Category / Commentary

by laurenalder

Pro Witch Tip…

Pro Witch Tip #375 (again, since “Where Darkness Falls” has a witch as a main character, I consider this on-topic):

Thinking back to that “person who blabbed about the binding spell” incident… Timing can be everything. Certain phases of the Moon, and certain seasons in the cycle of the Sun through the Wheel of the Year, will empower or scupper your spellwork. If you’re the sort who puts a lot of stock in Mercury retrograde, then you’d never consider working a binding or curse during that period because the very condition of Mercury retrograde makes things rebound on their sender, or just go wonky and hare off in the opposite direction from what’s intended.

 
Generally speaking, this is my protocol:
 
— Spells of increase during the waxing or full Moon; spells of decrease during the waning or new Moon.
— Follow the life cycle of the God through the Wheel of the Year: spells for new projects when He is in His childhood phase, spells for fulfillment/completion when He is the ripe grain in the field, spells for closure/endings when He is old and dying.
— Astronomical phenomena provide a bit of a boost to certain things, but any kind of spell can be performed at any time. I’ve done spells for increase/prosperity during Samhain season at the waning Moon and had them turn out just fine.
 
Any questions, feel free to ask. 🙂
by laurenalder

Since “Where Darkness Falls” involves witchcraft, this post is actually on-topic…

Inspired by a post on a FB witchery group…

Pro Witch Tip #374: If you do a binding spell on somebody (wrap photo around a stone, cast into a river, etc), you DO NOT GO AROUND TELLING EVERYBODY YOU KNOW, so that word eventually gets back to your target. Especially when your target has witch friends of their own.

That’s a sure way to get an “uncrossing and return to sender” spell fired right back at you. Probably with a lot of extra spin to make it hurt even worse (and a clause in there taking advantage of the fact that you’re blabbing about what you did).

Plus they KNOW where you cast the stone into the river, so they can go right there and perform the uncrossing/return to sender spell on the very spot, or damned close to it.

*headdesk*

by laurenalder

Writing a novel: Is it freelancing?

Found on a FB writers group:

Screen Shot 2018-12-10 at 7.51.10 AM

My answer:

Writing novels can be freelance work, but usually isn’t. The term “freelancing” (says the professional freelancer) generally implies taking on contract work, or otherwise limited-term jobs, FOR PAY. So unless you’re hired to do it and are getting paid for it… nope, not freelancing. 🙂

(And that’s all I’m up for today, folks. I’m working like mad on two freelance commercial art jobs, so it’s comics comics comics aaaaaaallllll the way down!)

by laurenalder

Article Commentary: “Why You Should Edit As You Write”

Having read the article linked below (about the advantages of editing while writing your first draft), I can see the points the writer is trying to make. But — and it’s a big “but” — the writer seems to be speaking entirely to pantsers, not to plotters. A plotter, by laying in the foundation and basic structure of their house in the pre-writing phase, can then power ahead on the first draft without editing as they go, because (in a sense) they’ve already done the developmental editing in the plotting phase.

I stand by the statement I’ve made many times before: personally, as a plotter when it comes to my novels, I find that trying to edit as I write my first draft only slows me down to a crawl, and I’ve seen a LOT of beginning writers choke and stall when they try to edit while first drafting. But every writer is different and there are certainly writers out there for whom the article below constitutes excellent advice. 🙂

https://electricliterature.com/craft-thoughts-why-you-should-edit-as-you-write-accd0929782?fbclid=IwAR0G_uB04EcFus9ZFu-Mvcw0SB8GPOg24JHFFJDQhc5l8pRRH9bPNYPiH4c