“Love is such a small word… if I told you guys that I loved you… it wouldn’t be enough.”
Ange Lowell, Back in the rain
Writing about love in fiction can be really tricky, mostly because it’s such a classic that it can end up being predictable. How to prevent that? This is what I do! Continue reading “[Writing tips] Love is such a small word”
Whoever she is beneath that mask, I love that girl.
Adrien Agreste, Miraculous Ladybug
I grew up watching cartoons and reading comic books, and I always valued the inner messages and the meaning behind the characters and situations in those stories. Even when we come to kids shows, I believe there’s always something we can learn from them. In this case, as an author, I learned a lot about chemistry between two characters by watching Miraculous Ladybug.
Still not convinced? Stick with me for a little while!
Continue reading “Learning about chemistry between characters… from a kids show!”
You got to be crazy,
It’s too late to be sane, too late
You got to go full-tilt bozo
Cause, you’re only given a little spark of madness
If you lose that, you’re nothing
Don’t ever lose that cause it keeps you alive.Robin Williams
What is the craziest thing you have ever done? In my 28 years, I have come to realize that “normality” doesn’t exist. And while writing, I think we can all be inspired by madness. How?
Continue reading “[Inspiration] You’re only given a little spark of madness…”
Recently I started reading Kaze to Ki no Uta (風と木の詩, “The Poem of Wind and Trees”), a manga published in 1976 by Keiko Takemiya.
This series was published in a magazine for girls, but it’s actually one of the first Shonen-ai (now called BL – Boys Love) mangas ever created. It was incredibly innovating for its time, because of the way it combined romantic and sexual relationships in a dramatic, coming of age story.
If you write MM fiction, it can be an interesting read. Scroll to see why! Continue reading “The Poem of Wind and Trees: back to the origins of BL”
When I published Back in the rain, it never occured to me that I could ask somebody else to format my book for pubblication. I had already decided I would self-publish, so besides editing and cover design, I knew I was going to be on my own.
Scroll to know what I learned about formatting from my personal experience and some useful resources.
“People are… Full of contradictions. They’re lonely. And then they’re not. They’re missed. And then they’re not.”
漂えど沈まず、されど泣きもせず [Tadayoedo Shizumazu Saredo Naki Mo Sezu]
I write MM novels, and one of the reasons I fell in love with this genre is, without a doubt, the amazing work Yoneda Kou does with her mangas. If you write MM fiction or just love the genre, keep reading to get some insight on her work. Continue reading “[Inspiration] People are full of contradictions”
“Sometimes you’re the protagonist and someone else is the hero.”
The protagonist is the very first thing I figure out when I think of a new story. How do I do that? Continue reading “[Characters] Who is your protagonist?”
I love Q&As with the author… except this time I’m the author!
Many people hear voices when there is no-one there. Some are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.
Ray Bradbury
Writing dialogue is tricky. You put in your book too little dialogue and characters won’t be developed properly; you put in it too much dialogue and you end up having unnecessary information. In both cases, the book turns out boring. Continue reading “[Inspiration] Writing dialogue”
A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. “The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. The time-sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it.
E.M. Forster
The difference between Plot and Story is at the basics of writing, but it’s not always so easy to outline.
The simplest definition that I came up with for myself is that the Story is what I want to tell, and the Plot is how the things I want to tell happen. Continue reading “[My WIP] Oulining Plot & Story”
