific tips, and there was a bit too much pep-talk/self-help esque advice about believing in yourself and not giving up than I personally would have preferred. Nonetheless there was good advice in here, enough for me to take notes and end up with some new things to try. Overall Write Smart, Write Happy is a quick, easy read with some helpful information, particularly on planning, time management, and setting goals. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

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Featured Author Interview: Chris Karlsen

Tell us about yourself and your books.: After I retired from law enforcement I decided it was time to write the story that had been sitting on the back of my mind for ages. I went to the local Barnes & Noble and bought all the magazines they had on writing. I knew I had to learn the craft. At the same time, I started the story. As I went to workshops, seminars and writer's conferences, I'd apply what I leaned to the story. After several years, I felt it was ready. A dear friend started a small publishing house and asked if I'd consider publishing with her. I did and I haven't looked back. I now have 12 books in publication. I have several series. One is a historical romance "Knights in Time," which has a time travel element. I have a contemporary thriller series set in Turkey called "Dangerous Waters." I've been writing a historical suspense series called "the Bloodstone Series." My new release, A Venomous Love, is the third book from that series. It is set in Victorian London and my protagonist is a London detective, Rudyard Bloodstone. I also have a WW2 romance novella series. I'm working on book 2 in that series. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I don't think so. I'm not superstitious by nature so I don't have rituals I follow when I sit down to write. I do set aside 3-4 hours in the afternoons to write and I try to do that six days a week. I try to get all my personal business done in the morning. I quit writing by five and spend the rest of the evening relaxing. What authors have influenced you? Bernard Cornwell writes the most visceral and dynamic battle scenes. In my Knights in Time series the Battle of Poitiers (1356) connects the heroes. I tried to recreate the visual strength of his works in my stories. Julie Anne Long writes wonderful romances. I am not terribly comfortable writing love scenes and read through hers to give me direction. Joe Wambaugh writes brilliant cop stories. He was with LAPD for years and knows how create police officers that have great humor and pathos. Do you have any advice for new authors? Commit to putting aside time to write. It is so easy to say you'll do it tomorrow. Writing is dedicating time to sit and type words on the page. Even if your busy day only allows fifteen minutes. Use them. Also, join a critique group if possible. Fresh eyes need to see your work, not just family and friends who might not be honest so as not to hurt your feelings. What is the best advice you have ever heard? Never start by writing a narrative that's only purpose is too "set the stage" or give history to the opening characters. Those are almost always passive and dull to the reader. Whatever you want to tell them in that passive opening you can put in dialogue and action throughout the story. What are you reading now? I am reading "The Flame Bearer" by Bernard Cornwell. It's part of his Saxon Tales series, which I love. For research I'm reading "Reach For the Sky" by Paul Brickhill. It is about the greatest RAF pilot. What's your biggest weakness? Getting distracted by my newsfeed or Facebook posts or something on television, a show my husband is watching in the den and I can hear. What is your favorite book of all time? The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. What has inspired you and your writing style? I've been inspired by my favorite authors. My father was a history professor and history inspires me. All my books have historical elements or are the basis for the plots. I want to see a world from the past or an event through the eyes of my characters. I enjoy going deep into those worlds using my characters. What are you working on now? I'm working on a WW2 romance novella. It's called "The Ack-Ack Girl." It's set in WW2 England and the heroine is a member of an anti-aircraft unit of women. She falls in love with an RAF pilot. I haven't gotten to the romance between them yet but I'm slowly progressing:) What is your method for promoting your work? I like blog tours with interview options and I also take out a fair share of ads. I work on getting reviews as well as they're so important. What's next for you as a writer? I will be promoting "A Venomous Love" my new detective Bloodstone book for the next couple months. At the same time, I am writing my WW2 novella and hope to have it out by the holidays. How well do you work under pressure? I am a retired police detective. I spent 25 years in law enforcement. I started back in the mid 1970's when women were just beginning to be allowed to work patrol. I was assigned a high crime area and had to deal with those pressures. I later moved to SoCal and joined a department in the LA area, some pressures were the same, some not. I believe I was successful in that profession because I could handle pressure well. How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing? I try to use a mix of historical information, which I weave into a scene so it doesn't sound like a school lesson, I always try to include humor, courage and a sense of decency for the protagonists is important to me. They can make mistakes and do, but I want their moral core to be strong. I don't want to make any one character perfectly bad or perfectly good and that sets the tone for much of the story. Author Websites and Profiles Chris Karlsen Website Chris Karlsen Amazon Profile Chris Karlsen Goodreads Profile Chris Karlsen's Social Media Links Facebook Profile Twitter Account Pinterest Account Read the full article

From Haute Cuisine to Hot Dogs

My first restaurant experience in Chicago was when I walked into Morry’s Deli on 55th and Cornell in Hyde Park. I was hungry and they sold me a bagel of dubious quality along with a hefty slab of cream cheese which in form and substance resembled the celebrated U-boat that draws visitors from near and far to the Museum of Science and Industry a few blocks away.

I didn’t give up and I later found the joys of Hyde Park favorites such as the Medici, Siam Thai, and Ann Sather’s. My favorite restaurant in Chicago remains the Valois Cafeteria where you’ll “see your food” and pick up breakfast for under $6. 

This is a rare feat in these increasingly pricey times, no?

It was with great anticipation that I picked up the Chicago Food Encyclopedia, which covers a vast range of culinary territory from O’Hare Airport down to the one and only Calumet Fisheries. 

Ably edited by a who’s who of Chicago food writers (including Carol Mighton Haddix, Bruce Kraig, and Colleen Taylor Sen), the book is an expert antidote to an increasingly crowded world of banal blather regarding cuisine.

I reached out to Bruce Kraig (PS: He’s the author of Hot Dog: A Global History) for a set of meditations on crafting this work, hot dogs, and related matters.

He did not disappoint. 

Why the Chicago Food Encyclopedia? Can you say a little about the project’s origins?

The story I like to tell is this: I have worked on encyclopedias before as the Senior Editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America and have written entries for a number of others. When Andrew F. Smith, with whom I worked, told me that he and friends were editing a New York food encyclopedia, called Savoring Gotham, I knew that we in the Second City had to do something: New York is a great food city but Chicago holds prime place as historically America's food collection, production and distribution center AND it is now America's leading restaurant city. The world should know it, and now with the Encyclopedia it will. 

Immediately upon this inspiration smacking me I emailed Colleen Sen my friend and collaborator on our book Street Food: Everything You Need to Know About Open-Air Stands, Carts, and Food Trucks Across the Globe asking what she thought. Yes, she said, she had had exactly the same idea. Colleen is one of the world’s leading authorities on the history of Indian food and has written entries for lots of encyclopedias. 

She said that we'd have to work fast to try to beat the New Yorkers (we missed but not by too much in university press publishing terms).  Because I work with the University of Illinois Press and as a friend of the editor-in-chief, why not expedite matters and take it to them, we thought. We quickly wrote a proposal and brought it to the U of I Press. They quickly agreed – about 10 minutes and we were off and running.

Because we'd done this kind of book before, Colleen and I drew up a tentative headword list and began thinking about possible contributors. We knew lots of people, but one name came up more often than most, our old friend Carol Haddix. She had actually written a book about the Chicago dining scene from 1980 to the present and as the former and long-time multi-award winning editor of the Chicago Tribune food section she knew more about the current state of Chicago food than we did. And she knew lots of potential writers, many of whom had written article for her in the past. It did not take to long for  Colleen and I to say to each other, let's ask Carol to join us as co-editor. She agreed and thus our happy editorship began.

In reality I'd been talking about a Chicago book with the U of I Press for years. Other collaborators didn't work out and I was too busy writing other books and lots more papers and articles to really get into the project. 

