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Did you read that title?! I HAVE A NEWSLETTER.
Okay, so it's not actually that exciting but I'm excited about it. I'm sure you're thinking, "Another newsletter? Do book nerds even have time for this?" The answer is yes. All the yes because my newsletter is the coolest on the block. Maybe not literally but it is pretty damn nifty if you ask me.
Reasons for you to sign up:
(Officially):
-news
-updates
-stuff
(The fantastic officially fun):
-first scoop on news like, events, cover reveals, & release dates
-updates on blog
-reading recommendations ('cause you all know I wouldn't recommend it, if it wasn't book nerd approved)
-exclusive character content (guess you'll have to sign up to see what it is, huh?)
-basically everything cool
-also, my cat might make an appearance
-and of course, writing advice!
Now if that doesn't seem too cool for school, (no seriously, STAY IN SCHOOL you are not too cool to quit), then you're surely missing out! Subscribe buttons are floating around the site. Find one and sign up to join the herd of book nerds! :D
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I love how ridiculously chic this gelato looks. Nevertheless, it was delicious. Torrone flavored (aka almonds and honey). Just when I thought the sun wasn't going to break through the clouds, it did and it was an occasion to get some gelato with my too-awesome-for-words cousin. (Seriously, I'm not sure if she knows how cool she is!)
Meanwhile, aside from not-writing and gelato, did any of you try the fairy tale writing exercise I posted about? It's actually really fun! Believe me, you have to try it. Fairy tales are more difficult to write than you think. So if you're stuck, here are some tips:
1. Characters in fairy tales are all flat. Yes, they can have 1 major personality trait and that's it. For example, if a character is greedy, then leave it at that. Their only dimensions are greed. Now you notice, right? Fairy tales aren't mean to create well rounded and transforming characters. They're meant to be flat which totally goes against every writing class I took in college.
2. Now take a break. Eat some gelato. This fairy tale stuff is taxing.
3. Back to work. All fairy tales have so me form of magic that just is. You don't have to explain why or how the magic works, it's a fairy tale so it just does. Oh, there's a witch who can cast spells? Great. That's the only explanation you need.
4. Fairy tales are not based in the same logic that we typically think stories have. Talking animals? Awesome! Realistically, that's not logical and in a typically developed story, there needs to be an explanation. For example, Little Red Riding Hood goes into the woods and talks to a wolf before heading to her grandma's house where the wolf has eaten her grandma. In the original stories, the wolf swallows grandma whole and Little Red is a moron and doesn't immediately recognize it's the wolf in her grandma's bed (depending on which version you read). Totally illogical yet still logical because it's a fairy tale.
Go forth, write and have fun! Who knows what fairy tales you'll come up with.
Original post at: www.paulinaulrich.com
I get asked a lot about what I"m doing when I'm not hurriedly typing away on a keyboard about my fictional friends.
Well, when I'm not writing novels, I'm doing writing exercises. I literally meant it when I said that I am always writing. Maybe snuggling with my cat once in awhile or getting an iced tea refill too, but that's beside the point. I know in the past I've shared some writing exercises with you. A few weeks back I was writing some short fiction stories and ended up getting another giant story idea out of one!
Lately, I've been re-immersing myself in the classic fairy tales. No, I'm not talking about the friendly Disney ones. I love Tangled just as much as anyone else, but I'm talking about the original stories. Grimm Brothers had written a lot of them down and I'm going even farther back than that to see the other versions of Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and many more. It's a really neat way to test out other aspects of your creativity.
The gist of this? For fun, I've been writing my own fairy tales as a way of taking a break from the novel writing. It gets me thinking in other creative ways! So far I have a story about a cat and his fairy tale adventures. We'll see how it goes. If you're interested, give it a try!
Sending out good writing vibes everywhere.
Post via www.paulinaulrich.com
Wait, it's April already? Spring is officially underway! The saying: April showers bring May flowers...yeah no. How about we skip the whole rain thing and go right to the sunshine?
Despite all weather logic, I'm here to remind you to mark your calenders because in case you've forgotten, Flightless Bird is coming out THIS JUNE!!! It's the re-release and it's going to amazing, fantastic, and time-travel worthy that I don't know who isn't going to be reading it! Alright, maybe that's just me getting a little bit excited there but really. The editing behind this one has been a blast and revisiting these characters from the first book makes me somewhat nostalgic. Now it makes the edits for Timeless Sky even harder. Why? Because it's the last book! The adventures of Livy and Gregory are coming to a close.
Nevertheless, I hope you're on a countdown for the new edition of Flightless Bird. JUNE 2015. Don't forget it! Actual release day will be revealed soon. Stay tuned. :-)
Meanwhile, I must get back to the writing cave. I have many surprises in store!
