LIZORAE

The Boy and the Spy  by Felice Arena is a MG historical fiction set during one of the World Wars. I can't remember since it's been a while since I read it. (Edit: WW2, thank you Goodreads reviews.) I try to keep the  Lessons From The Media   positive, even when noting the weaker aspect. Unfortunately, out of my February reads,  The Boy and the Spy  is one of two books I can formulate a post on. I happen to dislike this one slightly less than the other one, so here's the three main things that threw me off.  Disclaimer: this is more of a rant than an informative post. Apologies in advance.  Let's get to!    1. Clumsy prose.  Simple prose has a certain charm to it. Take The Travelling Cat Chronicles  for example. It's another February read I will recommend to anyone who wants a bittersweet, slow read. The prose is simple but still captures the reader's attention. It helps that Nana, the narrator, has a  personality-filled voice .  Boy and Spy is simple, but not

Hey authors! This post is going to be formatted a little differently from normal, because I'm going to talk about my philosophy on teaching writing. It's going to be more a chill monologue about what I think about the stuff I write on this blog. *cue non-existent theme song* Let's get to!      The thing about writing is that, there's only one rule: There is no rule. There's no hard and fast law that every  author has to follow. There's no secret ingredient to writing a guaranteed bestseller.  Everything I say here, and everything other author bloggers say, are guidelines. Except for, maybe, grammar and topics like that. But everything else is a giant ehh, maybe?   Honestly, I skip out a lot of "generally" and "typically" and "usually" and "mostly" and...you get the gist. If I did add them, my word count would increase by at least 10%. I try to add them when I first bring up a point, but I write as if I'm talking so it

So you want to be an author.  Being an author is something a lot of people dream of, but not everyone is successful. To be called an author is easy. Be dedicated to your writing. I call myself an author even though I haven't published anything. Am I successful? By most accounts, no I am not. To be fair, I've just begun my journey, so I still work and hope.  That said, I've been writing for a number of years, though struggling would be a better word. Writing is hard, and writing full time is something I'm yet to achieve.  I'm sure we've all dreamt of earning millions or billions of money, going on talk shows and imaging our movie or TV show adaptation. I definitely have. But even with all the talent and resources in the world, success isn't guaranteed.  What I've learnt in those years where I've stopped being a writer and become an author are things they don't tell you in schools. They were huge eye-openers as I floundered in my stories and dreams

   Transcript  10 Tips To Ace Cowriting  Before Partnering Get to know each other. Lay out your rules. Discuss big decisions. While Writing Leave your ego at the door. Don't be overly considerate. Have open communication. Have face-to-face planning time. Find a writing style that works for both of you. Use Google Docs and Sites. Promote each other on your social platforms.