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Writing Lessons from the Sunshine State

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Bates) — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 22:33:00 +0000

What Lauren Groff's haunting story collection teaches us about thematic unity and formal innovation. ♦

Florida by Lauren Groff is a collection of stories in which each piece acts as part of a greater whole, featuring different characters and different timelines that all intersect to create one single representation of Florida as both a state and a state of mind. Groff depicts the state as terrifying yet beautiful, a feeling that stretches throughout, and while tropical storms, snakes, and crocodiles are always a threat, the main characters in her stories somehow find beauty within the chaos. Groff uses the same character in different stories throughout the collection to provide continuity between pieces and stretch the topics of motherhood and marriage, but even when Groff explores characters besides the mother, all lend well to the overall feeling of Florida as a place where being content is not an option, such as the two sisters who are abandoned on an island in “Dogs Go Wolf” or the homeless girl running away from life in “Above and Below.” Groff employs various narrative structures that help keep the content fresh and exciting, making these stories as unpredictable as the Floridian weather, and I found myself being swept around in a gust of literary wind that left me as entertained as I was unsettled.

In fact, maybe the most important thing aspiring writers can learn from Groff is her use of varying story structures. When you think of a short story, you may imagine a beginning, middle and end, and while Groff does use a straightforward, linear form in some of these pieces, she employs other structures to great effect; in “Snake Stories," for example, Groff uses an unconventional, crot-based structure to tell about a woman in Florida struggling to be happy with her husband and two kids. In this context, a “crot” is a part of a whole, like an entire collection of smaller stories sharing space inside a single story. Each one is short, rarely over a paragraph long, and somehow related to snakes, whether this is literally, or related to someone’s deceptive actions, or the narrator recognizing someone’s snake-like tendencies. The piece begins with the narrator relaying the story of Adam and Eve and the snake that fools them into committing the original sin, and it then transitions into the narrator describing her son’s school projects about snakes and his fascination with them:

I can’t get away from them, snakes. Even my kindergartner has been strangely transfixed by them all year. Every project he brings home: snakes.

The pet project: i thnk a kobra wud be a bad pet becus it wud bit me, picture of him being eaten by a cobra. The poetry project: snakes eat mise thy slithr slithr slithr thy jump otof tres thy hissssssssssssssssss, picture of a snake jumping out of a tree and onto a screaming him. Or so I assume: my child is in a minimalist period, his art all wobbly sticks and circles.

Why, of all beautiful creatures on this planet of ours, do you keep writing about snakes? I ask him.

i lik them and thy lik me, he tells me.

As the piece continues, the narrator describes seeing her husband, a man “overrun by angels” but who “struggles with things that appeal,” gravitate toward another woman at parties. “Snake Stories” is about temptation, deception, and recognizing the snakes in the grass, meaning that there is evil and potential danger lurking around everyone.

Most of the stories in Florida are between fifteen and thirty pages long, typically somewhere in the middle of that spread, and all but one take place in Florida. The only story to break both of those normalities is “Yport,” the final story in Groff’s collection. Coming in at fifty pages and taking place in France, this is the perfect way to end the book and drive home the ideas presented throughout. Having spent the previous two-hundred-plus pages in the sunshine state, you might expect that the recurring mother with two kids going to France would be a beautiful, exciting, and stress-free escape . . . but it is nothing like that. Groff seems to be saying you can take the woman out of Florida, but you cannot take Florida out of the woman. Her husband has stayed back home, so she is bound to Florida through him; her melancholy and drinking problem both came with her from Florida to France; and the surreal visions that other characters had in previous stories are present as well. Groff removing her character from the titular state but having the character struggle with the same issues shows that Florida is a state of mind, something that the characters cannot escape, even when they pick up and go elsewhere. The longer page length of the finale and switch up in structure from all the previous stories, along with the changed setting, is a great way to end the collection and solidify the ideas presented throughout.

The stories in Florida are atmospheric and sometimes surreal, and the various narrative structures create a collection that might seem (at first glance) to be here, there, and everywhere, but all of this works together wonderfully to convey and explore a cohesive thematic idea.

About the Author

Ben Woodson is a rising senior at Miami University of Ohio, where he majors in Interactive Media Studies and minors in Creative Writing. One of his aspirations is to write a screenplay. In his spare time, Ben enjoys biking and hiking. He works in a deli but on the side resells vintage clothes. He is very interested in fashion and wants to start a sustainable clothing business one day. After graduation, he plans to work and gain experience in content marketing and branding to one day apply those skills to his very own business.

