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Brooch Chapter 6 Update!

6/17/2019

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Chapter 6 of The Brooch of Storisvaria is now live on Wattpad! You can read it here.

The story's heating up - enjoy! The dragon appears within the next couple of chapters. *evil laugh*

I apologize for the delay with Brooch's updates as I have been focusing most of my resources on preparing July's manuscript for publication. Bear with me!


Also, I'm not sure why, but apparently there wasn't an announcement on this blog when chapter 5 went live, so here's the link to that too.

​Summary:

The definitely epic fantasy adventure!

Sayest is an ordinary farm boy living with his two gay uncles in the rather unusual village of Knight’s Dame in the far off land of Rasara.

But his somewhat normal life is turned upside down when he receives something from a dying man he finds alone in the woods by his farm. That something is the mythical Brooch of Storisvaria, said to rest upon the breasts of kings and give its wearers indescribable powers. And it seems someone is willing to do just about anything to get it back.

Accompanied by his companions, the noble but not-so-bright Calin, the self-proclaimed warrior maiden Aleyl, and the bumbling law enforcement officer Wight, who recognizes the Brooch for what it is, Sayest must venture into the very heart of darkness to ensure the dark lord Zavesdar does not reclaim what was once his.


Check it out and if you like it be sure to leave a comment and stay tuned for the next installment!

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Authors, You Don’t Have To Kill Off Your Characters

5/17/2019

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Killing characters off seems to have become a thing recently, especially in modern fantasy fiction. In fact, if you don’t do it, others may criticize your story as being “unrealistic” or “immature.”

Since when did killing off characters become some kind of indicator of quality writing?

I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to kill off any character in order to write a good story. Yes, even an “adult” story. I feel a lot of authors have forgotten this.

Am I saying you should never kill your characters? Of course not! I kill characters all the time. There are plenty of instances where a character death makes the most sense to the story, the themes it is presenting, and/or an individual character’s development.

But it is a major decision that should not be made lightly, especially with main characters. Remember these things before deciding it’s time to off someone in your story:
  • Once a character is dead, that’s it. You can no longer use them later in the narrative (well, in most cases) and their arc is at an end. Make sure there is nothing else your character can contribute to the story and nothing else you want their story to say.
  • Do not kill a character just because you’ve run out of things for them to do. This isn’t good writing. Analyze the problem instead and try to discover why this character serves no further purpose to the story. Perhaps take them out of the story entirely, or consider other ways their presence can influence the narrative later. You may come up with some good ideas you would have squandered otherwise.
  • Do not kill a character for shock value or because you don’t know where to go with the story. This is also not good writing and often comes across as cheap, like a jump scare. Look at the bigger picture of your plot and try to determine why you’re stuck so you can most effectively fix it.
  • Try not to kill off female characters to further the development of male characters. Please. It’s called the Women in Refrigerators trope, it is cliché, is it demeaning to women. Please try and avoid this one. The same is true for the Bury Your Gays trope, especially if you only have one LGBTQ character/couple in your story.
  • Consider other ways to show sacrifice. I understand that Christian beliefs are very prevalent in Western society, but it’s starting to feel like the “Jesus parallel” sacrificial deaths are overdone. You can show sacrifice in different and more creative ways, such as having a character suffer permanent injuries, giving up something dear to them, or forcing them to make a decision that forever changes them and how others see them.

Basically, I think it’s important to remember that you are the author and that everything that happens in your story is a deliberate choice. Weigh character death choices carefully so they will have the greatest impact.

Your turn! When do you think character deaths are and are not appropriate? Any tips I missed? Let me know in the comments!
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Ready For The 4th Chapter Of Brooch?

3/10/2019

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​The fourth chapter of The Brooch of Storisvaria is ready to go on Wattpad!

​You can read it here.

Summary:

The definitely epic fantasy adventure!

Sayest is an ordinary farm boy living with his two gay uncles in the rather unusual village of Knight’s Dame in the far off land of Rasara.

But his somewhat normal life is turned upside down when he receives something from a dying man he finds alone in the woods by his farm. That something is the mythical Brooch of Storisvaria, said to rest upon the breasts of kings and give its wearers indescribable powers. And it seems someone is willing to do just about anything to get it back.

Accompanied by his companions, the noble but not-so-bright Calin, the self-proclaimed warrior maiden Aleyl, and the bumbling law enforcement officer Wight, who recognizes the Brooch for what it is, Sayest must venture into the very heart of darkness to ensure the dark lord Zavesdar does not reclaim what was once his.


Check it out and if you like it be sure to leave a comment and stay tuned for the next installment!

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Brooch Chapter 3 Is Here!

