Uncategorized - Lacey Louwagie (Page 4)

Retelling Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson My rating: 3 of 5 stars I wanted to read this book for a long time — so long that, after I started it and a friend told me it wasn’t worth my time, I insisted that I soldier on, anyway. I don’t

blogging

The Fairy Tale Fortnight Has Begun!

Hey, Fairy Tale Lovers! I want to let you know about a fairy tale extravaganza hosted by The Book Rat and A Backwards Story — a two-week celebration of fairy-tale inspired books and other goodies. The Fortnight will feature a guest post from me about Rumpled on April 8, which will

book reviews

Fairy Tale/Retelling Book Review: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a collection of fairy tale retellings that, while written in 20th Century, read like classic literature, with long, winding sentences, reflective narrators, and lush descriptions. What doesn’t read so much like classic

book reviews

Fairy Tale Book Review: Sleeping Cinderella & Other Princess Mix-ups

Sleeping Cinderella and Other Princess Mix-ups by Stephanie Clarkson My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a cute book — I liked the illustrations and the way it played with the tropes of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Snow White’s fairy tales, imagining what might happen if they could

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A Dialog with My Inner Writer

Since May, I have been working through the exercises in Julia Cameron’s The Right to Write. I wish that I had made it a regular practice to post some of my entries (the way I did with A Year in the Life), but I never got started and then

blogging

Confession: Not in the Mood to Write About Writing

I have a confession to make. I am not jazzed right now by the thought of writing about writing. It’s not that I don’t want to write. I am burning with excitement about both my major writing projects right now, my Year in Disney Movies blog and my

authors

Writing Book Review: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card My rating: 3 of 5 stars There are so few books that specialize in writing science fiction & fantasy that I try to read the few that exist. I admire OSC’s storytelling even if I disagree with his

authors

Writer Biography Book Review: Shaggy Muses - The Dogs Who Inspired Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, and Virgi

Oh, how I yearn for those 10 degrees (F) and above days during which I could walk my dog! Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf by Maureen Adams My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was comprised

blogging

2015: A Good Year For Writing

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve made writing resolutions for New Year’s. I do not take resolutions lightly, as my “finisher” personality type usually means I won’t easily let them go. In the past couple years, I’ve expanded the types of writing I’m doing

A Year in the Life

2014: My Writing Year in Review

It’s easy for me to get discouraged with how long some of my writing projects take. I will be finishing up my second year of revising my Rapunzel retelling in 2015, and I always want to be writing more than I actually am. But when I paused to take

Book Reviews

Writing Related Book Review: Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve long believed that through writing, we have the power to transform ourselves and our experiences. It’s why I journal every morning, even when there are a million other things waiting to get done; it’s why I’

characters

Creating Characters -- Making a Model

Last week I listened to this podcast from Writing Excuses, in which Corey Doctorow talks about the neuroscience of creating (and relating to) characters. Writing Excuses is a great podcast, but this is the first episode that really blew me away. It’s 15 minutes long, and I recommend you

Uncategorized

Young Adult Catholics: On Suffering

My most recent post, On Suffering, is up at the Young Adult Catholics blog. Bit by bit, I am returning to the varied writing life I knew before November came along.

freelancing

NaNoWriMo: Why I Did It

This is the NaNoWriMo post I wanted to write last week, but I was just too tired. And I think this will be my last post dedicated to NaNoWriMo until next November. I’m still not recovered enough to regain my regular writing “discipline.” At the end of my NaNo

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo: Week DONE!

I had a very thoughtful post about NaNoWriMo planned out in my head, but right now my brain is just too exhausted after a long day of work to produce it. Oh, and did I mention that poor head was also responsible for writing over 50,000 words last month,

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, Week 4: What I'm Looking Forward To

Here it is, the last week of NaNoWriMo! Somehow this month that seems both far too long and far too short always comes to an end. My novel has about 8,000 words to go and the main dilemma is resolved. I may end up having to write some filler

fairy tales

NaNoWriMo Week 3: In Which I Fall Behind

Here I am on Week 3, and I have fallen behind — it’s always my goal to attempt to keep up with my regular writing commitments (journaling, blogging, reviews) while I’m doing NaNoWriMo, but if I have to choose, I choose my novel. November only comes once a year,

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo Week 2: What Not to Give Up

Last week, I wrote a post with tips for clearing more time for novel writing. This post is the counterbalance to that one — these are the things I recommend you DO continue to make time for, even in the midst of your novel-writing frenzy. You’ll be glad for the

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo Week 1: How to Find the Time

Well, I am up to my eyeballs in NaNoWriMo and it’s only day 3. After a productive write-in on Saturday, a somewhat grueling coffee-shop stint on Sunday, and an early morning of writing the bare minimum today, I gave my “So, You Want to Write a Novel (in a

authors

My Visit to the Emily Dickinson House, and a Review

Over a year ago, reading Lives Like Loaded Guns planted the idea in my head that I would like to visit Emily Dickinson’s home in Amherst. A week and a half ago, I made that idea a reality. It is a rare experience when one can read a book,

fiction

Doing NaNoWriMo? How to Get Started NOW

NaNoWriMo begins in a week and a half, which means your time for any pre-NaNo prepping is drawing short. Although NaNo rules require that you not write a single word of your novel before November 1 (and I’m no cheater!) there are several things you can do right now

authors

A Writer's Pilgrimage

Tonight, I sleep in Amherst. Tomorrow, I tour Emily Dickinson’s home. This is the reason I came to the eastern edge of the United States when it was “my turn” to choose a vacation destination. I can’t wait to get a glimpse into Emily’s world.

fairy tales

NaNoWriMo -- I'm doing it.

So, I told myself I would do NaNoWriMo if I finished my Rapunzel novel by November 1st. That’s not going to happen. (I don’t think). I’m still going to do NaNoWriMo. I got off track on Rapunzel because of unforeseen work disruptions which led to me ending

Artist's Dates

An Artist Date? I Took My Artist on a Romantic Getaway!

Ever since I finished my A Year in the Life project, I’ve been working through the writing exercises in Julia Cameron’s The Right to Write. Last week, the chapter “The Well” prescribed taking yourself on an “artist date” — but NOT writing about it afterwards. According to Julia, the

blogging

Pets and Contraception at the YAC blog!

My post is up at Young Adult Catholics today about how an interview with a reporter about the Catholic church and contraception led to another re-examination of what makes someone Catholic. And I forgot to link to my previous post, which is all about the pope’s disparaging of pets.