Influence Maps Influence Maps By Megan Cutler | November 19, 2012 | Comments 1 comment Influence maps are a popular exercise among artists. The basic concept is to make a collage of all the art and artists who have influenced and inspired your work. A friend of mine made a book cover influence map to show the authors and series which have influenced her writing. I suppose an equivalent exercise … Read More Read More
Lasers, Phasers and Blasters, oh my! Lasers, Phasers and Blasters, oh my! By Megan Cutler | October 29, 2012 | Comments 2 comments I recently wrote about my favorite magical doodads, which are a staple of fantasy fiction. My other favorite genre is science-fiction. I don’t need magic. If it gets me far enough away, or has interesting enough mechanics, sci-fi keeps me just as entertained. And hey, science! Bonus! Much like the fantasy genre, what you tend … Read More Read More
Moonbeams in a Jar Moonbeams in a Jar By Megan Cutler | October 15, 2012 | Comments 1 comment One of the greatest things about fantasy settings are the magic thingamabobs floating around making the world interesting. One of the best moments in a video game is discovering an item with a magical effect. It’s even better in D&D, where magical items are often more difficult to find, despite the impressive list you can … Read More Read More
Gotta Raise ‘Em Right Gotta Raise ‘Em Right By Megan Cutler | September 10, 2012 | Comments 0 Comment People often say ‘they don’t make them like they used to.’ They usually say it in reference to anything from houses to cars to headphones. I usually say it in regards to cartoons. In the west, we have this idea that cartoons are for kids (that’s the topic of a whole other blog post). Now … Read More Read More
A Road Less Traveled A Road Less Traveled By Megan Cutler | September 3, 2012 | Comments 2 comments I’ve never been interested in competitive gaming. I held my own in gym class in high school when we were forced to play sports, but in the realm of video games, I’ve never liked going up against other people. For me, it may have something to do with being a writer. Investing time and energy … Read More Read More
Jack Will Hate Them All Jack Will Hate Them All By Megan Cutler | August 27, 2012 | Comments 5 comments Most of the favorites I’ve mentioned so far have to do with books. It’s true, I started this exercise to help me hone in on the things I really love in the craftsmanship of other’s work to help improve my own. But there’s a whole world of other story expressions out there and studying TV … Read More Read More
Here to Stay Here to Stay By Megan Cutler | August 20, 2012 | Comments 7 comments I’m probably treading dangerous water with this topic, but I’m going to dive in anyway. Internet piracy is a hot-button topic. It has been for a long time. It probably will be forever. Because it’s not going anywhere. As the Internet seeps deeper into every aspect of our lives, more services crop up which allow … Read More Read More
Addicted to Love Addicted to Love By Megan Cutler | August 13, 2012 | Comments 1 comment I’ve mentioned before I’m a stickler for a good love story. I’d call it my guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel at all guilty about it. Give me a good, heart-rending power ballad any day. And to go with it, give me a book that’s going to make me cry. The eye-rolling may have already … Read More Read More
A Time to Say Goodbye A Time to Say Goodbye By Megan Cutler | August 6, 2012 | Comments 4 comments After the post I wrote recently about my favorite books, I started thinking about a post for long-running book series. A series is a different beast from an individual book, after all. They require long-term plans from the beginning. Sometimes a long string of loosely related stories in the same world works (Xanthe and Discworld … Read More Read More
Alive in Your Dreams Alive in Your Dreams By Megan Cutler | July 30, 2012 | Comments 0 Comment Fantasy is by far my favorite genre. Anything which transports me to another world. Anything which takes me out of the ordinary and shows me something extraordinary. The thing I love most about the fantasy genre are the strange, wonderful and interesting creatures which often inhabit the different magical worlds I read about. Writing magical … Read More Read More