Queer Comics for Your Pride-Reading Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 26 May 2020 12:51:00 +0000

Have your local events been canceled or postponed this year due to COVID-19? Celebrate Pride Month by picking up one of these queer comics! ♦

I’m what is known as a “seasonal reader” — love stories are for February, spooky stories are for October, and queer stories are for June. As a bisexual woman, LGBTQ+ narratives have always been my favorites to read. However, one of the problems with the queer stories currently on the market is the overwhelming focus on two white gay men. What is supposed to be an inclusive body of work is instead very one-sided. Where are the lesbians? The nonbinary folks? People of color? When pride month is supposed to be about all queer people, it can feel exclusionary when most of your reading choices are for only one letter of the LGBTQ alphabet. On top of this, much of the queer literature that's out there seems to tend towards the tragic. And while these stories are important, during a month that’s meant to be about being proud of who you are, personally, I don’t want to read about homophobia, unaccepting parents, violence, depression, etc. There’s a time and a place for the Brokeback Mountains of literature, to me at least, it’s not in June.

Enter: the graphic novel.

While there are some great diverse releases in traditional prose fiction, graphic novels are telling stories through the whole spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences, especially in the past few years. From a nonbinary Chinese werewolf to a cross-dressing prince, there’s really something for everyone. Many of the releases I’ve read in recent years have been mostly lighthearted, gentle, fun, and oh-so queer.

With that in mind, here are some of my favorite diverse and lighthearted queer graphic novels I’ve read recently:

The Prince and The Dressmaker by Jen Wang

I’m going to have a problem not reviewing every single graphic novel as just “adorable.” (But it is really adorable!) Prince Sebastian has a secret: every night he puts on a gorgeous dress and becomes Lady Crystallia, an icon in the Paris fashion world. He has help of course, from his brilliant dressmaker and now best friend Frances, who dreams of becoming a well-known dress designer. But if Lady Crystallia remains a secret, so does Frances. With uniquely beautiful illustrations and a story that reads like a fairy tale, this one you’ll definitely want to pick up!

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

While this one errs more on the side of bittersweet rather than a completely feel-good read, it’s an amazing story and will leave you with a smile on your face. Bingo Love tells the story of two African-American women, Hazel and Mari, who meet at a bingo parlor in the 1960s as two teenagers. They quickly become friends and soon fall in love. But circumstances and unaccepting families tear them apart, only for them to find their way back to each other in a bingo parlor 50 years later, ready to make up for lost time. The graphic novel format really works for this because what could have been a tragic story about all the time that Hazel and Mari lost, the focus is primarily on the time that Hazel and Mari do have together.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker; illustrated by Wendy Xu

If The Prince and the Dressmaker was adorable, then Mooncakes is tooth-rotting fluff. Nova is an expert in witchcraft, working at her grandmother’s supernatural bookshop. One day while exploring a mystery for the store, she runs into her childhood crush Tam, who is now a werewolf and is battling some dark enemies. Together, Nova and Tam rekindle their feelings for each other, try to stop their demon foes, and make a little magic. When I saw this, it immediately reminded me of the Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Mooncakes is just as magical. It is also incredibly inclusive, as both characters are Chinese, Tam is non-binary, and Nova is hard of hearing. Publishing has certainly come a long way in terms of supporting queer and diverse stories. There is always progress to be made, and supporting the stories that are out there can create a significant impact in the long run.

If you find you’ve got some time to kill between your (online) Pride events this year, consider picking up one of these graphic novels! These are just a few examples of the many outstanding queer graphic novels out there. Enjoy these, and then keep an eye out for more diverse releases in 2020 . . . this is a list that can always use more representation across every letter of the LGBTQ+ community.

About the Author

Sabrina Ludwig is a senior Psychology student at Miami University. For the first three years she was on the path to premed, until she took a comic book class for fun and realized that medical school just wasn’t for her. After graduation, she is looking to pursue a career in publishing or editing. In her free time, you can find Sabrina hoarding books she’ll never finish, re-watching Marvel movies, and making various kinds of avocado toast.

Find Me: Time, Love, and New Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Bates) — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 21:41:00 +0000

Find Me is an unexpected sequel that deals with taking a chance—or even a second chance—to ask, "What if?"

As someone who loved Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name and its movie adaption, I greatly anticipated Find Me’s release in October. Even before I read Find Me, the general opinion was that the book was disappointing, but like any good reader I refused to form my opinion until I had experienced the novel in its entirety. (My devotion to CMBYN was also a contributing factor.) When I cracked open Find Me for the first time, I was a bit confused. Who is this person talking? What year is it? What does any of this have to do with Call Me By Your Name? For readers coming back to the continuation of their beloved story, they might be surprised by the new voice that greets them.