As you likely know, Carol had me put together a Chicago food history timeline for the Tribune's sesquicentennial - it is the basis of the encyclopedia's timeline and chronological order, so I'd been working on the earlier era for some time. When this project occurred to us it seemed just right to finally get a volume with the right people to tell the full story that I could not do on my own, or at least as well as this. Second, Andy Smith and the New Yorkers are old friends and I did entries (on guess what?) for Savoring Gotham, but we still wanted to compete with them.

Your introduction is a masterful overview of Chicago’s diverse and complex relationship with food (prepared or otherwise). Were there any sections that didn’t make the cut for this section of the book?

Thank you. The only restriction we had was on length. The full history of Chicago’s food is deep and complex, more than one book-length treatment. The introduction is brief guide to a fuller history that lies within the entries themselves. Look at the ones on labor, fin de siècle diets, literature or cookbooks as examples. These, too, are brief but serve to fill out more of the story. 

As I read the entries, I saw old friends that have left us, including the Cape Cod Room, Gordon, and the original Pump Room. Do you have a few favorite restaurants that are no more?

I put this to my colleagues. Here’s what they said:

Carol: I would like to go back in time and visit the original Glunz Tavern on Wells Street in the late 1800s, and then compare it to the family’s recent resurrection of the tavern. 

Colleen: I would like to have visited Rector's restaurant at corner of Clark and Monroe to try the oysters and the rich fin de siecle food.The old Maxim's -- it was terrific. When I was in NYC  in the late 60s  Ashish [her husband, a professor at UIC] would go by himself and order a bowl of billibi soup and a dessert. He'd go very early just as they opened so he wasn't interfering with the regular clientele. The total cost was around $5.00

Bruce: I agree about classic old restaurants-Kinsley’s, the Boston Oyster House, and the early-day Henrici’s. But I’d also like to go to one of the Toffenneti’s because they remind me of places I visited in my youth in NYC, like Schrafft’s…and in fact Toffenetti’s in Times Square. 

Colleen and I agree that we’d like to visit places discussed in John Drury’s 1931 classic Dining in Chicago. As Colleen says: “… one of the Japanese restaurants mentioned was: Mrs. Shintani's which specialized in sukiyaki. In 1939 Mrs. Football opened a Japanese restaurant on Oak street that served fish dinners "marinated in a special sauce."  I'd like to have tried both.

We have to take on a very important topic in this interview: Hot Dogs. Your entry only uses the word ketchup once and that’s in reference to French fries. 

I thank you for this. 

American tomato ketchup is an abomination. Other earlier ketchups, on the other hand, like nut versions, well that’s another story.

How difficult was it to craft this entry? 

If you are asking me about the hot dog entry, the only problem was cutting it down-we did impose word limits on ourselves. 

Second part: When I came to Chicago you could buy a hot dog on State Street in the Loop. Now there are no carts selling hot dogs in the Loop. What can we do to remedy this problem?

As we emailed each other, once upon a time street food was common in and around the Loop. What needs to be done is political action to get the Aldermanic council and mayor to allow street food carts and stands. New York is an example (though flawed). Putting them on South State Street would increase foot traffic greatly and not interfere with the relatively few restaurants in the area. 

What restaurants from Chicago’s past would you like to visit if time travel were a viable option?

See above. 

As an expert, can you offer up a few restaurants you’d recommend to folks with a penchant for experiencing just a small sample of Chicago’s culinary scene? 

Also from my colleagues: 

Carol: To get a quick taste of Chicago’s current, more casual restaurants, head to the Food Revival Hall, 125 S. Clark, where you can sample from stands selling great barbecue, fried chicken, tacos, and even dessert (from well-known chef Mindy Segal of HotChocolate restaurant.)

Colleen: Re Drury, one of the Japanese restaurants mentioned ws: Mrs. Shintani's which specialized in sukiyaki. In 1939 Mrs. Futaba opened a Japanese restaurant on Oak Street that served fish dinners "marinated in a special sauce."  I'd like to have tried both.

I would have recommended Katsu's but it is about to close. Tank Noodles at Argyle and Broadway serves great banh mi. Of Indian restaurants,  hard to say since they change all the time. Gharib Nawaz on Devon and  near UIC is very popular for its very inexpensive and pretty good Indian food. 

Bruce: You know that I would say Chicago’s historic hot dog stands: Jim’s Original and the nearby Express, Jimmy’s on Grand (Depression dogs), and the best pure Chicago stand, Murphy’s on Belmont. That’s Chicago’s ongoing food history.

Tips To Overcome Bad Weather From 14 Wedding Pros

Although we’ve seen a cluster of beautiful wedding images in the rain and snow, not many wedding photographers look forward to getting soaked for the shot. We asked a selection of our Apex award-winning photographers what techniques they love to use when faced with bad weather and what gear they rely on to make these shots happen.

The first thing you’ll need is a couple of Ziploc bags for your off-camera flashes, so if you’ve got a wedding coming up and bad weather in the forecast, we’ve got you (and your flashes) covered!

Melissa Jill – Website | Instagram

“My best technique is simply planning ahead & creating a game plan! For this rainy day wedding, we brought umbrellas (clear ones so that the subjects faces wouldn’t be too heavily shaded). After strategizing with the bridal party under the cover of a tent, we ran out to grab the shot, with my 2nd shooter holding another umbrella over my film camera. It took planning prior to the wedding and in real-time with the bridal party, but it was all worth it!”

Jared Gant – Website | Instagram

“Who defines what is good and bad weather? Okay, maybe if a hurricane is coming in we should all duck for cover, but all too often, I see both photographers and clients unnecessarily hiding from a little bit of snow or rain. When the weather is starting to look different than expected, I try to remind my clients to go with the flow and be playful. One of my favorite techniques is to back-light the couple with a MagSphere. This throws light in all directions and exaggerates the appearance of the weather. I always keep a few large zip-lock bags in my bag to cover up and protect the flashes.”

JD Land – Website | Instagram

“As a primarily documentary photographer, I absolutely love the challenges that I’m faced with when the weather isn’t considered to be “ideal.” The weather 100% affects a couple’s emotions on their wedding day so that part of the story NEEDS to be documented and told through photographs. Accomplishing that is the hard part as a couple will only spend a few moments out in the weather. To make sure I am able to tell the entire story in these brief moments, I am always using either my 24-70mm f/2.8 or 35mm f/1.4. Both of these lenses are wide enough to allow me to include the environment, or the weather, in the composition.

This photograph is a bride getting ready to head into the church and her feelings about the weather are written all over her face as she prepares to be escorted in by the umbrella-toting driver. I needed every bit of a 35mm to make sure I was close enough to be in the moment with her but also include the umbrella in the frame to show why she is having the reaction she is.”

Aaron Story – Website | Instagram

“Shooting predominantly in the UK means that I’m often faced with wet weather; it’s something I used to worry about a lot, but as I’ve grown with experience, I’ve learned to go with it. The way I think about it is if I’m anxious, then it’s likely that will rub off on my couple and that will affect their day (and photos). In the photo above, I went out beforehand to set everything up and wrapped my flash in a clear plastic bag (I keep a few handy, just in case). I found an usher to help me out in getting the right settings, and once I was set, I invited the couple out with umbrellas. We were out for a matter of seconds – this is the result made with a Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II,  one Yongnuo 600 EX-RT Flash in a Ziploc bag and Op/Tech Rain Sleeve for the camera and lens.”

Dave Shay – Website | Instagram

“Backlighting rain or snow with bad weather isn’t a new trick by any means (I used a MagSphere for this), but the most important part about shooting in bad weather is to get your clients excited about it. If you can convince your clients that you’re the expert and that they should trust you, you have so many more opportunities to make something incredible. Once your clients are on board, the only thing you’ll need is a weather-sealed camera (thanks, Nikon!), a few Ziploc bags to throw your flashes in, and a horrible pun to make some magic.”