2/24/2019

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The third chapter of The Brooch of Storisvaria is now up on Wattpad!

​You can read it here.

Summary:

The definitely epic fantasy adventure!

Sayest is an ordinary farm boy living with his two gay uncles in the rather unusual village of Knight’s Dame in the far off land of Rasara.

But his somewhat normal life is turned upside down when he receives something from a dying man he finds alone in the woods by his farm. That something is the mythical Brooch of Storisvaria, said to rest upon the breasts of kings and give its wearers indescribable powers. And it seems someone is willing to do just about anything to get it back.

Accompanied by his companions, the noble but not-so-bright Calin, the self-proclaimed warrior maiden Aleyl, and the bumbling law enforcement officer Wight, who recognizes the Brooch for what it is, Sayest must venture into the very heart of darkness to ensure the dark lord Zavesdar does not reclaim what was once his.


Check it out and if you like it be sure to leave a comment and stay tuned for the next installment!


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New Non-Fiction Book - Writing (Fiction) Endings

2/7/2019

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Loyalty Press is a speculative fiction publisher, but for the first time we've branched out into something a little less fictional.

My newest work is actually a short non-fiction book about how to write endings, which I was inspired to write because I've noticed the topic isn't covered much by most writing resources.

​You can buy it for Kindle here!

Here's the description:

The ending of a story should be just as carefully crafted as the beginning. So why is it that so many creative writing programs, seminars, and other resources don’t spend much time, if any at all, discussing this critical component of any story?

In this book, author Karen A. Granovsky shares her thoughts and advice on how your ending can have it all: objectively good, loved by fans, and true to your creative vision.

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Brooch Chapter 2 Is Up!

2/2/2019

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The second chapter of The Brooch of Storisvaria is now up on Wattpad!

​You can read it here.

Summary:

The definitely epic fantasy adventure!

Sayest is an ordinary farm boy living with his two gay uncles in the rather unusual village of Knight’s Dame in the far off land of Rasara.

But his somewhat normal life is turned upside down when he receives something from a dying man he finds alone in the woods by his farm. That something is the mythical Brooch of Storisvaria, said to rest upon the breasts of kings and give its wearers indescribable powers. And it seems someone is willing to do just about anything to get it back.

Accompanied by his companions, the noble but not-so-bright Calin, the self-proclaimed warrior maiden Aleyl, and the bumbling law enforcement officer Wight, who recognizes the Brooch for what it is, Sayest must venture into the very heart of darkness to ensure the dark lord Zavesdar does not reclaim what was once his.


Check it out and if you like it be sure to leave a comment and stay tuned for the next installment!

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The Brooch of Storisvaria - Chapter 1

1/9/2019

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The first chapter of The Brooch Of Storisvaria, a humorous epic fantasy novel and affectionate parody of the greats, is now live on Wattpad.

You can read it here.

Summary:

The definitely epic fantasy adventure!

Sayest is an ordinary farm boy living with his two gay uncles in the rather unusual village of Knight’s Dame in the far off land of Rasara.

But his somewhat normal life is turned upside down when he receives something from a dying man he finds alone in the woods by his farm. That something is the mythical Brooch of Storisvaria, said to rest upon the breasts of kings and give its wearers indescribable powers. And it seems someone is willing to do just about anything to get it back.

Accompanied by his companions, the noble but not-so-bright Calin, the self-proclaimed warrior maiden Aleyl, and the bumbling law enforcement officer Wight, who recognizes the Brooch for what it is, Sayest must venture into the very heart of darkness to ensure the dark lord Zavesdar does not reclaim what was once his.


Check it out and if you like it be sure to leave a comment and stay tuned for the next installment!

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Why I Don't Really Listen To The Hemingway App

12/4/2018

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This is a post by Karen A. Granovsky and represents solely her opinion.

As many of you probably already know, I'm not the biggest fan of the Hemingway App, a light browser-based application that analyzes your writing.

Here's why:

1. It Can’t Replace An Editor

First off, the Hemingway App only really looks at sentence length, active vs. passive voice, and the number of times you use certain types of words. It can’t evaluate the merits of a story, characters, narrative, etc. Nor does it point out errors in punctuation, wrong word usage, or whether that longer sentence is actually incorrect or awkward.

For example, here’s a passage I threw together with a bunch of intentional errors to see how the App graded it:

"Mark and Amy, ate some sandwiches by the see. “Gee, the weather really nice today” Mark said smiling. “Yes, it is,” Amy replied she leaned back and soaked in the sun."

Hemingway App graded this passage as a 2, which it considers “Good.” This passage contains nothing it dislikes, except for one adverb, which it considers acceptable. In spite of the fact that it’s riddled with errors.

