Genji and Fanfics

Penna recently sent me a link to a fascinating article called There's fanfic at The Met and it's all because of The Tale of Genji. The article discusses an exhibit that was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art—The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated. On display were various literary works, art, and clothing that were inspired by the book. The Met didn't use the word fanfics in the exhibition title but they could have. The authors and creators of the exhibited items all have something in common—a love of the original work, an attribute shared by fanfic and fanart creators everywhere.

Green Fiction

Perhaps there's another a term for it, but I haven't run across it yet. Until I find an official name for it, I'm describing my work-in-progress novel as "Green" fiction. I don't think utopian is quite the right word for it, although it's definitely not dystopian. So, what do I mean by green?

Worldbuilding: Tirelia

Tirelia is the third exoplanet to join the Arkham Files universe. Like Celaeno and Merope, its roots can be traced to the Cthulhu Mythos. H.P. Lovecraft created a world called the Dreamlands that could be accessed through one's dreams. In Arkham Files, that dream has become a physical world. I christened it Tirelia.

Dichotomies in our stories

I remember a lot of dichotomies from my childhood. We moved often, making me the "new kid" trying to find my place among kids who had grown up together. Other distinctions introduced in school were the the kids with good grades versus the kids with lower grades. There were the kids who took Spanish to meet the language requirements versus the kids who took French. There were athletes versus nerds, and so forth. I understood the dichotomies, but didn't embrace them. In fact, some of my favorite stories are about proving such dichotomies to be false.

Arkham's Odd Couple

Fathers have been much on my mind recently, and not just because Father's Day will be next weekend. In Time Crystals, Neal's father was Zophar, but Neal didn't realize it. The Meropian was only an occasional visitor to the household. The only family members Neal thought he had were his mother and her father, and both of them were dead by the time the story begins. When Peter and Mozzie enter Neal's life, he quickly latches onto them to fill the void.

Group projects and our characters

How many times did my teachers say that group projects were good for us, because we'd need to work in groups as adults? Too many. At least that's how it felt from late elementary school through high school. I was always glad to see those group projects end. As a grown up, things are different, both professionally and in my writing.

Mozzie the Road Warrior

A few months ago, Penna wrote a post about The Cars in Caffrey Conversation. Her focus was on Neal and Peter. In this post, I'd like to shine the spotlight on Mozzie's connection to cars.

When characters get out of hand

I'm back from the writers retreat. I'm full of ideas for my novel. I wrote part of a new scene yesterday that involved a fair amount of world building. I'm totally focused. Except...

Last night the Caffrey Conversation AU characters popped up. You've been reading a lot of Jane Austen-inspired books recently, they say.