Find Me’s predecessor, 2007's Call Me By Your Name, is a romance set in Italy during the summer of 1983. Over the summer, 17-year-old Elio Perlman falls in love with Oliver, a doctoral student from the US finishing his dissertation with the guidance of Elio's father Samuel, a classics professor. For the six weeks that they are together, the young men keep their romance a secret, in intimate moments calling each other by the other’s name as if to erase the line where one of them begins and the other ends. At the end of their time together, as Oliver leaves to return to the US, he reveals that he is engaged, and the pair is forced to build their lives without one another, destined never to be together again.

Or so we thought.

Enter Find Me, and cue the spoiler alert.

Whereas CMBYN was narrated by 17-year-old Elio, Find Me begins with a different voice that we learn is Elio’s father, Samuel Perlman. Wow, wasn’t expecting that. CMBYN was an intimate story that contained explicit details of the acts of love between the story’s youth. Suddenly we’re hearing the voice of the father of the teenager who spent the last book making love to another man. The expectation was to hear from a young voice with something to learn, but we’re met with a seasoned voice who in reality is still learning from life. Don’t get too disappointed; we still get to hear from a young voice. The book is split between three perspectives, Samuel, Elio, AND Oliver.

Find Me starts ten years after the events of the first novel with Samuel, now divorced, on a train to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a classical pianist. En route, he meets Miranda, a twentysomething woman, and the two connect through their similar experiences of being unable to love their past partners deeply. Samuel can’t hide his attraction to Miranda, an attraction that is not unrequited. The pair throw out their plans and spontaneously decide to spend the day in Rome together, and later to spend a night together in bed. The two seem to be on a euphoric high that actually works out for them in the end. They traipse about the city, throwing around the ideas of getting tattoos and having a baby, never wanting their bodies to be the same, with Miranda saying, “I can’t go back to my life. And I don’t want you to go back to yours, Sami.”

Flash forward five years. We’re back to Elio’s perspective: he is now living in Paris as a concert pianist. He finds himself falling in love with another older man, Michel, and they spend a few weeks together. But being with Michel brings up memories of Oliver and feelings that never quite went away. He knows he can never love anyone the same, saying, “Some shadows never go away.”

In another five years the perspective switches to Oliver, who is finishing his tenure at the university job that took him away from Elio. Drunk at his going away party, he looks at all the people there to wish him farewell and feels alone. Then someone starts playing the piano and Oliver’s thoughts fly to Elio, whom he never forgot, as if he is in the music asking Oliver to find him.

Samuel Perlman’s monologue at the end of CMBYN was one of the most beautifully written conversations and one of the most revered parts of the book’s movie adaptation. And it might be why Samuel opens the show for us in Find Me. Because CMBYN focused almost solely on Elio and Oliver, readers did not get to know the classics professor in depth; we learn more about Samuel in his monologue than in the entire book. Find Me gives us some insight on how he became so wise. In 1983, Samuel said, “We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing as to not feel anything? What a waste!” Samuel lost hope for himself but was trying to give some to his son. In Find Me there is the feeling that Samuel gets to live out his life as if he were talking to himself from decades past.

The perfect ending to the 1983 love story we wanted was a mirage that we got a glimpse of at the end of the book. After waiting 246 pages until Elio and Oliver are reunited, we are left wanting more. We could be angry, or we could listen to what Aciman writes: “Fate doesn’t respect what we believe is the end . . . Which is why I think all lives are condemned to remain unfinished.” Aciman’s painting-like prose leaves one dazed as if waking from a daydream, and I mean that in the best way possible. There are parts where characters feel distant and parts when their dialogue is so frank that it punches you in the face. Miranda is blunt and expressive because she knows what she wants. Oliver is far away, because he is not the same Oliver that we knew. The novel has no chapters, so the act of reading feels addictive. The best parts of Aciman’s work are the monologue-type speeches that pop up in characters’ conversations. These idealistic patterns of speech that have seemed to die out in the 21st century.

There are some parts of the story that I’m not sure I can buy into. After the night they meet, Samuel tells Miranda that “my entire life . . . was leading up to you.” My question for him is: How can you discredit your entire life for a girl you met over one weekend? But a quote from earlier in the novel explains the plotline perfectly: “So you could say that we’ve overwritten and lived each other’s memories.” Though it’s an unexpected journey, it is a journey nonetheless and an ideal end that came from a wayward plotline.