So no, in no way is it a suitable substitute for a human editor.

2. Some Of The Greatest Works Of English Literature Fail The App

My favorite example of this is the absolutely astounding last line of “The Dead,” which is the final story in James Joyce’s masterpiece Dubliners.

"It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead."

​As some will agree, this is one of the most beautiful passages ever written in the English language. So how does the Hemingway App grade it?

It says no phrases have simpler alternatives and that there are no uses of passive voice, which it likes. However, it found four adverbs, which the Hemingway App isn’t fond of – it tells Joyce to aim for one or fewer. And of the three sentences here, one is considered hard to read and the other very hard to read. And yet, these hard to read sentences are so lyrical and beautiful (particularly the last one) that it’s really hard not to see the literary merit of them.

Overall, Hemingway App grades this passage a 10, or an “OK.” (It wishes Joyce had been a 9.) It wishes James Joyce had been a better writer. I suspect other authors who have been hailed as masters, namely Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, would fare even worse. (I've even heard that passages from Hemingway himself often don't fare so well.) Feel free to try out passages from some of your favorite books and see how they fare.

It's certainly fine if you like using the Hemingway App as a tool to fix certain aspects of your writing. But NEVER feel constrained by what it tells you to do. Remember, when it comes to writing and creative artistic expression, there are really no "rules."
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Authors, If You're Writing A Book Series, Your Readers Deserve An Ending

11/22/2018

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​This is a post by Karen A. Granovsky and represents solely her opinion.

Yet again, the fact that George R.R. Martin has not completed The Winds of Winter, the next book in his exceedingly popular A Song of Ice and Fire series, has riled up the Internet. The growing length between releases has caused many fans to lament that Martin might unfortunately pass away before being able to complete his magnum opus.

This, of course, brings up the question of what authors ultimately “owe” their readers. This is a very broad question with many facets and complexities, but when it comes to authors passing away and leaving a major series unfinished, I think the answer is fairly straightforward: authors should strongly consider allowing another author, with permission, to finish their works after their deaths.

I am of the belief that when you write a book and release it to the public, that work ceases to become solely yours. On some level, you do owe it to your fans that they will see the conclusion of a series they have loyally followed and invested in for years. As long as a reputable or talented author has the ability to write an ending to your work that is true to your vision, I think you owe it to your fans to let them try.

Although admittedly I have not finished it yet, I am loving The Wheel of Time series by the late Robert Jordan. Would I have picked it up had the series remained unfinished? The answer is probably not because I, as a reader, would not want to get invested in an epic series where I know I will be disappointed by the lack of an ending. Fortunately, in this case, author Brandon Sanderson was allowed to finish the story from Mr. Jordan’s notes, and his conclusion has been met with, as I understand it, a positive reaction from the fanbase.

Another reason to do this is financial. As I mentioned above, it is a natural human reaction to not want to pick up a series you know will remain unfinished. In the case of some (very lucky) authors, this could easily influence the royalties you are able to leave to your family upon your passing.

Obviously, this isn’t always simple. Another unfortunate example is the story of Japanese animator Satoshi Kon losing his fight against pancreatic cancer in 2010, leaving his final film, Dreaming Machine, uncompleted. Kon expressed fear and sorrow at being unable to complete the film to the point where animation studio Madhouse co-founder Masao Maruyama promised him that they would figure something out and get it completed. Unfortunately, funding issues as well as being unable to find a director of Kon’s caliber to finish the work has left the film in limbo and looking increasingly unlikely it will ever be completed.

That all being said, there are authors who do not wish to have their work completed by another author if they are unable to finish it before their deaths. Sue Grafton, author of the famous “alphabet series” of mysteries (leaving the series unfinished just shy of the end, at Y) was one of the most recent, well-known examples. That is their right as the creator and owner of their intellectual property. I completely see their point of view, and even shared it once.

(I would like to add, however, that I had read A Is For Alibi before that announcement, and while I liked it, I now have no plans to finish the series either. This is just my personal experience, but I believe it is the same for many other, if not most, readers. If you want new fans to read and enjoy your books after your passing, you need to ensure your series is finished.)

Sometimes the original author is the only one with the vision and style to truly tell their story. But in other cases, tragedy takes artists from us too soon, but the show must go on.

​
So often we forget that writing is also a business and we are selling a product, as every independent author knows. If you disappoint your fans, they will stop buying your books. So at the very least consider what your readers expect and want when writing your masterpiece. Be sure you give them a good story, well told, that matches what you promised at the beginning. And if you’re writing a series people are reading, it’s implied in that agreement that you owe them an ending.

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    Just Bloggin'

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