Why Creatives Deserve to be Paid Fairly Why Creatives Deserve to be Paid Fairly By Megan Cutler | December 5, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment Glance around what you can see of your house. Now close your eyes. Imagine the same walls, but dull, drab and unbroken by decoration. Imagine your bookshelves empty aside from important documents. Imagine your furniture is practical but uninteresting and uninspiring. Any little figures or statues you might collect have vanished and your dishes and … Read More Read More
How to Escape the Limits of Your Routine How to Escape the Limits of Your Routine By Megan Cutler | August 15, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment Every writer has felt the tug of new ideas. They crop up in the middle of another project, demanding your attention. Feverishly, you increase your pace, hoping to reward yourself with more work at the end of your regular work. A chance to let the plot bunnies nibble and clear your head for tomorrow’s work. … Read More Read More
Don’t Forget Time to Recharge Your Energy Don’t Forget Time to Recharge Your Energy By Megan Cutler | June 13, 2016 | Comments 1 comment I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten halfway through a sandwich, bowl of soup or cup of coffee before I realized I’ve barely tasted it. I always slow down and try to savor those last few bites or sips. But it’s too late. I’ve already missed enjoying the full experience. We live in … Read More Read More
Don’t Despair When You Run Out of Shelf Space Don’t Despair When You Run Out of Shelf Space By Megan Cutler | June 6, 2016 | Comments 3 comments It’s every booklover’s nightmare. You’ve just filled up the last book-shaped space on your bookshelves. You know you have plenty of books to read, probably enough to last you for years. But next month a great new title is coming out and you’ve been waiting forever to read it. All your book-loving friends are going … Read More Read More
Better Advice: Write What You Don’t Know Better Advice: Write What You Don’t Know By Megan Cutler | May 16, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment I’ve touched on bad or, at least, incomplete writing advice. There was my editing revelation about slaying your darlings and my mini-rant about using the Becthdel Test as a benchmark when it should be the barest of minimums. Lately, a new piece of writing advice has come under fire and I’m keen to hop on … Read More Read More
Support; the Secret to a Writer’s Survival Support; the Secret to a Writer’s Survival By Megan Cutler | April 25, 2016 | Comments 1 comment Sometimes, writing feels like the worst, most thankless task in the world. It never fails; on the heels of my greatest high – finishing my first trilogy – follows the rollercoaster plunge toward my greatest low. Why did I bother to spend the last five years on this project? Who is going to read it? … Read More Read More
Why We Need a Higher Bar Why We Need a Higher Bar By Megan Cutler | February 15, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment Most advice for new writers includes references to the Bechdel test. Even veteran writers suggest new writers be familiar with and make certain their work passes the test. It isn’t bad advice, but I’m not sure it’s good advice either. The Bechdel test states simply that a story (no matter the media) should possess at … Read More Read More
Blame the Internet Blame the Internet By Megan Cutler | January 25, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment I’ve read a staggering number of articles lately about how technology is destroying the world. Studies show that people are ‘addicted’ to connectivity, unable to disconnect and walk away. Studies also show that children who grow up with this technological addiction have a harder time empathizing with their fellow human beings. Rather than hailing the … Read More Read More
Both Geek and Girl Both Geek and Girl By Megan Cutler | November 30, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment These days, women have to fight to defend their position in the ‘geek sphere.’ Women are either quizzed or ridiculed the moment they express an interest in something. Women are accused of being ‘fake geeks'(for what reason I can’t imagine). And there are endless discussions on the portrayal of female characters in movies, games and … Read More Read More
The Meaning of Privacy The Meaning of Privacy By Megan Cutler | August 17, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment When I was young, we never imagined a camera in every phone. We hadn’t even realized you’d be able to use portable CD players the same way you used a walkman cassette player and, in fact, cameras still required film. Oh boy, I’m dating myself! What a fantastic and novel concept, a portable database of … Read More Read More