The Z-Axis

Dreams of Fire and Death

By: Amira K. September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

Compositions, The Seeds Trilogycharacters, dreams, fiction, flash fiction, The Reaping, The Sowing, writing3 Comments

This is a bit of ‘extra’ material to go along with the SEEDS trilogy. It’s a character-building exercise I did to get in the head of one of our characters, though I won’t say who – that might give away plot points from the books! It’s a very dark scene from the head of a…

A Rebuttal to Jonathan Franzen’s “What’s Wrong With The Modern World”

By: Amira K. September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

Musings17 Comments

I’ve recently been challenged to do two new blog posts, one on the theme of friends (not the TV show, but the relationships) and one on the theme of does Twitter make you a better writer? Interestingly enough, both of these fit neatly into my thoughts regarding a recent article that appeared and was propagated throughout the blogosphere.…

Adventures in Greece: Helios, Sparta, and The Land Of The Gods

On Saturday of this past week I traveled to Gythio, the port city of Sparta. Gythio is an integral part of the Mani region, a part of larger Lakonia, which in Classical times was famed for the militaristic brutality of the Spartan warriors. “Come home with your shield or on it,” is the famous saying…

Write, Because No One Else Can Save You

By: Amira K. September 4, 2013

Musingsart, catharsis, dance, depression, fiction, literature, pain, painting, writing8 Comments

The last few weeks have been rough. Not like, ‘my parents were hit by a bus’ rough. Not like, ‘I or someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer’ rough. Not like, ‘The bank reclaimed our house and we’re living out of our car’ rough. Nothing anywhere near that drastic, I assure you. I am…

No more the Summer

By: Amira K. September 2, 2013

MusingsLeave a Comment

Originally posted on celenagaia:
I asked for banners on the sky For words to jag and scrawl intent My eyes were blind to details loud To smaller notes of what you meant The empty sun that fills the west Leaves only low light for my eyes You gave enough to stay the course With breathspace…

Divergence in Dystopia: A Comparison Study

By: Amira K. August 29, 2013

Guest PostBattle Royale, comparison, Dystopia, fiction, literature, Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, writingLeave a Comment

This is a guest post by Kevin Weitzel. In September of 2008, Scholastic had no idea that what they had just released would become a worldwide phenomenon. Since then, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been recognized as a global sensation that’s changed the lives of millions. Hitting the New York Times Bestselling Lists…

A Five-Step Plan To Writing Great Characters

By: Amira K. August 26, 2013

Musings, Publishing5 Comments

In my short career as an editor, I’ve found that one thing a lot of writers struggle with is building characters. I’ve always loved character development and found that one of the most beautiful things about reading is getting to know characters the way you know your friends. But as I started reading and editing…

Acting ‘White’: Guest Post By Rowena M.

By: Amira K. August 22, 2013August 22, 2013

Guest Postacceptance, blackness, racism, stereotypes, whiteness6 Comments

There are so many words out there for people of colour who are perceived as acting “white.” Some examples I’ve come across have been coconut (blacks), apple (indigenous North Americans), and banana (East Asians). Why fruits are chosen to ridicule people who aren’t “acting their colour,” I have no idea. All I know is that…

What’s The Deal With Genres?

By: Amira K. August 19, 2013

Publishingfiction, marketing, middle grade, new adult, publishing, reading, writing, young adult10 Comments

Genres are incredibly important things. The best books, of course, will transcend genres – I think of my favorites Catch-22 or the Brothers Karamazov when I think of books that transcend genres and become simply ‘great books’. But when we as writers or publishers are in the process of writing and marketing our works, it’s…

Why We’re (Not) Serializing, Pt. 2

By: Amira K. August 11, 2013August 8, 2013

Musings6 Comments

As my well-educated and intellectual readers undoubtedly learned in elementary school, the scientific method is an important way of learning new things by proving or disproving hypotheses. You set out with a theory – a hypothesis – and you try to prove your hypothesis by conducting a series of experiments. You record your data. You…