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Writing Activity: Describe A Smell
Beginner writers are frequently told to make use of all senses when describing a setting. While this is a good place to start, keen readers will understand that there’s a time and a place to delve into the senses; some stories call for sensory lingering. Others don’t.
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Benoit Blanc: Resurgence of the gentleman sleuth?
When we first meet Benoit Blanc in Knives Out (2019), he is introduced by another character as ‘the last of the gentleman sleuths’. Some viewers compare him to Sherlock Holmes. Others compare him to Hercule Poirot. Interestingly, both of these tentpole detectives are entering the public domain around the same time we’re actually seeing a…
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Writing Activity: Scene In A Restaurant, Café or Eatery
In this activity you will practice creative writing skills by writing a fictional scene which takes place in some kind of eating establishment: a restaurant, café, milk bar, fast food joint, Saturday morning market, street vendor… Any sort of eatery will do. But first, a pop culture quiz. How many of these cafes, diners and…
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Wednesday’s Child Is Full Of Woe: Symbolism and Close-reading
Wednesday (2022) is an eight-part Netflix series directed by Tim Burton, with a script by It is an Addams Family reboot. The original TV series ran from 1964-66.
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Kiss Me Again, Stranger by Daphne du Maurier Short Story Analysis
“Kiss Me Again, Stranger” by Daphne du Maurier (1952) is as supernatural as a story gets without actually being supernatural.
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Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski Analysis
Meg and Mog is a super long-running series of picture books written by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski. As is often the case with popular picture book series, there is also a TV series. There’s a massive gap between the first book and the first TV show, which was broadcast in 2003, when the original…
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Making A Retro Children’s Book Cover With Midjourney AI
Is it possible to art direct the Midjourney AI art generator? If you’re new to Midjourney, see my lengthy post on how it works.
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Homecoming by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
“Homecoming” is a short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in 1946. A family of ghouls hosts a big family reunion for Allhallows Eve. Dead relatives return for the occasion. Unfortunately for Timothy, he seems to be the only member of the family who doesn’t have supernatural powers. Some readers pick this up…
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The Man Upstairs by Ray Bradbury Short Story Analysis
Let’s take a look at a vampire story by American writer Ray Bradbury. “The Man Upstairs” was first published in the March 1947 issue of Harper’s Magazine. You’ll also find it in Stories Volume One and Bradbury’s 1955 collection called The October Country.
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Edward Gorey: Misunderstood Genius
I’ve long been fascinated by illustrator Edward Gorey. The moment I saw a photo of him in his big, fur coat I thought, he looks fun. Then I saw a picture of Gorey in his living room, draped all over with cats
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Kissing In Art And Illustration
And it seemed to her that kisses, voices, tinkling spoons, laughter, the smell of crushed grass were somehow inside her. Katherine Mansfield A kiss on the forehead-erases misery.I kiss your forehead. A kiss on the eyes-lifts sleeplessness. I kiss your eyes. A kiss on the lips-is a drink of water. I kiss your lips. A…
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Houses In The Snow
A collection of hygge houses surrounded by snow.
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The Bridges Of Madison County Film Study
The Bridges of Madison County is a 1995 American one-true-love romance. The film is based on a 1992 best-selling, terribly written novel by Robert James Waller.
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Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell Short Story Analysis
“Open House on Haunted Hill” is a Nebula Award winning short (ghost?) story by John Wiswell, published in 2020. I’ve recently immersed myself in ghost stories from the 18- and 1900s. But how does one go about writing a contemporary ghost story? Listen to this story read by Levar Burton on the Levar Burton Reads…
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Cryptobotany and Creepy Trees In Stories and Art
With their roots reaching deep into the earth, trees encapsulate the tense relationship of history and modernity.