Paco Van Leeuwen – Website | Instagram

“Last year I had a wedding I’ll never forget, it was raining the entire day… Although there wasn’t a real couples session planned, they did want a few nice images at these different locations. At times the rain was coming sideways so I had to come up with a solution. Thanks to the SLR Lounge flash courses I had the knowledge and confidence to pull this off. I just left the couple dry inside and got soaking wet myself. For both shots, I used a gridded flash, underexposed the ambient light by 1-2 stops and set the flash power accordingly.”

[Read: 8 Rainy Day Wedding Photography Tips You Need To Know]

Scott Josuweit – Website | Instagram

“Group composites are one of my favorite tricks when the weather isn’t ideal. The bride and groom wanted an “epic group photo” in this one space of their venue but they wanted to be able to see all of the greenery in the background. My assistant held a Godox AD200 with a MagGrid, MagSphere, and 1/4 CTO MagGel on it and lit each member of the wedding party one at a time, and I snapped a photo each time they moved. I ended up using 13 different frames to put this composite together.”

Matt Gruber – Website | Instagram

“Sometimes a couple is really adventurous, but more often than not you want to get photos outside without having them soaking wet afterward (or holding umbrellas for every photo). Many venues will have some sort of awning or covered valet area somewhere on the property. I love to place the couple under the awning and use a telephoto lens to get beautiful bokeh and compression. Mix in just a small amount of flash to blend in with the ambient light behind them and no one will have any idea it was even raining at all.”

Alex Pasarelu – Website | Instagram

“I improvise a lot, but mainly try to take advantage of the bad weather and create beautiful memories no matter what. I always encourage my couples to enjoy the rain and be brave, they need to live the moment. I tend to use the water on the ground to create beautiful reflections, use umbrellas to help compose the frame, or just have the couple dancing in the rain if they are willing to. I always try to capture the day how it really was.”

Shannon Cain – Website | Instagram

“How do I convince my clients to step out into the rain and wind for some beautiful portraits?  Before I ever pull them outside, I completely set up the shot so that when I do ask my bride & groom to step outside, it only requires them to be in the elements for a fraction of the time.  And when particles of any sort are in the air, choose to backlight!  I always carry ziplock bags with me to cover my Godox AD200s from the elements as well as two clear umbrellas.”

Nicole Chan – Website | Instagram

“During inclement weather, I always encourage my couples to embrace it. I mention that during perfect days, there are dozens of couples fighting for the same spot at the same time. I remind them that all relationships are different and that having non-cliche engagement and wedding portraits is a pretty awesome thing. For Brian and Maryanne’s portrait session, it was sub-zero temperatures in Boston. Brian recreated one of their early dates and gave Mary Anne special mittens that had been crafted specifically to allow two people to hold hands while wearing the mittens.”

Christophe Viseux – Website | Instagram

“I actually see bad weather as a fantastic opportunity to create spontaneous photos with a different feel and sometimes gorgeous light like before a storm. From a gear point of view, you still want to make sure your camera remains safe and sound in dry conditions. I always carry an emergency rain cover in my bag.”

Christi Chambers – Website | Instagram

“I always get excited when there’s a little precipitation in the forecast (hopefully late in the day). My go-to is a simple backlit shot to catch whatever’s in the air (rain/snow/fog). Of course this works best with lower ambient light (if you don’t have a super powerful flash with you). My couples are always blown away by the results!”

Abul Shah – Website | Instagram

“I consider myself lucky to live in one of the most amazing countries in the world. But, as I’m sure many of you know, or will have experienced first-hand if you’ve ever visited the UK, good weather is not what we are known for! Grey is an all too familiar colour to us, and the stats say that we only see the sun for about one third of an average year. Yes, that’s right. The rest of the time, it’s overcast, raining, or we get what we Brits like to call ‘drizzle.’

So, achieving creative or dramatic photos requires direction and a plan, and keeping the bride and groom dry at the same time can be a challenge. The majority of brides don’t want to ruin their hair in the rain, and some won’t even consider stepping outside. At times, we are expected to deliver maximum results with minimum effort from our client.

When I want something dramatic, with soft light and good contrast, a good option that I come back to now and then is one of the simplest. I look for a window with good light and little distractions in the frame, so I don’t lead the viewer away from the subject.

There’s no need for umbrellas, no need to light the scene or zip lock your speed lights, no wet wedding dress and most importantly, the couple stays warm and happy.

I use prime lenses on my Nikon D800 bodies 90% of the time, namely the Sigma Art 35mm and the 50mm f/1.4 lenses, because I like to shoot wide open and they are incredibly fast lenses. The window light (in the above scenario) may not be strong, and as I like to make an effort to keep my ISO as low as possible, my choice of prime lens always responds perfectly.”

Tips from Abul:

When placing your subject by the window, the natural light fall off can be rapid, so don’t be afraid to have their shoulder almost touching the window if the light requires it.

Try and avoid getting the window itself in the shot, as it will be bright and distracting in the final image. Perhaps try leaning against the wall and breaking the ‘gazing space’ rule. Get it right in camera.

You may find that a good window location may be in an obscure or strange place. Your couple may not understand what you are seeing and might seem uncomfortable, but if you’re there then you know they trust you. When you get a good shot, show them. Sometimes showing them a shot once or twice on the back of the camera and telling them how good they look will help them relax, and help you get the best out of your couple.

Tips For Rainy Day Wedding Photography | Summary

Make sure your gear is weather sealed and if not invest in plastic covers to protect it from getting ruined.

Always have an umbrella on hand (this can just be a regular white lighting umbrella) because you never know when you’ll need it.

Always test the shot before bringing your couple into the scene to prevent them from getting cold or wet.

Use flashes to backlight the particles in the air and compression lenses to yield better bokeh results.

from SLR Lounge https://www.slrlounge.com/rainy-day-wedding-photography-tips/ via IFTTT

7 Helpful Tips on How to Write A Memorable Personal Essay

Everyone has a story to tell and a message to share. The challenge lies in getting that story and message out of your head and into print in a way that resonates with your audience.

Starting somewhere in the late 2000s, a certain type of personal essay experienced a popularity boom. These essays were ultra-personal and confessional in nature, often in a TMI sort of way. Their headlines were clickable, not to mention shareable, for their shock value alone.

Although the confessional shock essay’s star seems to be fading, the personal essay itself is still standing strong. Essay collections by late greats like James Baldwin (The First Next Time) and David Foster Wallace (Consider the Lobster) still top Amazon’s Best Sellers in essays. Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) launched a career with her darkly funny and self-effacing essays about her health and mental illness challenges (Let’s Pretend This Never Happened). Celebrities like Mindy Kaling (Why Not Me?) and Tina Fey (Bossypants) blended personal essays into memoir-esque collections that became best sellers. We head for the nearest bookseller when essay titans like David Sedaris or Anne Lamott have a new release.

We’re thirsty for real stories and musings from people who are able to share their foibles, lessons, and truths in a way we can relate to. Here are seven tips to help you craft a personal essay that will connect with readers.

1 Understand what a personal essay is.

Ask three different experts what a personal essay is and you’ll likely get three different answers. Are they structured? Must they address a certain type of subject? Here’s a definition we like:

A personal essay is a short work of autobiographical nonfiction characterized by a sense of intimacy and a conversational manner. Also called a personal statement.

A type of creative nonfiction, the personal essay is ‘all over the map,’ according to Annie Dillard. ‘There’s nothing you can’t do with it. No subject matter is forbidden, no structure is prescribed. You get to make up your own form every time.’

