“The Beauty of Xiaohe,” as this red-headed female mummy is known, was the first of the Tarim Basin mummies that this author learned about. Ever since that first article detailing the discovery of European mummies in China, she has maintained an interest in it. Unfortunately, however, this has not translated into constant monitoring of the … Continue reading Chinese Mummies…with Red Hair
…For being perhaps the smallest surviving child in the world. Born at twenty-four weeks, this Japanese boy is now at a healthy weight and has been discharged to the care of his family. The doctor who treated him wanted people to know “there is a possibility that babies will be able to leave the hospital … Continue reading Premature Baby Boy Breaks the Record…
This article is the third in a five part series about the skill of adding depth to fiction. Parts One and Two may be read here and here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW8MO4jAUH0 With gratitude to the incomparable David Breitenbeck for introducing this author to the video above, we turn to today’s subject. Having discussed the need for “magic” … Continue reading Depth in Fiction, Part Three: Density of Paper vs. Density of Story
“Success has many fathers, but defeat is an orphan,” as my father likes to remind me. He has proved the axiom true on many occasions, making the proverb a memorable one for this author. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” is another word to the wise which he will quote when needs arise. One American … Continue reading The Mad Tank Hunter of World War II
While investigating a different band of musicians, I happened across several videos by this group: Clamavi De Profundis. A family of singers who perform religious, classical, and other songs, they are particularly fond of Tolkien’s works (which is great for this author/fan 🙂 ). Below are the songs they have recorded so far which I … Continue reading A New Music Selection from Clamavi De Profundis
This article is the second in a five part series about the skill of adding depth to fiction. Part One may be read here. Last week we focused on how to keep the “magic” in a story. This is, as previously stated, the tip of an iceberg-sized issue rampant throughout modern fiction. Now the question … Continue reading Depth in Fiction, Part Two: Adding Subtext through Archetypes, Poetry, Music, and Religion
We have all heard of the Titanic, of course, but very few have heard of the Vasa. Built in the 17th century, the Vasa was meant to be a magnificent warship. Designed to be the pride and joy of the Swedish fleet, it set off on its maiden voyage… …when it promptly sank. The Vasa … Continue reading Sweden’s Greatest Sunken Warship