The back cover of the book poses a question to its readers: Does love ever die? Of course it does. Just look at the relationship between Samuel and Elio’s mother, or Samuel’s past lover. But I guess that’s a question only the characters can answer. Samuel found someone new to love, and Elio and Oliver were reunited, so there’s a good chance they’d disagree with me.

I was not disappointed by Find Me because we, as people, don’t get to decide how someone else lives their life. Not everyone gets the chance to live out a romantic "what if?" This is a story about love, which is sometimes sparked through spontaneity and sometimes reaches through decades to find people once more.

About the Author

Mady Wilson is a second year Literature and Professional Writing double major and Social Justice Studies minor. She hopes to someday work in the editing department of a publishing house working directly with literature, or be an advocate for diverse forms of writing from minority writers. At Miami University she is involved in Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Honor Society of Sociology, and is a Writing Consultant at Howe Writing Center. In her free time she loves to paint, draw, and practice calligraphy.

From Screen to Sound: The Art of Comic-to-Audio Adaptation

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 21:41:00 +0000

Adapting a book into an audiobook is a fairly straightforward process. But what about an audio comic? ♦

"Thank you for listening to Adventures in Odyssey!” host Chris Anthony says as she ends the latest episode of the audio drama, and then the CD stops. Seven-year-old me takes the disc out and eagerly replaces it with the next in the series. I grew up with audio dramas like this one: I would play in my room for hours listening to stories interwoven with voices, music, and sound. As I got older, I admired the talent that went into making these stories and decided to make some for myself. However, I wanted an extra challenge: converting image into sound. It’s easy enough to make an audio drama from a written script that can be read aloud. Could I also adapt the images in a comic to an audio drama? How would I stay faithful to both the comic’s text and images?

To begin, I chose a simple, slice-of-life comic I’ve been reading for years: Humor Me by Marvin. Humor Me focuses on a no-nonsense girl trying to get through school while also taking care of her younger brother. Meanwhile, a young model mistakes the girl for an obsessed fanboy and tries to get her kicked out of the school. The comic’s dialogue, story, and visuals seemed simple enough at a glance but gave me a lot to consider as I adapted them for audio.

The first step was to write a script. I needed to include the characters’ lines, sound effects, and descriptions for places and actions that were drawn but not mentioned in the comic’s text. I knew a narrator would be necessary at times but preferred to “show” action through sound effects. To do this, I reviewed each scene and identified what was important for the listener to know. For example, in one scene, the main character walks from inside of a store to the outside street. I needed to portray movement from indoors to outdoors without overwhelming the listener with different sounds. To signal the setting change, I faded the store sounds out and inserted the sound of a door opening. Because of sound cues like these, a single chapter of this comic turned into roughly 15 pages of script with 11 characters.

Next, I needed to cast my characters. I recruited my amazing group of friends to help me out with this project. Some were actors, and some were not. As a result, I had to be a good vocal director and accurately explain what performance I wanted from them. This was by far my favorite part of the process: I loved helping people who had no acting experience learn how to use only their voice to act.

Once I had all my lines, I went through the script and made a list of sound effects I needed to find. For this project in particular, I was lucky enough to find the necessary sounds on royalty-free websites. For past projects, however, I have pulled out my blue Yeti mic and recorded sounds myself. Some examples include walking in my bathtub in heels to imitate a woman walking downstairs and splashing a pot of water into a sink lined with towels to imitate water spilling onto a shirt. Though I didn’t have to create my own sound effects for this project, I still needed to be creative with how I searched for audio tracks. For example, I couldn’t find a sound that imitated a hug, so I settled on an audio track called “body falling on floor.”

Once I had all of the sounds and music I needed, I started to piece everything together in the editing program, Adobe Audition. The editing process took several hours, and each track had to be laid out as a separate Wav file. This means I was managing between 20 to 30 sound files at the same time. The most time-consuming part of this process was timing the sound effects correctly in relation to the other tracks. If a sound is even half-a-second too early or late, it is very noticeable. This is especially true for dialogue. To make the dialogue sound as natural as possible, I spent a lot of time moving lines back and forth within the editing program until they synced up just right. Another time-consuming task was adding effects to the sound effects. While it may seem redundant, this task is absolutely essential. For the walking and running effects, I changed their pitches and speeds to distinguish the different characters’ walking patterns. I also manipulated the dialogue's frequency to represent when characters were talking on the phone.