—Richard Nordquist for ThoughtCo.

Personal essays relate the author’s intimate thoughts and experiences to universal truths. They aren’t simply a retelling of events, though—that falls more in the realm of memoir or autobiography. They conclude with the author having learned, changed, or grown in some way and often present some truth or insight that challenges the reader to draw their own conclusions.

2 Find a compelling topic.

The best essay topics are often deeply relatable. Although the story itself is unique to the author’s experience, there’s some universal truth that speaks to us from just below the surface. Topics like facing a fear, falling in love, overcoming an obstacle, discovering something new, or making a difficult choice tackle feelings and events that happen in everyone’s life.

Here’s a tip: Need a little help? Here’s a list of personal essay topics that might spark an idea.

3 Start with a strong hook.

As with any type of writing, it’s essential to draw the reader in from the very first paragraph, or even the first sentence. Here are a few examples.

Aside from Peter, who supposedly guards the gates of heaven and is a pivotal figure in any number of jokes, the only saint who’s ever remotely interested me is Francis of Assisi, who was friends with the animals.

—David Sedaris, “Untamed”

When I was young, my family didn’t go on outings to the circus or trips to Disneyland. We couldn’t afford them. Instead, we stayed in our small rural West Texas town, and my parents took us to cemeteries.

—Jenny Lawson, “Amelia and Me”

I underwent, during the summer that I became fourteen, a prolonged religious crisis.

—James Baldwin, “Letter from a Region in My Mind”

Alone, we are doomed. By the same token, we’ve learned that people are impossible, even the ones we love most—especially the ones we love most.

—Anne Lamott, “Blessings: After Catastrophe, A Community Unites”

Your hook and opening paragraph should establish the topic of your essay (or at least allude to it) and set the scene and tone.

4 Create an outline.

All it takes to understand the importance of an outline is listening to someone who struggled to tell a personal story. Often, the story will seem to have no real point. The switchbacks where the teller says “But wait, I have to tell you about this part, first!” are maddening and disruptive. An outline will help you organize your thoughts before committing them to text.

Consider your opening hook and the statement it makes, then map out the sequence of events or main points that support it. Just like a good fictional story, your essay should have rising action. Raise the stakes with each paragraph until you reach a climax or turning point. Plan to add a conclusion that will evoke an emotional response in your reader.

5 Narrow your focus.

Don’t try to write to a general topic. Your essay may well be about sexism, but you need to illustrate it through the lens of a defining incident that’s deeply personal to you. What did your experiences teach you about sexism? What does it mean to you as an individual?

6 Show, don’t tell.

Close your eyes. Think of the scene you’re about to write down. What were you experiencing with your five senses? How did you feel?

Your challenge is to evoke those senses and feelings without flatly stating them. Don’t say “I felt cold.” Say “I exhaled and my breath turned to vapor that hung in the air. I shivered and pulled the blanket tight around my shoulders in a vain attempt to trap my body heat.” Your description should help the reader experience the cold with you. Stephen King describes it as making the reader “prickle with recognition.”

7 Craft a thought-provoking conclusion.

Your essay should end with your own reflection and analysis. What did you learn? How have the events and thoughts you described changed your life or your understanding of life? It’s not enough to say “And that’s what happened.” You have to describe how whatever happened shaped you.

Just as a good lead hooks readers and draws them along for the ride, a good conclusion releases them from your essay’s thrall with a frisson of pleasure, agreement, passion or some other sense of completion. Circling back to your lead in your conclusion is one way to give readers that full-circle sense. Try to restate your thesis in a way that reflects the journey the essay has taken.

—Tom Bentley for Writer’s Digest

There is so much outside the false cloister of private experience; and when you write, you do the work of connecting that terrible privacy to everything beyond it.

—Leslie Jamison for Publishers Weekly

The post 7 Helpful Tips on How to Write A Memorable Personal Essay appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

from Grammarly Blog https://www.grammarly.com/blog/personal-essay/

Your Guide to Michigan’s Independent Breweries and Beer

July 7, 2017

Michigan breweries sit at the heart of the Midwest craft beer world says Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild. The organization began 2017 with 223 brewery members, up 15 percent from 2016. The increase is part of an industry-wide boom that has occurred of late, much to the delight of beer drinkers across the state,

“If you look back just a couple years ago, I bet we had 100 breweries in the state,” Graham says.

While people often consider the East and West Coasts to be on the cutting edge of all trends (music, tech, you name it), Larry Bell of Bell’s Brewery laughs off the notion when it comes to craft beer. Bell cites not only a strong brewing tradition but also Michigan’s wickedly loyal beer fan base.

(TRAVEL: Find Beercation Guides)

“I think it’s pretty funny,” Bell tells CraftBeer.com. “There’s this attitude that the coasts are cooler and hipper. Let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot of West Coast beers launch in the Midwest and Michigan and fall flat on their faces, because guess what, the beer really isn’t better than ours, and people here, especially in Michigan, are homers. There’s been just as many interesting things going on here as there is on the coasts.”

Bell says Michigan has a lot going for it in terms of differentiating its beer, especially when it comes to local ingredients. The four Great Lakes surrounding Michigan is an obvious advantage in terms of water. So is the region’s local grain.

Bell explains that while West Coast beers tend to be hop heavy and place an importance on its prominence, beers from Michigan proudly showcase a heavy dose of its home-grown malt, creating a distinct style for the region.

“We’re the bread box of the country and I think we’ve always liked malt,” Bell says. “I certainly believe in making all-malt beer. That’s what we got into the business to do.”

Michigan Beer Pioneers

Laura Bell is now CEO of Bell’s Brewery. (Credit: Bell’s Brewery)

Graham says the first “explosion” of craft breweries in Michigan was the mid-to-late 90s.

But before that, there were several pioneers who paved the way, he says. When Real Ale Co. in Chelsea opened in 1982, it was the Michigan’s first independently-owned brewery. It was only open a few years, closing in 1986 (as a side note, the then-head brewer, Ted Badgerow, is still rocking and opened Ypsi Alehouse in Ypsilanti last year). Still, Real Ale Co. made a significant contribution to craft beer’s future in many ways.

“I think [Real Ale Co.] gave people something to aspire to,” Graham said.

(VISIT: Find Michigan Breweries)

As the story goes, Larry Bell’s visit to Real Ale Co. helped inspire him to start his own brewery. He even bought a brew kettle (which he ended up never using to brew beer) and some other equipment from them to get started. In 1985, he launched Kalamazoo Brewing Co., and in 2005, he changed the name to Bell’s Brewery. Today, it is Michigan’s largest independent brewery.

A few more breweries started to trickle in during the early 90s, but the big highlight of that time was a legislature change that took place in 1992. Bell himself helped lawmakers craft a bill that would allow breweries to charge for beer by the glass and sell food – a brewery license, if you will – which had been previously prohibited. The law passed in late 1992, sparking investment and setting the table for the rush of breweries that would follow in the years to come — and that includes Founders. Since opening in 1997, Founders (no longer under the BA-defined craft brewer umbrella due to Mahou San Miguel’s 30 percent stake in the brewery) has also left an indelible mark on the state’s brewing scene.

Michigan’s Best Cities for Beer

Grand Rapids has become Michigan’s beer destination. It has earned national attention for its beer scene by finishing first in various reader’s choice polls over the past few years, and it has branded itself as “Beer City USA” in its tourism marketing. One of the main reasons is its Beer City Ale Trail, a walking route that connects dozens of downtown breweries. Notable independent craft breweries in the Grand Rapids area include Brewery Vivant, New Holland and Grand Rapids Brewing Co., among many others.

