What’s your story with Avatar: The Last Airbender? Most people nowadays have one, whether you watched it growing up, found it sometime later, or even saw your kids watching it on TV. Why are we talking about it? Because, 20 years after the show first aired, it’s still making an impact. Who doesn’t want to … Continue reading How a Kids Cartoon Became the Defining Story of a Generation
storytelling
The Biggest Birthday Book Haul
There’s something about walking into a used bookstore. The heavy scent of aged pages lingering in the air. The quiet voices barely breaking the stillness. The multicolored spines lined up for yards and yards. The silent call beckoning you to tarry as long as you need. How does it move you? a used bookstore in … Continue reading The Biggest Birthday Book Haul
I’m Gonna Say It: KPop Demon Hunters Isn’t That Great
I’ll be keeping a watch out my window tonight for the lynch mob. If you've been here for a little while, you know that I love cartoons. I was raised on Disney movies, My Neighbor Totoro, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and to this day I love finding good new cartoons and rewatching my … Continue reading I’m Gonna Say It: KPop Demon Hunters Isn’t That Great
Does Every Story Have a Story?
The story of how Whispers of Worlds came to be began so long ago that I can’t even pinpoint the year. I’ve written countless stories over my lifetime. Some long, some short, some complete, many not. Back in 2019, it occurred to me that I had tons of short stories sitting around, so why not … Continue reading Does Every Story Have a Story?
Does Creativity Matter Anymore in the Book Industry?
What does writing a book mean to you? I’m curious to know. Do you picture sitting there at a desk for hours on end, crying over your manuscript? Maybe you feel a spark of excitement at the thought of getting your ideas down. Perhaps there’s even fear. If you’re an author, I hope you at … Continue reading Does Creativity Matter Anymore in the Book Industry?
It Took Me This Long to Finally Watch Kiki’s Delivery Service
I have a lifelong history with Studio Ghibli films. It all started with My Neighbor Totoro, one of the first movies I recall from my childhood. I remember Ponyo playing on Cartoon Network when I was in middle school and trailers for The Secret World of Arrietty rolling out in theaters not long after. Then, … Continue reading It Took Me This Long to Finally Watch Kiki’s Delivery Service
Slaying Dragons, Paid Book Reviews, Writing Lessons, and More!
It's December!! Anyone else enjoying the chilly weather? Anyone not enjoying it? Personally, I love that time of year when I can finally, finally, dig my sweaters out from underneath my shorts. (Just kidding, I don't actually put my pants in the same drawer as my shirts. I'm not a monster.) I feel like I … Continue reading Slaying Dragons, Paid Book Reviews, Writing Lessons, and More!
What I Learned about Emotional Storytelling from a Kid’s Video Game
I've been a nerd all my life; maybe that's why I still play Pokémon as an adult. Pokémon was as instrumental in my growing up as Disney, Star Wars, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Some of my earliest memories are waking up early to watch Pokémon on TV with my older sister. In my … Continue reading What I Learned about Emotional Storytelling from a Kid’s Video Game
Let’s Round Up the Turkeys!
Thanks for showing up today even as you're stuffed full of turkey, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and whatever else you eat at Thanksgiving! Personally, my favourite was the apple pie. I promise it's not just because I made it. . . Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you've had a … Continue reading Let’s Round Up the Turkeys!
Get Rid of the Fluff!
Time. It’s one thing to experience it, another to relate it to a reader. It takes careful work to manage the flow of time in a fiction story. When do you describe a character brushing their teeth? Or waking up in the morning? When do you detail a conversation and when do you skim over … Continue reading Get Rid of the Fluff!
The Story Canvas 