HUMOR ME by Gina Moravec | Adapted from the comic by Marvin

This entire process required a lot of work, but I loved every second of it. Starting off, I was a little worried that my audio choices would not properly represent the comic. As I continued, however, I realized that I understood the heart of the story being told. My choices were unconsciously portraying my view of the comic and its story. If you’d like to try creating your own audio drama, give yourself a lot of time! Audio editing takes more of it than you’d think. It’s a lot of listening, re-editing, and tweaking the tiniest details. However, once it’s done, you will definitely be satisfied.

About the Author

Gina Moravec is a current senior at Miami University with a Professional Writing major, a Media & Culture co-major, and a Theater minor. Gina has been making audio-based projects since she was 16. You can find her current work on the Internal Comms Pro, the Podcast as the Associate Producer as well as The Successfully Funded Podcast as the Executive Producer. When she’s not working on projects, she likes to take walks around her college campus or the woods in her backyard.

The Phenomenon of Instagram Comics

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 21:41:00 +0000

From our screens to our bookshelves, these social media influencers are contributing to a new type of comic with the click of a button.

A couple months ago, my boyfriend and I were lying in bed scrolling through our Instagrams. Out of the blue, my boyfriend laughs and turns his phone for me to see. He shows me a comic posted by the account @Catanacomics. I remember reading that comic (pictured above on the left), then turning to him with a big smile on my face. I laugh and say “Oh my God, that’s so true!” From then on, we started direct messaging each other comics made by the same artist. Once I discovered these comics, they’ve completely fulfilled my desire to read comic books without me having to actually go to a store and buy any.

Catana Comics has been on Instagram since 2016 and was created by Catana Chetwynd and her boyfriend, John. The comics are meant for young couples and tell stories about what it’s like to be in a relationship. They take moments from their everyday lives and make it into a cute, relatable comic. Because their comics are so relatable, they have gained millions of followers on Instagram throughout the years. They have 2.9 million as of right now.

According to the Catana Comics website, they weren’t expecting for the comics to get any fame and attention. “The comics were never intended to be published online, but thanks to John, they were! I was prepared to be embarrassed and torn apart (the internet is a scary place, you know), but to my surprise, the comics took off.” Their website also states that Chetwynd’s boyfriend, John, inspired her to start publishing the comics online.

Not only are they successful on Instagram, but they also have best-selling books, calendars, and merchandise, all based on their comics. Their merch includes books, calendars, large print outs, and apparel. They sell their products on multiple internet platforms and several products have almost all positive reviews. “My boyfriend and I have been following Catana Comics on Instagram since we first started dating, so we had to have this calendar when it came out! We actually both got them for our anniversary! Great quality. Easy to use. Sturdy. And oh so cute!” said one Amazon customer who purchased the “Little Moments of Love” calendar. Catana Comics sells their stuff on Amazon and on their website, so if you're interested I encourage you to check out their merch.

But what if couples' comics aren’t your cup of tea?

There are several other Instagram accounts that have similar comics and several followers. Some of these accounts include @Nathanwpylestrangeplanet, Nathan Pyle, creator of the comics and account, has illustrated several short and simple comics as well. He is the artist for the “Strange Planet” webcomic series, which has over 5 million Instagram followers. These comics feature blue, alien-like creatures, who live a human lifestyle. However, the dialogue they use is rather odd and isn’t how most people talk. For example, the dialogue in the above picture on the right reads, “How does your face malfunction?” It might take readers a bit to understand why the alien speaks like that, but it can quickly be translated to why are you sad.

So, why are these comics so relatable?

First of all, they know exactly who they’re reaching out to. If you look up any review of their products or scroll through their comments on Instagram, you will most likely see nothing but adoring fans who are tagging their friends, family, or significant others.

For Catana Comics, they make comics based off their own experiences as a couple. Each comic tells a different story and they’re all easy to understand. As soon as someone reads them, they immediately get the point. These comics are simple in their writing, illustrating, and meaning, which makes them so loveable.

Unlike the Catana Comics, the Strange Planet Comics take longer to understand due to the dialogue. However, the reader only has to read a few comics to understand what they’re about. They’re relatable to almost everyone who reads them because they represent everyday human activities. The aliens are modeling human behavior, which makes it hilarious that the humans are replaced with aliens. Although they might take time to understand, these comics are still very popular because they have comedy, loveable characters, and relatability.

The comic and cartoon industry has changed drastically since social media became popular. Instagram comics have allowed creators to have the freedom to create, edit, and publish content whenever they want. Instagram also helps influencers use and combine elements of distribution. This makes it easier to sell their merch and make a profit. Instagram’s platform has allowed these creators, along with several others, to share their work and make a profit.

