March 31, 2016

“The Yanks are Starving” by Glen Craney – Forgotten Veterans

The Yanks are Starving by Glen Craney (Book cover)
The way in which the United States government is treating it's veterans is sure a hot topic today, but unfortunately, it's a phenomenon with nothing new to it.

Indeed, the U.S. seems to have a track record of mistreating its veterans that, at the very least, goes all the way back to the First World War, the horrors of which were soon unjustly overshadowed by the second one.

March 28, 2016

“The Melody Lingers On” by Mary Higgins Clark – Scars of Betrayal

The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark (Book cover)
Burden is sometimes a complicated concept to understand, especially when combined together with family dynamics.

The missteps of one family member often cast a shadow over the entire name, one that is often extremely difficult to clear... especially when the culprit him/herself in question is nowhere to be found, leaving only the other members to pay for transgressions they did not commit. This is the sort of situation Mary Higgins Clark puts the Bennet family in The Melody Lingers On.

March 23, 2016

"The Spider and the Stone" by Glen Craney – The Everlasting Defiance

The Spider and the Stone by Glen Craney (Book cover)
We are certainly rather thankful that the time of monarchies and warring kingdoms has, for the most part, come to an end while leaving place for a more peaceful and civilized kind of society.

Nevertheless, these bygone times stir our imaginations, leaving us in awe at the thought of the grandiose battles, conquests, and political chess games that must have transpired over the ages.

March 22, 2016

"Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer – Staring Over the Edge

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (Book cover)
In 1992 a young man by the name of Christopher McCandless made all the headlines for the most tragic reasons: he gave away all that he had, got rid of all the Earthly possessions he could think of, headed off into the American wild, and was found dead four months after the start of his adventure in April.

Needless to say, he became the source of a national obsession, with countless people pouring their resources in reconstructing not only his great adventure in the wilderness, but also the mindset that pushed him to such incredible extremes.

March 21, 2016

“Illusions” & “Illusions II” by Richard Bach – The Flight of the Messiah

Illusions & Illusions II by Richard Bach (Book cover)
In his timeless inspirational work, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach opened the eyes of countless readers in the world to the potential hidden in each and every one of us to fully realize our dreams and ambitions, no matter how much they go against the grain.

To Bach, flying isn't just a physical act, but rather, a mental release that can take us to unprecedented heights of personal achievement and understanding. And so, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the spiritual sequels to the afore-mentioned novella, Illusions and Illusions II, are once again centred on the idea of taking to the skies.

March 20, 2016

How to Write a Great Comedy by David Jameson

Comedy is the most difficult dramatic genre. And even if you are creating great jokes, it’s not a fact that you’ll be able to transfer them to the paper. Writing is hard. And the funny writing is even harder. To write funny dialogues and miniatures is the innate ability. But still, if you have some rudiments of the talent you can develop it.

Once, Tim Allen in the interview was asked about the sense of humor. He replied: “This is a magical gift to be funny. I don’t know where it came from, and I am terrified of losing it.” Why some people are born with the ability to track and field, and the others are not? The same happens in humor.

Creators of comedies don’t always know the foundations of real funny and fascinating story. But there are such bases. If you want to work in the comedy genre, you need to know them.

This post is the result of the observation and careful analysis of what elements are used in comedies, which have taken a worthy place in the minds of readers, and brought money and glory to their crafters.

Here you will find 9 ways of how to captivate and amuse the reader. You will know how to write a comedy that could become classic, raising moods of millions of readers from year to year. If you as a writer like this goal, then let us begin.

In the comedy, as in other genres, the primary task is to captivate the reader. To captivate, and then make laughing not letting him get bored. For this purpose, it is important to combine the elements that cause concern and laughter.

March 16, 2016

"Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach - A Purposeful Exile

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (Book cover)
The idea that we can do anything we'd like to as long as we try hard and apply ourselves, while cheerful, is rather unrealistic in its appraisal of modern human life. As it turns out, the overwhelming majority of us have various responsibilities, not to mention innate abilities as well as deficiencies.

Pursuing one's passion often takes an incredible amount of dedication, patience, and most importantly, sacrifice... something illustrated rather acutely in Richard Bach's timeless classic, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which was recently published once again with a new, fourth part added to it, one that Bach decided to finish only recently.

March 2, 2016

"The Window Washer" by Eric Rill-The Furtive Player

The Window Washer by Eric Rill (Book cover)
While tales of extraordinary adventures consistently give us an urge to break the mold and seek out excitement, most of us realize that in real life, stability and security are the way to go, at least for a majority of people.

We strive to achieve that perfect balance in life, one where we feel safe and fulfilled... and most of us do, but there always comes a day when some outside force tries to knock it all down. Moments like those are defining for many of us, as they certainly are for Nick Grant in Eric Rill's The Window Washer.