While not as properly branded and not as dense, Kalamazoo’s history and core of successful breweries makes it a strong hub for Michigan beer, anchored by Bell’s Brewery in nearby Comstock. Other strongholds include Dark Horse and Arcadia, as well as respected beer bars like Kalamazoo Beer Exchange.

Up and Coming Area(s) for Craft Beer in Michigan

There are three areas to keep an eye on in Michigan.

Ann Arbor: College towns have always been beer-drinking towns. But Ann Arbor has been enjoying an uptick in craft beer options over the years, and today it stands as its own scene, including some great beer bars (see below). One of the city’s pioneers is Arbor Brewing Company, which opened in 1995 and has received awards for its environmentally friendly practices. Another is Grizzly Peak and its best seller, the Steelhead Red, and don’t forget Jolly Pumpkin, known for its wild-aged sours and ales as well as its Belgian-influenced brews, like the Noel de Calabaza. Also, as mentioned above, the Ypsi Alehouse in nearby Ypsilanti was started by the former head brewer of Real Ale Co. Ann Arbor’s location just 40-some miles from Detroit makes it an easy side trip from the Motor City.

(READ: The Evolving Role of Women’s Contribution to Brewing Beer)

Detroit: It was one of the largest cities in U.S. for a long time. Now, it’s an up and coming area again. Detroit is on the rebound and coming back with a vengeance, placing an emphasis on local neighborhood pubs. “Detroit had a hard time because the city had a bad reputation, but the city’s believers are turning it around and many beer venues are now embracing the Motor City,” said Rex Halfpenny, publisher of Michigan Beer Guide. “This turnaround is without a doubt the most exciting thing about Michigan beers’ influence on the economy.” Check out bars like M-Brew and Ale Mary’s Beer Hall, and breweries such as Brew Detroit, Motor City Brewing Works, Batch Brewing Company and Atwater Beer.

Traverse City and the Lakeshore: The attention that this region gets because of its natural beauty and its position as a vacation destination has done wonders for its beer scene. Great beer bars like 7 Monks (see below) and a handful of breweries in the greater Lakeshore area are making things interesting, like Short’s Brewing Co. in Bellaire, Stormcloud Brewing Co. in Frankfort, and Mackinaw Brewing Co. in Traverse City.

Michigan Beers to Know About

Bell’s has two flagship beers in particular that have represented Michigan on a national scale, the Oberon Ale and the Two Hearted Ale. Oberon is an American Wheat Ale with that ultra-recognizable bright blue and yellow label. Its packaging screams summer, as does its smooth, malty wheat flavor. Two Hearted Ale (American IPA) carries the Midwest malt backbone Bell spoke of, enshrining it as one of the state’s iconic IPAs. It was voted 2017’s Best Beer in America by readers of Zymurgy Magazine.

Bell says that, for him, one of the iconic breweries of the state is Short’s Brewing in Bellaire, just north of Traverse City. “It made Michigan-only (beer) and they hung their hat on that for a long time,” Bell explains. “I think Short’s achieved national status as a brewery of Michigan, because they kind of owned a space here as far as representing Michigan with a large portfolio of beers made with Michigan ingredients.”

(READ: 7 Offbeat Places for People Who Like Craft Beer)

Another beer that’s making its way around and outside the Midwest, Bell says, is New Holland Dragon’s Milk, a bourbon barrel stout. You can find it up and down both coasts now.

Speaking of stouts, keep an eye out for Dark Horse Brewery, who has a distribution range that reaches the East Coast into New York and down to Pennsylvania right on through to South Carolina. Its “Stout Series,” made up of five stouts including Plead the 5th, has been a well-received line both in Michigan and outside the state.

Michigan Beer Bars to Know About

Brown Iron Brewhouse is a beer bar in Washington, Michigan. (Credit: Brown Iron)

Going directly to the brewery is the best way to support local craft beer, but you can also find a locally-focused beer bar that puts the area’s best beers in front of you.

Ashley’s in Ann Arbor – When Graham says that Ashley’s was “on to craft beer before it was cool,” he’s not exaggerating. This craft beer pub has been rocking and rolling since 1983, and it has more than 100 taps that highlight local and regional craft beer.

Grand Trunk Pub (Detroit) – If the beautiful architecture of the old railway building and the fierce “Made in Michigan” approach of the Grand Trunk Pub doesn’t hook you, perhaps this thoughtful, reflective account from the owner on its opening will punch your ticket. The Grand Trunk has 24 Michigan beers on tap and takes pride in its Detroit grit.

7 Monks (Traverse City): This is the new standard for beer bars in the up and coming Traverse City. With dozens of taps across a range of styles, including wild ales, sours, European and Belgian styles, and IPAs, American lagers, stouts, and porters, you’ll have plenty of excuses to stay inside on a summer day in Northern Michigan.

(LEARN: Beer 101 Online Course)

Hop Cat opened in Grand Rapids in 2008. It is now a chain, with locations across the state and the Midwest. Don’t let that scare you off. It didn’t open its second location until 2013, and its credibility as a dedicated beer bar remains despite its expansion. It’s a great stop for those looking to try a bunch of different Michigan beers.

Brown Iron Brewhouse (Washington Twp): Brown Iron was the reader’s choice for Michigan in our Great American Beer Bars 2017 rundown, beloved for its 70 beers on tap, educated staff, and “Cheers-like” feel, where the staff tries to know you by name. For travelers and out-of-towners, this is the perfect type of place to meet and mingle with local beer lovers, and worth the 45-minute trip from downtown Detroit.

Resources

Those looking to explore Michigan’s beer scene can utilize the Michigan Brewers Guild for intel. You can find a list of breweries, events and contact info on their website. Several towns provide their own beer maps, like this Kalamazoo beer map or this printable beer map of Grand Rapids. If you’re checking out Grand Rapids, consider getting an overview with one of these beer tours.

The Michigan Beer Guide comes out every two months and is available online. You can read through to get some inspiration for your trip and/or find new beers and breweries.

Larry Bell wrote the introduction to the book Michigan’s Holy Hops: The Great Lakes Beer Bible by Rick Sigsby. It covers the rise of craft beer and its personalities in the state, and is a good way to get an overview of its history.

Will McGough

Will is a nomad-at-large and travel columnist, penning profiles, features and dispatches from afar. His wake and wander philosophy is inspired by the spectrum of ways in which people live their lives in the different parts of the world. He enjoys the idea of waking up every day to new opportunities, new landscapes and the new feelings that the former inevitably evoke. Read more by this author

The post Your Guide to Michigan’s Independent Breweries and Beer appeared first on Miami Beer Scene.

from Your Guide to Michigan’s Independent Breweries and Beer

That was a Fucking Movie!!! (a Baby Driver Review)

Well that was a fucking movie! I know it seems like I say that in a lot of reviews. But it’s all about inflection. You can tell it’s different because of the word “fucking” See, I walk out of a lot of movies and I say something like… “well… that was a movie…” and it’s sort of like I’m half reminding myself that I did actually just watch a motion picture… or maybe I’m not really sure, so I’m sort of asking myself if that’s what I did.

That’s not the case here. Baby Driver is more like “Well!!!! THAT was a FUCKING MOVIE!!!”

And it really was. It was a MOVIE. A complete and total movie from start to finish. And what’s more, it was a genre movie. It’s basically a heist film. But it’s still a complete movie. A story. There’s like a beginning, a middle, and an end and everything!

I kind of forgot that was possible. Especially with a genre movies.

What really drove it home was the trailers. Before the movie there were trailers for Kingsmen 2, Daddy’s Home 2, Pitch Perfect 3, Bladerunner 2, Flatliners (2017), and Dark Tower. Four sequels, one reboot and the first film in a planned franchise. There was also a trailer for an upcoming horror movie called Wish Upon. Maybe there will only be one of those… but it’s a gimmick horror movie with a $12M budget. Those only exist on the dream that they hopefully kick off a franchise of cheap films that you can make over and over again. In other words, literally every movie they advertised before this film is part of a prospective series of films.