About the Author

Katie Byrum is currently a junior Professional Writing major at Miami University. She is from Potomac, Maryland, and loves to read, write, and ride her horse, Jackson. After she graduates, her dream job is to become a writer and editor for a magazine company that specifically deals with horses.

Book Influencers in the Wild

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:47:00 +0000

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of social media's most bookish content creators. ♦

For years, celebrity book clubs like Oprah’s Book Club have swayed readers’ interests and writers’ popularity with their recommendations. Since the rise of social media, however, there’s been a surge in virtual discussion about books. Now, many everyday booklovers have become “book influencers” themselves: content creators whose digital presence impacts their followers’ reading habits. These hardworking, ordinary people review everything from graphic novels and audiobooks to new fiction and classics. In addition to their own careers, they manage professional accounts brimming with polished flat lay images, quality videos, thought-provoking posts, and podcast episodes.

But what goes into crafting this content for readers? What do book influencers’ lives look like behind-the-scenes? As a budding influencer myself, the thought of filming selfie videos, setting up flawless photos, and reading enough to post makes my head spin! Fortunately, I had the pleasure of interviewing several book influencers about their work and how they approach their role online. It’s astonishing to see what they are able to accomplish with their passion for books driving their actions.

Phoebe Wright and Ashley Chandler run not only the joint podcast Read It or List It but also their own book accounts that differ in style and content. The pair met and connected through #bookstagram, balancing each other out— Ashley being the technical side and Phoebe being the creative. Another influencer, Kat Botell, runs her literary blog, Rustic Pages, on her own. “My life currently consists of taking and editing both photos for Instagram and videos for YouTube. I recently got back on top of blogging,” she shared.

The Read It or List It podcast duo, Phoebe and Ashley, did not set out to be book influencers. “I had no idea book influencing was a ‘thing’ to be honest. I started my blog and Instagram account as a creative outlet... it was a passion project that then took on a life of its own,” says Phoebe. Kat over at Rustic Pages started hers as a ‘hobby account’ initially, and it grew from there as she tried out blogging.

The three agree that book influencers must create authentic relationships with their audiences. As they plan, Phoebe and Ashley keep a dedicated planner for their blog and Instagram account. Phoebe says, “I lay out my content for the month and always leave room for a little flexibility in order to maintain an authentic relationship with my audience.” Personally, I prefer to engage with accounts that feel like friends more than a corporate company. When influencers reflect on a book with anecdotes from their own lives, it doesn't feel like they are actively selling me a product. Instead, their honesty and personal connection to the work’s themes builds my trust in them and the book they are posting about.

With all of this preparation and creating content about books, when do these influencers have time to read what they are writing about? Ashley emphasizes, “I can’t talk about books if I don’t read them! But posting and engaging is a lot of work, which I did not realize until I saw the difference in my growth when I let my audience into my life a bit more.” Kat is a night reader and consumes page after page before going to bed. She states, “I also LOVE read-a-thons and co-host one every first Friday of the month on my Instagram.” Read-a-thons engage followers in a set period of time (usually 24 hours or a week) of dedicated reading compared to normal. Kat admits that engaging with over 32,000 followers on Instagram is time-consuming but finds the work incredibly rewarding. Keeping up with comments is valuable and builds a relationship of trust between herself and her followers.

While the rewards of providing such content are encouraging, there can also be times of challenge. Reading provides most of the content but balancing it with keeping the accounts active can become burdensome. Additionally, seeing little return on time invested can be upsetting. “Balance and creative burnout are definitely the challenges. It’s also really hard not to play the comparison game. I struggle with it more than I’d like to admit, but I put so much work into what I do that it can make me feel inadequate some days,” says Ashley. Remembering why you started is always a good rule of thumb. Kat agreed, saying, “And as with any other niche, to not compare yourself to others. Everyone grows at their own pace!”

Regardless of the amount of time and energy it requires, influencing readers has its rewards. Phoebe from Read It or List It says her interactions with authors and followers fill her with joy. She adds, “… it’s just really, really cool that people trust my opinion. It’s very rewarding to discuss books with my audience who loved a story as much as I did but only picked it up because I recommended it!” Kat has also become friends with many people through her channels. The community that is built through these platforms allows readers and followers to feel a part of something larger.

