Moonlake’s Writing updates (6)

So I had previously alluded to the fact that I’m working on a first draft (well, I’m calling it a 0.5 draft now, that gives me much more room to be rough and not use perfectionism as an excuse for procrastination). In this post, I thought I would elaborate a bit more on it. First,Continue reading “Moonlake’s Writing updates (6)”

Remarkable Females in Ancient China (1)- Dugu Qieluo

If you are curious why I’m doing this series because you missed last week’s post, check it out here.  Who is she: Wife to Yang Jian, founder of the Sui dynasty (581-618 AD) which was built on the demise of the Northern Zhou dynasty when Yang Jian made its last Emperor yield the throne toContinue reading “Remarkable Females in Ancient China (1)- Dugu Qieluo”

Remarkable Females in Ancient China- coming to you soon!

Yes, I’m creating yet another lot of quarterly serial posts both so I can more or less stick to it and it might dovetail into other related posts (still chewing over possibilities). So essentially, this lot of new posts will feature remarkable female figures from ancient China that I compiled mostly from Chinese Wiki andContinue reading “Remarkable Females in Ancient China- coming to you soon!”

Reflections on My Outlining Odyssey

Every now and then I like to reflect on things and that time has rolled in again. But first, a bit of context for those of you who hasn’t read previous posts: I started outlining my WIP in Dec 2016 and was originally planning to finish outlining at the end of this year. I deliberatelyContinue reading “Reflections on My Outlining Odyssey”

Fiction writer with Aphantasia: So What?

So nothing, I reply. What are you talking about, Moonlake? Well, let’s me go back to the start. One of my FB writer friends pointed me to this article: https://www.facebook.com/blake/posts/10156834777480504 Briefly, the article talks about the condition called aphantasia which is basically an inability to visualise things in your mind. And guess what? I’ve gotContinue reading “Fiction writer with Aphantasia: So What?”

Dissecting Character Grids (5)- Memories

Here, I think we are starting to get to the meat of a character, an important aspect that shapes a character’s personality, worldview etc. Before I dig into actual tips, I think this aspect is generally easier to fill for a character who’s older or with a wide variety of experiences. Or maybe that’s justContinue reading “Dissecting Character Grids (5)- Memories”

Dissecting Character Grids (4)- Past-times

Firstly, I’m back! Well, actually this is my 2nd week back but you gotta give me some slack since I went straight back to work on Monday after arriving back in Melbourne on Sunday 10am. I didn’t realise how tired I was until I was nodding off on the train back to home after workContinue reading “Dissecting Character Grids (4)- Past-times”

Dissecting Character Grids (3)- Moods & Feelings

If you followed this blog from the start, you would know that I started off with just character moods but then I found that often what I put down is not a mood but rather a feeling (yes, I’m pedantic with definitions and technicalities). I tried to just focus on moods but it didn’t workContinue reading “Dissecting Character Grids (3)- Moods & Feelings”

Dissecting Character Grids (2)- Talents & Flaws

So this is the 2nd post in the series where I dissect specific components of the character grid, a method I use to flesh out my characters. Since I tend to fill in Talents and Flaws in a block, I’m just going to combine them in a single post. Before I delve into the tips,Continue reading “Dissecting Character Grids (2)- Talents & Flaws”