I love my job. Nearly everything I like to do is deductible as research. Especially I love to take trips to the U.K., which are research because all of my books are set there. I’ve been to Scotland three times, … Continue reading
Tag Archives: culture
The idea of using fans as a semaphore system is instant story fodder for a lot of storytellers. For me as a young writer it certainly was, but not until decades later, when I invented more complicated social histories that … Continue reading
Due to current events, a lot of people have been talking about leaving the United States. Just pulling up sticks and going somewhere else. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s the classic fantasy … Continue reading
So I learned in a certain magazine aimed at people of a certain age, that there is a highly popular Instagram account known as Grombre. I used to think that because I didn’t subscribe to Instagram, if that’s the appropriate … Continue reading
No, the title isn’t a typo. It is my attempt to define the word: genre. No wait, I already wrote a blog about that, and I got some interesting responses. Instead, I’m going to write about people in the world … Continue reading
Because I am having one today, I’ve decided to look into the history of birthday celebrations. This is useful data for an author of historical fiction or for writers seeking to explore world building. … Continue reading
Most people know what a ’meme’ is. The dictionary definition ’meme’ is: “an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation.” The dictionary … Continue reading
by Brenda W. Clough Britain and the United States are divided by more than their common tongue. The Atlantic Ocean, pooh — a mere pond. What really divides us is our food. There are so many examples of this, that … Continue reading
I was rereading Benedetta Craveri‘s biography, Madame du Deffand and her World, and when I hit the chapter about her St. Joseph’s convent salon, the parallels between the eighteenth century French salons and the evolving blogosphere gave me this mental … Continue reading
One of the most common questions I’m asked when it comes to fictionalizing religion is what pitfalls a writer who’s new to the practice should avoid. Here’s my shortlist—though there certainly are others. First is the the Straw Man portrayal … Continue reading