Fanatic Deliberations
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Are You Feeling Reading Burnout?
Have you been in a reading slump where you’re not sure what you want to read? Do you browse for a book and feel like nothing sounds interesting? If so, you might be experiencing some reading burnout. This can happen to anyone, especially if you’re an avid reader. This has happened to me many times in my life, so I’d like to share some tips on how you can help pick yourself up and enjoy reading again. Hopefully they are helpful. 1. Read a short book or a book with a light hearted story. Give yourself a break from reading heavy, deep, thought provoking stories. Those kinds of books require…
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6 Common Classic Fantasy Tropes
As I read different fantasy books, especially classic older books, I find myself thinking of many different tropes that often show themselves in multiple stories and series. These tropes often help sink the story into being a ‘fantasy’ story instead of another genre. I thought it would be fun to share a few of the ones I’ve been thinking about recently and, hopefully, hear your thoughts on these different tropes. 1. Prophecies A prophecy that defines the fate of the world is one of the most classic tropes in fantasy stories. There are many books that include this device to create a framework for plot development. Having a prophecy gives…
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Six Simple Ways to Find Time to Read
Finding time to read when you have a busy schedule can be really hard. Even if you love to read and want to find time to do it, books are not usually a priority unless it is required for work or school. There have been plenty of times where I find it hard to find time to read with everything else I wish to do. Plus, everyone needs time to relax and do nothing, even reading. However, if you want to read more, making it a higher priority on the list of things to do is important. Below I have compiled a list of some simple ways you can try…
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The Pros and Cons of First Person
For those of you who have read my previous article, Point of View: Preferences and Character Connections, you know that first person point of view is my favorite. I am more likely to be engaged and to enjoy a book that is written in this point of view. Now, each viewpoint has its own pros and cons for both the reader and the writer. It all depends on each person’s individual preferences and taste. So, I thought it would be fun to see take a look at the pros and cons for first person. Pros -Personal Relationship with the Main Character As a reader, first person is perfect for building…
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Are You Thinking About Trying an Audiobook?
Recently on the FFF discord, we talked about the difference between reading a book by physically reading it and listening to it through an audiobook. It made me think about how I discovered audiobooks. In fact, when I first thought about giving audiobooks a try, I was very skeptical about how well I would like them. Reading has always been a very immersive entertainment. I did love when my mom read to me as a kid, but would an audiobook really be as good of an experience as reading it for myself or being read to by a loved one? It took me a little ways into my first audiobook…
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Good vs Evil: Religion
If you want to see my other thoughts on good vs evil, click here for other posts. Religion and mythologies can be a very big aspect of fantasy, either as world building or because it is a large part of the plot. It is also a very important aspect of a fantay’s portrayal of good and evil. In most cases, the religious aspects are what sets the tone or expectation of what is good and what is evil. This can apply to the larger culture of people or to an individual character. A writer can do one of two things with their use of religion. He/she can do what is…
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Good vs Evil: Urban Fantasy
If you want to see more of my thoughts on good vs evil in fantasy, click here for my other posts. I find the concept of good vs evil in urban fantasy novels to be very interesting and complex. In high fantasy, the concept can be fairly black and white; however, when the fantasy story occurs in a version of our world, the concept of right and wrong and good and evil becomes as complicated as the concept is in our own lives. For starters, characters in urban fantasies are not set in a good and evil box. By that, I mean that it isn’t always clear who is good…
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Good Vs Evil: High Fantasy
If you want to see my other thoughts on good vs evil, click here for my other posts. The fantasy genre in general often revolves around the concept of good against evil. Evil has risen in power and is trying to dominate, control, corrupt, or destroy the world, and good must answer the challenge. High fantasy, in particular, largely revolves around this situation. So, how do high fantasy stories portray this epic idea of good vs. evil? The first important thing to note is that high fantasy often presents a very strict idea of what/who is good and what/who is evil. There is a clear demarcation between the sides, and…
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Important Elements for a Film Adaptation
For my mom’s birthday last week, she wanted to rewatch the first Twilight movie. It was a fun watch as always, and it made me want to reread the books, as always. However, it did make me question why I feel this adaptation is a good one versus others that I think are horrible. In fact, a lot of movies and television shows are adaptations of books. So, it made me ask what are the important elements for an adaptation to be good? Personally, I feel that I have evolved in my adaptation expectations over the years. I no longer expect or necessarily want a complete line by line transference…
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That Magic was Awesome
There are many different ways to present magic in a story and many authors do, in fact, incorporate it differently with more or less explanation about how it works. Unfortunately, there is not a clear answer for what is needed or how much explanation is needed for a story and sometimes it’s a matter of personal preference on the reader’s part. It seems to me, based on my reading experience, that high fantasies generally lean more towards more minimal magic explanation. How and when magic works or can be used is very simple. There are still defined rules on how magic works, but the author doesn’t explain all the inner…