Because right now, as much as TV wants to be the movies, movies really really really want to be television. And this is becoming a serious problem. I have no problem with film franchises or cinematic universes. I love a good Spider-man movie as much as the next guy and I’m looking forward to seeing one next week. But there’s an issue when you’re only adapting existing intellectual property instead developing new stuff. Sooner or later you’re going to run out of good intellectual property to adapt and extend and then you’re going to have to start working with shit. What I’m saying is… who the fuck was asking for a Flatliners reboot? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah… I didn’t think so. What’s next, adapting a fucking emoji film? Spoilers… yes, they’re actually making an emoji movie. Or rather they made one. It comes out in a couple weeks. Because… 💩

Anyway… Baby Driver isn’t that. In fact, Baby Driver is the opposite of that. Baby Driver is a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

The other problem with building films like this is that they are often built by committee. When you’re building a franchise, you want everything to run together. Your ultimate goal is to make money, so you need to create a world that is cohesive and repeatable more than you need to create art. This is a problem for both good franchises and bad. I don’t care if you’re Star Wars or the DCEU. When you lose the singular vision of the director, and your movie stops being a cohesive single story, then it begins to lose something. It’s not that those can’t be fun to watch. But they’re frequently not good movies. Fun, maybe, but not necessarily good. They often evolve into something else, because productization is more important than story or art.

Anyway… Baby Driver isn’t that either. In fact, Baby Driver is the opposite of that. Baby Driver is a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

And it really was. It was fucking great. Was it the best story? No. It was actually a relatively simple story. It was very formulaic. None of the characters were all that deep or fully developed. They were all pretty much one-note, in fact. Two seconds into seeing Jamie Foxx on screen you’ll say “oh… ok… he’s that guy.” Same with John Hamm. Same with Kevin Spacey. Same with Lily James, Same with Jon Bernthal.  And the same with Elza Gonzalez. Don’t expect any surprises out of the their characters. Whatever you get from your first impression of them… that’s pretty much who they are. That also includes the main character of Baby, played by Ansel Elgort. You get introduced to his quirks and persona in the first minute or two of the film, and from there on out, he’s pretty much just that. There are also a few big plot holes in it. The third act of the film could have more or less been avoided if the main character had not made a choice that he didn’t want to make but did so anyway for no apparent reason whatsoever. He is literally given a choice of A or B and basically says “well, if I choose B, the movie will end so I guess I’ll just go with A.” There’s not a lot of storytelling in this and there’s not a ton of emotional or character development.

And it wasn’t about that. This was about making a piece of art! There was some character development. There was some plot movement. But they were just tools used to construct the whole that is the stunning cinematic statement that is Baby Driver. The plot was no more important than the musical score. In fact, it was arguably less important. Because the film is constructed more like a symphony than a story. The music drives everything. In the same way that Mad Max: Fury Road was a film that was about the cinematography, this is a film that is about the score. And somehow it works. You know how I’ve said before that Sucker Punch is the most fun movie you can make without plot? Well this is what happens if you add just a little plot back in.. and a little bit of character… and then try to make it good. Roll the entire thing around fun action set pieces and bake at 350 until a movie rises…. allow to cool on a window sill…

And somehow it works. Baby Driver was a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

In other words, Zack Snyder wants to be Edgar Wright when he grows up.

He really does. This is exactly the kind of movie that I think Snyder wants to make. Only like… it’s good and stuff (actually its fucking great! if you haven’t been paying attention). What made it work is that Wright takes all the pieces and combines them into a vision that makes a statement with his medium. There’s a lot of “cool” bits in this movie. There are a lot of stunning scenes. But they are crafted together., They complete each other as a cohesive whole, rather than just being randomly strewn together because they were cool. Each piece compliments another. Jamie Foxx’s performance, by-the-numbers as it is (he’s played the basic character before), pushes the the plot forward. He provides a necessary complication in the world the film constructs. Elza Gonzalez’s character is pure sexiness, but she serves to develop both John Hamm and Lily James’s characters purely through contrast. The car chases and stunts while less epic than what you might expect in a Fast and Furious movie, work as plot points that literally move the story as the car travels through physical space perfectly tuned with the music that marks the passage of time. And each of these things combines to make the character of Baby, who honestly is as much of a simplistic stereotype as everyone else, amazingly compelling. You watch Elgort’s performance and you think “holy shit?!?!? where the fuck did the kid from Divergent learn how to act?!?!?”

The whole thing just works. Everything comes together and makes for a film that is better than the sum of it’s parts. Baby Driver was a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

And this is what I want. A movie that stands on its own. One of the things I always try to do with franchise films (especially the ones after the first) is ask myself “would you care about this at all if you didn’t know the source material?” This was my problem wirh Ghostbusters(2016). It wasn’t actually “good”; it was just a movie CALLED “Ghostbusters” that happened to have women in it. If it were called Spirit Killers, no one would have given a fuck about it either way. It would have been like Rough Night a couple weeks ago. But if Rough Night had been the same movie as it was and was just called Hangover 4: Ladies’ Night, a sequel in name only, it likely would have at least doubled if not tripled its box office. But at the cost of diluting the film marketplace even more. Because it’s not as good as Hangover was.

Baby Driver could have just as easily been called Heat 2: One Last Job or Gone in 60 More Seconds and tied into an existing franchise. It didn’t, It didn’t need to. It took itself seriously in and of itself and it works well in its own world. Not trying to set up a sequel and not trying to hold true to prequels that already exist. It is its own film with a beginning, middle and end. Just like this review.

And it was great… because Baby Driver is a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

★★★★¼(4.25 out of 5 stars)

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That was a Fucking Movie!!! (a Baby Driver Review) was originally published on ChrisMaverick dotcom

Raven Dane is an award-winning author of steampunk, dark fantasy, alternative history and horror fiction. Her first novels were in the critically acclaimed Legacy of the Dark Kind series; Blood Tears, Blood Lament, Blood Alliance. These are dark fantasy/alternative history/SF novels about a non human race of vampires who most definitely do not sparkle!

In 2009, Endaxi Press launched The Unwise Woman of Fuggis Mire, Raven’s scurrilous and most definitely adult spoof of all things High Fantasy. A fairy tale for grown ups with a sense of humour.        

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/287640.Raven_Dane

Described as The Gothmother, Raven Dane is all things Gothic. With a ‘taste’ for vampire’s and ghosts, poison and dark fantasy, she has entertained readers of all ages with creations from her inky quill (I’m absolutely convinced she uses a real quill and ink!). She also enjoys dressing up in Victorian Gothic clothing for Steampunk conventions, and has a wicked sense of humour.

  Hi Raven, Welcome, and thanks for agreeing to be interviewed for my blog; Flailing Through Life…

  And talking about flailing; do you ever find yourself ‘flailing through life’?

Flailing?  Sounds very energetic …lol!   I used to find myself frantically plate-spinning, trying to balance work, bringing up my son, looking after my mares and writing. These days, I sort of crawl between time spent writing and  the necessities of real life and my ever welcome duvet. Wish I had the energy for flailing now!

  Raven, you’re well-known for writing supernatural stories. There is the Cyrus Darian series and Legacy of the Dark Kind series, plus many more. What draws you to this genre and what kind of horror do you prefer to read (or watch) yourself?