As a book becomes popular across these social media platforms, how do we know that book influencers are assisting with its success? Some blogs and websites have affiliate links that let publishers know how a buyer gets to their site. Kat frequently gets messages from followers that they have purchased the books she has posted about. If she is encouraging others to read more, Phoebe argues, then her opinion and voice are valuable.

Almost anyone can become a book influencer. Keeping the book community engaged as a creator or participant grows the love of reading and supports talented authors. Book influencers also learn strategic marketing skills that can be encouraged by publishers or sought after by book enthusiasts on their own. With new books being published every Tuesday and tons of backlists and classics to be reviewed with fresh perspectives, there is plenty of bookish content to share. So, the next time you see a bookworm staging a bookish photo or filming a tour of their favorite bookstore or library, give them a shout-out. They’re selflessly spreading and maintaining the love of books.

About the Author

Courtney Wallace is a marketing and communications professional in higher education. With degrees in Art History and Interactive Media Studies, she has implemented creative solutions to media, communications, and websites along with managing her own book blog. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, and enjoys literary travel, running, and playing volleyball.

The Murderinos Are Afoot

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:46:00 +0000

Staying sexy and not getting murdered have never been easier, nor more fun. ♦

There's nothing quite as thrilling as falling in love with a book within a genre you've never explored before. The realization that suddenly there is an entire plethora of new books to read is a truly empowering feeling, as many have recently discovered for themselves through the popularization of true crime. Titles such as Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in The Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer and The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America's First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth have even found success that transcends the traditional expectations of the genre—highlighted as New York Times Bestsellers, praised by critics, devoured by readers. So, what caused this sudden interest in true crime?

I would argue that the current success of true crime literature was influenced by an unlikely source: the hugely addictive and intriguing realm of podcasts.

Growing in popularity because of its personality-driven content, relatability, and flexibility, podcasts feature devotees fervently discussing their favorite topics, ranging from politics to Dungeon & Dragons, and with the sheer number and variety of shows in existence, it's no surprise that there's a large number in the true crime genre. While some are dedicated to covering a single narrative, such as NPR’s wildly successful first season of Serial, others are more episodic and take on multiple cases, such as the podcasts Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad, Crime Junkie, and My Favorite Murder. These podcasts opened the door to discussing true crime as a useful tool for analyzing human behavior, informing audiences about red flags, encouraging people to stand up for both themselves and others, and providing a community to explore similar interests. One podcast in particular truly helped with destroying the stigmas and barriers around true crime as a salacious genre of interest only to budding investigators or incipient serial killers, bringing true crime fully into the mainstream, and that podcast is My Favorite Murder.

My Favorite Murder began in 2016 with two hosts, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, who bonded over their love of true crime. Sharing a level of vulnerability with their audience, the pair discuss personal stories and listener testimonials, encouraging an open dialogue between themselves and their fans. As their podcast continued to grow, they created resources such as Facebook groups to connect listeners who dubbed themselves “Murderinos.” Whether discussing hometown murders, invented self-insert stories, or tips on finding red flags, My Favorite Murder connected people from different backgrounds around a common interest, growing a community that was confident in the idea that it is entirely reasonable to love true crime and helping Murderinos not only befriend each other but like-minded individuals outside of the fandom.

As the community grew, there was a significant amount of fans who connected around their deep love of literature, and these bibliophiles began to form book clubs surrounding the genres of mystery and true crime. Discussing in online forums and libraries, these book clubs read novels and nonfiction highlighted on My Favorite Murder episodes such as If You Really Loved Me by Ann Rule and No Stone Unturned by Steve Jackson. I personally lead one of these book clubs on Chase the Darkness With Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders by Billy Jensen. The book was a whirlwind for many of us as we tried to uncover the Golden State Killer and the Bear Brook Murderer, and the experience brought me closer to both the fandom and the genre, creating some new friendships with others who shared my passions and interest.

In my opinion, podcasts like My Favorite Murder have helped legitimize the genre, making true crime less about horror and focusing much more on awareness. As an aspiring author, I often used writing as an excuse for my knowledge of and interest in true crime, rationalizing any internalized anxiety I might have felt toward the genre as a "necessary evil" for research purposes. However, listening to My Favorite Murder allowed me to recognize my interest as a beneficial passion that I can share with others. I feel as though I am not alone anymore as I agree with Karen and Georgia’s comments, laugh with them over their silly ideas, and make friends in the community.

I, along with many others, am truly proud to be a Murderino.

About the Author

Jessica Rosepen was born and raised in Ohio. She is currently a senior at Miami University, where she studies American Studies. After graduation, she will continue on to University of Kentucky to attend their Library & Information Science master’s program. In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, writing fiction, and exploring history’s forgotten and abandoned places.

