I tried to stay away from political topics on this blog and tried to focus on the topic of writing. But I make an exception here because it ties in with all the things I have written in the past about writing across cultures. I have said that writing in English as a second language … Continue reading The Cultural Background of “Attack on Titan”
Author: samurainovelist
Japanese writer struggling to write a novel in English. My first published story was the flash fiction "Chocolate Soup" in the anthology "Opus 22" by Melius Scripto Press published in 2017.
(The ivory dragon on my avatar is a netsuke by the carver Rakuchu. I also carve netsuke as a hobby.)
Dialogue Challenge
In same vein as the previous post, I once posted a challenge. "Propose a dialogue.(A blank between a blank and a blank about blank)" I got some unique prompts.Try to think how you would construct a dialogue from these prompts before reading my responses. The first one posted was "A conversation between a dolphin and … Continue reading Dialogue Challenge
How To Write the Opening Line
I wrote "Post the genre, protagonist, and the objective of your story and I will create the opening sentence to it". I responded to 26 submissions in 6 hours.
Teaching and Learning
The phrase "Those who can do, those who cannot teach" is more a phrase to dismiss teachers than to provide useful guidance. The original meaning was intended to instruct students not to become too fixated on ivory tower teachings and put more emphasis on practical experience. It is true that most teachers of economics are … Continue reading Teaching and Learning
The Power of Vonnegut
The difficulty of explaining a controversial work of fiction and its historical context.
Grifter Syndrome
Your desire for inside information makes you susceptible to believe in conspiracy theories.
The Cure
I cannot say that I am a good science fiction writer, but I keep going back to the genre every now and then. There was a piece I wrote a while ago that I actually sent to a publisher, and was soundly rejected. Sadly I cannot find the original manuscript, so I will have to … Continue reading The Cure
Be Happy
To be consciously happy is a serious and painful business.
The Dramatic Dilemma
Dilemmas are great narrative devices, but the outcome must hinge on the protagonist's choice.
Finding One’s Presence
The great actor and comedian Bill Murray, at the age of 65, was asked in an interview what he wants. He answered "I want to be consistently always there". This was very much in line with my own recent revelation now that I am in the latter half of my fifties. You are not really … Continue reading Finding One’s Presence
