Why You Weren’t Hacked Why You Weren’t Hacked By Megan Cutler | July 23, 2012 | Comments 6 comments I spend a lot of time in this blog talking about writing and indulging in my geekyness. I’d like to devote some time to the other reason this website was established. In college, I devoted my last two years to the study of technological security. There’s a deep dark underbelly of the Internet, much like … Read More Read More
Soul Songs; the Books I Love Most Soul Songs; the Books I Love Most By Megan Cutler | July 16, 2012 | Comments 2 comments Books have been a part of my life as far back as I can remember. I always had a book in my hand. I never feel quite right unless I’ve got a bookmark shoved in a book somewhere waiting for me to return. It was reading that made me want to be a writer. I … Read More Read More
Why Second Graders Should Rule the World Why Second Graders Should Rule the World By Megan Cutler | July 9, 2012 | Comments 0 Comment My husband teaches at a small English school in a fair sized French town. Small schools have their own unique problems, but they also present some unique teaching opportunities. One school serves the entire English community here, from Kindergarten to High School Graduation. So my husband can do interesting things like assign his high school … Read More Read More
Ladies in Waiting Ladies in Waiting By Megan Cutler | July 2, 2012 | Comments 7 comments Continuing my exploration of why I love my favorite characters (men can be found here), I have to say, this post was much harder than the first. There are many female characters I like but very few which I love. Many writers’ attempts to write strong female characters ends in an endless parade of cookie-cutter … Read More Read More
A Moment of Awe A Moment of Awe By Megan Cutler | June 25, 2012 | Comments 4 comments The phenomenon known as the transit of Venus occurs when Venus passes between Earth and the solar disk. The last transit of Venus occurred on June 6, 2012. Venus will not transit again until 2117. The event inspired reactions from my brother-in-law’s desire to watch Game of Thrones instead (because, and I quote “Venus is … Read More Read More
Men of the Hour Men of the Hour By Megan Cutler | June 18, 2012 | Comments 3 comments On the never-ending quest to create the perfect character, my favorite exercises is examining the characters I’ve grown to love over the years. By looking at the things that attach you to a character, you can pick out traits or themes which make a character interesting. After all, if you don’t care about a character, … Read More Read More
Innovation and Brutality; Reflections on Science Fiction Trends Innovation and Brutality; Reflections on Science Fiction Trends By Megan Cutler | June 11, 2012 | Comments 0 Comment Whether or not science-fiction is ‘your thing’, most people have seen a movie or read a book which falls into the category. Science-fiction sings to us about the future of humanity. About our hopes and fears. About our potential to create and our tendency to destroy. But despite being set in the far flung future, … Read More Read More
Five Things I learned from Doctor Who Five Things I learned from Doctor Who By Megan Cutler | June 4, 2012 | Comments 8 comments I’ll admit, I’m new to Doctor Who fandom. A few months ago, after a great deal of urging from a friend, my husband and I finally watched the first episode of the 2005 series reboot. All I can really say is: instant love. My first thought was why did it take me so long to … Read More Read More
Writing Process; Getting it All Out Writing Process; Getting it All Out By Megan Cutler | April 9, 2012 | Comments 1 comment A friend recently asked me about the process I use when writing my novels. As promised, here’s the second half (first post here). Step 4: Outlining Once you have all the pieces of your puzzle, it’s time to start putting them together. This will be the first, rudimentary draft of your story. When you put … Read More Read More
Writing Process; The Whys and Wherefores Writing Process; The Whys and Wherefores By Megan Cutler | April 1, 2012 | Comments 4 comments I was asked recently about my writing process. I’ve decided to break it into two posts. The first will cover the planning stages. I should note that I write primarily Fantasy and Science-Fiction, so the steps I describe are to prepare stories for those genres. (If a story took place in the real world, you … Read More Read More