I have always loved SF and dark fantasy.   I was a precocious early reader as a child and devoured books at a fast rate. I used to sit on the floor by my parent’s book case and read works by Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, especially the Canterville Ghost.  That story terrified me; it wasn’t until I re-read it as an adult that I realised what a poignant, sweet story it really was. In those early days I was definitely drawn to the dark side. My brother and I used to sneak downstairs late at night and peak through a gap in the living room door and frighten ourselves with Quatermas, SF and old horror films. Later when we were older and could watch what we wanted, we loved the old black and white Twilight Zone and Outer Limits as well as Hammer horror  and old SF films like The Trollenberg Terror. And of course, Doctor Who which I have watched since the very first episode, usually from behind a cushion.   Today my love affair with horror and dark fantasy has not dimmed. I am not a fan of gory fiction (unless it is something by Sam Stone, who adds style and great characters to the genre). The same goes for torture porn like the Saw films and  the growing in popularity extreme horror books, they are not for me.  I do enjoy creepy ghost stories; I am a huge fan of Susan Hill and M R James novels and their film adaptations. Ghost stories in a Victorian setting are a favourite for me to write. Other favourites include dark fantasy like Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, his two Hellboy films and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.

  As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? And why?

That’s a tough one. I have a special affinity with horses and love cats, wolves and ravens.  I would have to choose a dragon though, for its magical nature, grandeur, its ability to soar to distant, exotic realms and to incinerate anything and anyone who gets in its way.

Editors beware!

  What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? What did you do with your first advance?

Did you splash out on something exotic with your first pay cheque?

Not my first pay cheque or advance. My other half has supported my writing all our married life and allowed me to work as full time writer for many years. It has been a struggle and we have gone without the material things that many people have thought essential in life, like holidays, big, new TVs and modern cars.  So anything I have earned has gone straight into the household running costs. I did however, treat myself to a huge golden velvet dragon made by a lovely lady in the US.  Total extravagance though!

Oh, and after a successful morning’s book sales at an Asylum weekend, I treated myself to a gorgeous black pirate ship hat, very steamgoth, very me. I have had so much fun and use out of that hat, it was worth every penny.

  What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

I was blessed to be taught English literature by a lovely lady called Miss Curry. She was not far off retirement when she had the tough job getting our lively class through the GCE’s for O and A levels but she introduced us to wonderful things. The powerful emotional impact of the War Poets like Rupert Brook and  Siegfried Sassoon, the ravishing beauty of the English language from  poetry by Gerard Manley Hopkins.  I think the most powerful moment for me personally was the first book that made me cry, to really weep as if for a person I actually knew…and that was The Ship Who Sang by Anne MacCaffrey. If the fate of fictional characters can move me to mourn, than what better proof of the power of language?

  What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Research is vitally important to me, whatever I am writing. I tend to research as I write as I never plan a book in advance. Some writers are planners, others fly by the seat of their pants and get straight to work with no idea of where the story will go. I am a definite pantser. Research can take me more time than writing sometimes but I think it is essential.  I spent all afternoon recently researching a historical find that I mentioned in just one line of a book. Even in the most fantastical setting, research can give a depth and believability to a story , anything less is cheating the reader with shallow, implausible storytelling.

  Cyrus Darian is a rather unusual name, how do you select the names of your characters?

Some come to me instantly as if been channelled from another dimension. Others can be a nightmare and get changed many times throughout the writing process. Thank goodness for my friend, the search and replace thingie on Microsoft Word.  Cyrus Darian was a bit of a blend between the two. I decided he was Persian, so being named after a great Persian king of antiquity suited his vanity. Darian came into my head as a nice sounding name. I used my other friend, Google to see if it meant anything and discovered it was a town in Iran. Perfect. Mind you, it might not be his real name, Cyrus lies all the time and uses many aliases.

  To date, what has been your hardest scene to write?

The hardest was also the easiest…if that makes any sense.  The end of a story arc for one of my favourite characters was always going to end badly for him. He had become more than someone fictional but a very real presence in my life, so knowing how it had to end was deeply emotional for me. But the scene wrote itself, confirming it was the right plot thread for the culmination of a trilogy. Not saying any more…Spoilers!

  If you were not a writer, and you could be anything else in the world, what career/vocation would you choose?

I love any form of creativity so always drawn to arts and crafts but I have no talent and anything I do is just for the pleasure of making things.  I was always a good actor as a teenager, I was the annoying little madam who always got the main female role in all the school drama productions which were almost always Shakespeare. I was the only child for years that was encouraged by the teachers to go into acting much to the ongoing annoyance of my younger sister who was at the same school and  did become an actress. Her teachers suggested a career as a secretary for her.  A mixture of a sense of family duty and the need to earn regular money took me on another path, journalism and later fiction writing. I take part in amateur dramatics now and thoroughly enjoy being on stage…I love to make people laugh… or boo, when playing the baddie in Panto.

Or be one of those smiling ladies in sparkly clothes riding a dancing pure white Spanish stallion in a circus….

  Have you ever had what one might call, a supernatural experience or event occur in your life? If so, would you care to share it with us? If not, which figure from history would you like to receive a visit from?

So many!  I am very attuned to the presence of earth bound spirits since a child. I wish I wasn’t to be honest. It is not something I can switch off and has led to many uncomfortable times in the past. My present home is totally spirit free which is so relaxing!  The worse one was an encounter with an angry, aggressive spirit in an old farmhouse where I worked. Young students at the riding school lived there and though we never told them about it to avoid hysteria, he was always targeting the youngest females, trying to frighten them. One day, when the house was empty for a couple of hours, I went in and ended up being pushed down the stairs. I could feel the imprint of strong fingers digging into my shoulders.  In 1995, there was a big fire there, no one was hurt but the oldest part of the house was burnt down. All the spirit activity stopped and never returned.

  11 And finally, what is your favourite childhood book?

Oooh….a tough one, I have so many. The first one that sprang to mind was  the fantasy novel, Elidor by Alan Garner. I loved it and he is an early influence on my writing.

Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed Raven.

      Raven’s most recent work is included in, Trumpocalypse; an anthology of satirical horror from authors on both sides of ‘the pond’.

    You can find Raven at   http://ravendane.blogspot.co.uk/  and her books to order from all good bookshops, on Amazon or direct from Telos Publishing. At the moment her books published by Endaxi Press are only available as eBooks.

The Raven Dane Interview Raven Dane is an award-winning author of steampunk, dark fantasy, alternative history and horror fiction. Her first novels were in the critically acclaimed Legacy of the Dark Kind series;

Tips To Overcome Bad Weather From 14 Wedding Pros

Although we’ve seen a cluster of beautiful wedding images in the rain and snow, not many wedding photographers look forward to getting soaked for the shot. We asked a selection of our Apex award-winning photographers what techniques they love to use when faced with bad weather and what gear they rely on to make these shots happen.

The first thing you’ll need is a couple of Ziploc bags for your off-camera flashes, so if you’ve got a wedding coming up and bad weather in the forecast, we’ve got you (and your flashes) covered!

Melissa Jill – Website | Instagram

“My best technique is simply planning ahead & creating a game plan! For this rainy day wedding, we brought umbrellas (clear ones so that the subjects faces wouldn’t be too heavily shaded). After strategizing with the bridal party under the cover of a tent, we ran out to grab the shot, with my 2nd shooter holding another umbrella over my film camera. It took planning prior to the wedding and in real-time with the bridal party, but it was all worth it!”

Jared Gant – Website | Instagram

“Who defines what is good and bad weather? Okay, maybe if a hurricane is coming in we should all duck for cover, but all too often, I see both photographers and clients unnecessarily hiding from a little bit of snow or rain. When the weather is starting to look different than expected, I try to remind my clients to go with the flow and be playful. One of my favorite techniques is to back-light the couple with a MagSphere. This throws light in all directions and exaggerates the appearance of the weather. I always keep a few large zip-lock bags in my bag to cover up and protect the flashes.”

