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If I were a vampire, where would I live?
If I were a vampire, I would feed exclusively on the worst criminals society vomited up. Food supply is essential. I’ve never been to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, but Wikipedia says that there were 3164 murders there in 2011. …
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Show don’t tell – it’s true of life too!
Authors know this rule well: show, don’t tell. It’s an important rule, possibly the most important. Readers don’t appreciate being told what to think; they like to experience the novel through a series of vividly drawn scenes, scenarios and settings. …
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Love, crushes and getting over a broken heart – Jonathan K Benton
When I was at primary school I started to notice that girls were much prettier than boys. I even had a few crushes, but I didn’t make it to the Wendy House for my first kiss until intermediate. Crushes prepared …
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Creating a Dark Lord – by Jonathan Benton
Throughout the book The Lord of the Rings, Sauron rarely (if ever, from memory) speaks a word. We don’t know what he looks like, nor are we given direct access to his thoughts. His presence, however, permeates through every page of …
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Posted in Books, Minaea, Thoughts, Writing
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Fresh Thinking – A Wicked Kind of Dark – Jonathan K Benton
‘Toot Fraakyl’ is an ancient greeting used by Allaria, a beautiful (and she knows it) little fae that lights up A Wicked Kind of Dark. If Allaria greets somebody this way, particularly if she’s met them before, the phrase reminds …
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Imbalance – by Jonathan Benton
A recent article in the paper highlighted yet another heart-breaking example of the imbalance that exists in this far from perfect world. An undercover cop wrote about how she used to visit addicts’ houses and witness parents taking drugs while …
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Writing: Emotional Economics
Other than the many great books I’ve read, I wanted to explore why I write, and I soon found that a lot of the clichés were true. It’s emotional economics: needs versus wants. If I didn’t write, regardless of publication, …
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Top Ten Reasons I Write: It’s all about the books!
1) The Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the Rings was always going to be on this list. However, why number one? The writing is not as rich as Something Wicked this Way Comes, and not as clever (in …
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Posted in Books, Jonathan Benton Review Corner, Thoughts, Writing
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A Wicked Kind of Dark – Fairytales are not all petticoats and pixies
Always where light shines brightest, the darkness is most pitch. It is in these extremes, real and imagined, that our greatest stories unfold, and heroes stand tallest. We see it in Wuthering Heights, when Heathcliff recognises in Hareton echoes …
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Things we do to amuse ourselves
I use dialogue from movies in everyday situations – the people I am talking to usually have no idea. They just think I’m odd. I sometimes need to adapt the quote to suit the conversation. Here’s a list of my …
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Posted in Thoughts, Uncategorized, Writing
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