Does Your Novel Pass the Bechdel Test?

Posted on INK OUT LOUD.

Some thoughts about the Bechdel Test, and why most of my work doesn’t pass.

Does your novel pass the Bechdel Test?

Let's All Hold Hands And Cry And Watch The Les Miserables Trailer

Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

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Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod.

It's here. The most beautiful trailer I have ever laid my eyes upon. It's got it all -- hot Marius, Broadway Eponine, the ubiquitous-yet-inoffensive Amanda Seyfried, the perfectly melodramatic Anne Hathaway -- it even has hot Enjolras, the most essential component of any Les Mis production.

And we also get to watch a war of wits/swords/fabulous costumes between Hugh Jackman and Russel Crowe, two of the more odd (yet sweet) casting choices in recent memory.

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YES. SO MUCH YES TO THIS. So much no to Russell Crowe ruining Javert for me, but the rest of it's going to be brilliant.

Everyone Hates Overachievers

Reblogged from InkOutLoud:

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For those of you who are here strictly for the writing tidbits, I promise they're in this post. Don't let the first part fool you.

Ahem.

Saying that you're an overachiever often feels a bit like a humble brag.

Sometimes it is, but sometimes it's honestly a problem. It's a crippling desire to succeed, at the expense of all that is good in the world.

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Just found out this got picked to be Freshly Pressed! Look for it in the next few days. Flattered and excited.

Why I Am Pro-Life

Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

"Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants." ~ Mother Teresa

“We destroy monstrous births, and we also drown our children if they are born weakly or unnaturally formed.” ~ Seneca

Personally, I am pro-life. Politically, I am pro-choice: as a Republican, I believe in personal responsibility and freedom of choice.

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This is an incredibly refreshing thing to see on the internet. Well said, articulate and thought-provoking - and without a hint of name-calling. I don't agree with every facet, but my hat is still off to you, sir.

Stars Wars Episode 7 Set For 2015 But Hopefully The World Ends First

Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

Look, I love Stars Wars. As Jack Donaghy once said about Phil Collins, "I have two ears and a heart don't I?" Well, anyone with two eyes and a heart treasures those films. The ORIGINAL films. I like to pretend the prequels don't exist. In fact, many moons ago, I asked Han Solo himself what he thought of the prequels and he told me that was…

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Amen. That's all I can say about this.

2 Days to NaNo: Are Your Characters Worth Spending A Story With?

Reblogged from InkOutLoud:

In the last few days, there's been a lot of talk about the Mary Sue Litmus Test flying around on the NaNo forums.

If you have no idea what that is, that's okay, but you should educate yourself because it's an interesting concept.

The Mary Sue idea in the field of modern literary criticism identifies idealized or hackneyed characters which are more functional as fantasy fulfillment for the author (or readers) than as realistic presentations of actual people.

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NaNo's right around the corner. Thoughts for the two-day countdown.

Don't Write 50,000 Words of Crap

Reblogged from InkOutLoud:

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I want to kick off this post by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with writing a novel just for fun, with no intention of ever getting it published - or anyone else even seeing it.

However, lately I've been a bit bothered by the all-too-cavalier attitude with which a lot of people approach this crazy thing called NaNoWriMo - including the people who organize it.

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In defense of being a 'writing elitist,' and why nobody should strive to write 50,000 words of crap in a month.

What It Feels Like to Finish a Work in Progress

Reblogged from InkOutLoud:

Ladies and gentlemen, today I have (a) something exciting to say and (b) an excuse for why I've just been re-blogging stuff this week.

(A) and (b) are one and the same. Tonight, I finished my work in progress. Or, work-no-longer-in-progress, as I guess I have to call it now. Semantics aside, I finished another novel!

I'm going to start by saying that it feels pretty awesome.

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This was an exciting post to write - I just finished my next novel! Which means I'm all set to start (erk, finish actually) outlining for November. Here are a few thoughts about that euphoric feeling of actually crossing the finish line on a WIP.

It's Worth Remembering That Steve Jobs Was A Jerk

Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

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I was the first person I knew to own an iPod. It was a third generation, 10GB model my dad got me for Christmas in 2003. While I was at first skeptical of the device (upon opening it I first thought it was a PDA), I loaded my entire CD collection onto it and it instantly became my best friend. All 535 tracks of my music library in the palm of my hand?

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This is all very well said and pretty much exactly what I've been trying to articulate to my Apple-zombie friends for a few years. Way to go.

The Writer's Arsenal: 10 Things You Need Before You Write A Novel

Reblogged from InkOutLoud:

A little while back, I did a post about what makes an ideal writing environment - and I promised to, eventually, talk about materials.

Ain't no time like the present.

It's officially October. My favorite month. Why? Well, it includes a lot of things I love. My birthday, my mom's birthday, Halloween (best holiday of all time) and the first real days of fall.

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