JD Land – Website | Instagram

“As a primarily documentary photographer, I absolutely love the challenges that I’m faced with when the weather isn’t considered to be “ideal.” The weather 100% affects a couple’s emotions on their wedding day so that part of the story NEEDS to be documented and told through photographs. Accomplishing that is the hard part as a couple will only spend a few moments out in the weather. To make sure I am able to tell the entire story in these brief moments, I am always using either my 24-70mm f/2.8 or 35mm f/1.4. Both of these lenses are wide enough to allow me to include the environment, or the weather, in the composition.

This photograph is a bride getting ready to head into the church and her feelings about the weather are written all over her face as she prepares to be escorted in by the umbrella-toting driver. I needed every bit of a 35mm to make sure I was close enough to be in the moment with her but also include the umbrella in the frame to show why she is having the reaction she is.”

Aaron Story – Website | Instagram

“Shooting predominantly in the UK means that I’m often faced with wet weather; it’s something I used to worry about a lot, but as I’ve grown with experience, I’ve learned to go with it. The way I think about it is if I’m anxious, then it’s likely that will rub off on my couple and that will affect their day (and photos). In the photo above, I went out beforehand to set everything up and wrapped my flash in a clear plastic bag (I keep a few handy, just in case). I found an usher to help me out in getting the right settings, and once I was set, I invited the couple out with umbrellas. We were out for a matter of seconds – this is the result made with a Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II,  one Yongnuo 600 EX-RT Flash in a Ziploc bag and Op/Tech Rain Sleeve for the camera and lens.”

Dave Shay – Website | Instagram

“Backlighting rain or snow with bad weather isn’t a new trick by any means (I used a MagSphere for this), but the most important part about shooting in bad weather is to get your clients excited about it. If you can convince your clients that you’re the expert and that they should trust you, you have so many more opportunities to make something incredible. Once your clients are on board, the only thing you’ll need is a weather-sealed camera (thanks, Nikon!), a few Ziploc bags to throw your flashes in, and a horrible pun to make some magic.”

Paco Van Leeuwen – Website | Instagram

“Last year I had a wedding I’ll never forget, it was raining the entire day… Although there wasn’t a real couples session planned, they did want a few nice images at these different locations. At times the rain was coming sideways so I had to come up with a solution. Thanks to the SLR Lounge flash courses I had the knowledge and confidence to pull this off. I just left the couple dry inside and got soaking wet myself. For both shots, I used a gridded flash, underexposed the ambient light by 1-2 stops and set the flash power accordingly.”

[Read: 8 Rainy Day Wedding Photography Tips You Need To Know]

Scott Josuweit – Website | Instagram

“Group composites are one of my favorite tricks when the weather isn’t ideal. The bride and groom wanted an “epic group photo” in this one space of their venue but they wanted to be able to see all of the greenery in the background. My assistant held a Godox AD200 with a MagGrid, MagSphere, and 1/4 CTO MagGel on it and lit each member of the wedding party one at a time, and I snapped a photo each time they moved. I ended up using 13 different frames to put this composite together.”

Matt Gruber – Website | Instagram

“Sometimes a couple is really adventurous, but more often than not you want to get photos outside without having them soaking wet afterward (or holding umbrellas for every photo). Many venues will have some sort of awning or covered valet area somewhere on the property. I love to place the couple under the awning and use a telephoto lens to get beautiful bokeh and compression. Mix in just a small amount of flash to blend in with the ambient light behind them and no one will have any idea it was even raining at all.”

Alex Pasarelu – Website | Instagram

“I improvise a lot, but mainly try to take advantage of the bad weather and create beautiful memories no matter what. I always encourage my couples to enjoy the rain and be brave, they need to live the moment. I tend to use the water on the ground to create beautiful reflections, use umbrellas to help compose the frame, or just have the couple dancing in the rain if they are willing to. I always try to capture the day how it really was.”

Shannon Cain – Website | Instagram

“How do I convince my clients to step out into the rain and wind for some beautiful portraits?  Before I ever pull them outside, I completely set up the shot so that when I do ask my bride & groom to step outside, it only requires them to be in the elements for a fraction of the time.  And when particles of any sort are in the air, choose to backlight!  I always carry ziplock bags with me to cover my Godox AD200s from the elements as well as two clear umbrellas.”

Nicole Chan – Website | Instagram

“During inclement weather, I always encourage my couples to embrace it. I mention that during perfect days, there are dozens of couples fighting for the same spot at the same time. I remind them that all relationships are different and that having non-cliche engagement and wedding portraits is a pretty awesome thing. For Brian and Maryanne’s portrait session, it was sub-zero temperatures in Boston. Brian recreated one of their early dates and gave Mary Anne special mittens that had been crafted specifically to allow two people to hold hands while wearing the mittens.”

Christophe Viseux – Website | Instagram

“I actually see bad weather as a fantastic opportunity to create spontaneous photos with a different feel and sometimes gorgeous light like before a storm. From a gear point of view, you still want to make sure your camera remains safe and sound in dry conditions. I always carry an emergency rain cover in my bag.”

Christi Chambers – Website | Instagram

“I always get excited when there’s a little precipitation in the forecast (hopefully late in the day). My go-to is a simple backlit shot to catch whatever’s in the air (rain/snow/fog). Of course this works best with lower ambient light (if you don’t have a super powerful flash with you). My couples are always blown away by the results!”

Abul Shah – Website | Instagram

“I consider myself lucky to live in one of the most amazing countries in the world. But, as I’m sure many of you know, or will have experienced first-hand if you’ve ever visited the UK, good weather is not what we are known for! Grey is an all too familiar colour to us, and the stats say that we only see the sun for about one third of an average year. Yes, that’s right. The rest of the time, it’s overcast, raining, or we get what we Brits like to call ‘drizzle.’

So, achieving creative or dramatic photos requires direction and a plan, and keeping the bride and groom dry at the same time can be a challenge. The majority of brides don’t want to ruin their hair in the rain, and some won’t even consider stepping outside. At times, we are expected to deliver maximum results with minimum effort from our client.

When I want something dramatic, with soft light and good contrast, a good option that I come back to now and then is one of the simplest. I look for a window with good light and little distractions in the frame, so I don’t lead the viewer away from the subject.

There’s no need for umbrellas, no need to light the scene or zip lock your speed lights, no wet wedding dress and most importantly, the couple stays warm and happy.

I use prime lenses on my Nikon D800 bodies 90% of the time, namely the Sigma Art 35mm and the 50mm f/1.4 lenses, because I like to shoot wide open and they are incredibly fast lenses. The window light (in the above scenario) may not be strong, and as I like to make an effort to keep my ISO as low as possible, my choice of prime lens always responds perfectly.”

Tips from Abul:

When placing your subject by the window, the natural light fall off can be rapid, so don’t be afraid to have their shoulder almost touching the window if the light requires it.

Try and avoid getting the window itself in the shot, as it will be bright and distracting in the final image. Perhaps try leaning against the wall and breaking the ‘gazing space’ rule. Get it right in camera.

You may find that a good window location may be in an obscure or strange place. Your couple may not understand what you are seeing and might seem uncomfortable, but if you’re there then you know they trust you. When you get a good shot, show them. Sometimes showing them a shot once or twice on the back of the camera and telling them how good they look will help them relax, and help you get the best out of your couple.

Tips For Rainy Day Wedding Photography | Summary

Make sure your gear is weather sealed and if not invest in plastic covers to protect it from getting ruined.

Always have an umbrella on hand (this can just be a regular white lighting umbrella) because you never know when you’ll need it.

Always test the shot before bringing your couple into the scene to prevent them from getting cold or wet.

Use flashes to backlight the particles in the air and compression lenses to yield better bokeh results.

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