Coming Soon – Sea of Twisted Souls Coming Soon – Sea of Twisted Souls By Megan Cutler | March 21, 2016 | Comments 1 comment On April 10th, my husband and I will be attending an Iron Maiden concert. (What!) It’s the first time we’ve bought big tickets for ourselves. Technically it’s to make up for all the anniversaries we’ve missed while moving (even though it’s nowhere near our anniversary), but for me it feels like the reward for something … Read More Read More
Shallow Breath Shallow Breath By Megan Cutler | March 18, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment Elian woke to a tangle of blankets and a flurry of shallow breaths. He knew better than to panic; if there were danger present, he would only offer an opportunity to attack. So he forced himself to lay still, gritting his teeth while his heart pounded in his chest, in his throat, in his ears. … Read More Read More
There are Things You Can’t Escape There are Things You Can’t Escape By Megan Cutler | March 11, 2016 | Comments 3 comments Adelle had never conceived of a building as vast as the Imperial Palace. You could stack ten tall men on each other’s shoulders and still the top figure would not be able to reach the vaulted ceilings. Rather than power, it invoked a sense of isolation. It was much like the void her cozy ship … Read More Read More
First Snowfall of the Year First Snowfall of the Year By Megan Cutler | March 4, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment Silkfoot pressed his nose to the window. His reflection crinkled his nose at the fat white flakes drifting from the sky while his breath formed a white haze across the glass. Fluffy white piles clung to every rooftop and doorstep in the city. Those brave enough to venture out had already begun the process of … Read More Read More
Rose; An Introduction Rose; An Introduction By Megan Cutler | February 29, 2016 | Comments 11 comments A long time ago, I had an idea. It wasn’t a very good idea, but it was one of my first so I’m quite fond of it. The idea revolved around a princess whose family and planet were caught up in a terrible war they didn’t know how to fight. So the princess ran away … Read More Read More
Very Few are Left Very Few are Left By Megan Cutler | February 26, 2016 | Comments 2 comments He’d never been one for shadowy organizations, backroom meetings or hiding beneath the cowl of a cloak. Yet he seemed to live his life by it these days. Granted, showing his face near a patch of civilization was a veritable death sentence, but all the slinking still felt strange. He was no strange to stealth, … Read More Read More
Forgotten Shore Forgotten Shore By Megan Cutler | February 19, 2016 | Comments 1 comment Sometimes Ryn’dar’ud felt the call. Human mating rituals were strange. They spent a great deal of time luring their mate into the act of reproduction. He understood that some people spent decades trying to attract the proper mate and some still failed to reproduce. Taverns like his played a pivotal role in the early stages. … 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
Only Human Only Human By Megan Cutler | February 12, 2016 | Comments 2 comments “What have you found?” The voice echoed strangely in his ears, reverberating through the vaults of his mind. “It’s only a human.” The ground – at least, what he thought was the ground, rushed up to meet him. His left shoulder impacted the cool surface, sending a sharp jolt down the left side of his … Read More Read More
Let’s Get Plotting Let’s Get Plotting By Megan Cutler | February 8, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment I’ve talked about world building and the basics you need to get started. In some cases, you can skip world building entirely (such as if you’re working in the real world, or a modified version of the real world). Even if you’ve decided to go fingers blazing, you need a few plot basics before you … Read More Read More