Dungeons and Discord

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:32:00 +0000

Crafting characters, stories, and entire worlds while trying to stop the barbarian from attacking the gnome priest . . . how Dungeons & Dragons makes you a better writer. ♦

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a tabletop game that has withstood the test of time. It has also helped me create and craft a story I hope to eventually turn into a series, centered around high fantasy elements such as mythological creatures and fantastical landscapes. The genre alone carries a near-limitless potential, but it also allows for far too many opportunities to get stumped. How should I describe this town? Who should I make as the leader of this group? What kinds of abilities does this massive, Cthulhu-looking, eldritch-abomination of a teddy bear have, and how can I make them work? What significance does all of this even have to the world I created? A few sessions of D&D can provide answers to these questions and more.

How much effort goes into making a vivid little map of a fictional world? A good example of a well-built location would be Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series. Simply hearing the name of that wizard school brings to mind images of shifting stairs, living portraits, and medieval-styled dungeons full of desks and bubbling cauldrons. It’s a location that sticks with you and such a thing can be very hard to make. However, how does one who has probably never written a full-length story reach that kind of skill? Simple, through trial and error, and copious amounts of improvisation. To put things into perspective, a single D&D session will regularly force me to build multiple locations in the heat of the moment, and it’s all due to the unpredictability of my players.

Let me tell you, creating an entire dungeon for players to explore without prior planning can be a serious workout for any storyteller, especially if it needs to keep them engaged for a couple of hours. I had to imagine an entire winding labyrinth of caves, ancient holding cells, statues engraved with jagged eldritch runes, and a variety of other methods to provide lore for the dungeon. Books were scattered about, tattered and worn with age, some cursed to punish any curious adventurers. Ghosts, which some players could interact with using spells or items, would regale them with tales of torture or grand designs long forgotten. Then, when all was said and done, I had to create a massive room where the party faced down the final enemy. All of this was done as the players explored and fought.

As I grew used to making locations, I found another area I needed a whole lot of work in: crafting characters. Making a character from scratch can be difficult because people are complex creatures. We all think in so many different ways, and it’s hard to see things from different perspectives. This is where D&D helped me out, because I was encouraged to become someone else, someone with a different personality and mindset. I played a suave rogue, a valiant paladin, and a creepy warlock, but those felt too stale and too limiting after a couple of sessions. Then, I got to thinking, “How else can I play this kind of character?” From there, things got fun, and my ability to make a person, not just a character, began to grow.

I started small by adopting some characteristics of different character templates. It made other players laugh at how unusual or conflicting my characters would be to their class’s expectations. I made my paladin a little more suave and teasing, while I tried to slip some valiance into the warlock. Then, I went deeper, playing a darker and more conniving paladin hiding behind a gentleman’s facade, while the warlock became a self-sacrificing gentleman that was far quieter and almost shy. From there, it became a game to see how complex, crazy, or unusual I could make my characters. It was this experience that led to me looking up a couple of other cultures and accents, all in the pursuit of a new character to play, and ultimately new characters to fit into my stories.

So, with a location built and a character crafted, all I needed to do was construct the world. I needed to create entire peoples and cultures to give life to my story. I used a variety of real-life cultures as a basis for my own. Some people were even mixtures of them or none of them. It became fun to see how I could make cities work, how I could build a hierarchy in a community, or even how they would respond to a character or player’s actions. So many aspects needed to be considered, including things like the economy and social conflicts. I started to feel like my work was becoming real with every new people I created, and every connection I built between them.

Every single D&D session was, and still is, a learning experience for me. There’s always some slight character detail or a new location that needed to be explored. Unfortunately, like with all things, there are limitations to the benefit of sticking to just D&D. It’s hard to naturally work in sci-fi elements, and there are some scenarios you just can’t effectively play out, even as a DM.

For the more specific scenarios in which I want to test a series of predetermined events, I use Discord. Discord is a fun little system that works like Skype, but it is better because it lets me play out different kinds of scenarios with my friends. We make servers in which we put individual text channels to post responses to one another. I would describe actions and dialogue from a character or characters I control, and they do the same. It becomes a back and forth between us that slowly unfurls into a full-blown story.

Oftentimes, since a lot of my friends don’t live nearby, we use Discord to either play D&D or try out other things. The D&D sessions become more heavily focused on role-playing instead of combat, and we get to extend the kinds of scenarios we play since it’s all online. I even bring them into some role-plays in other settings like a sprawling space station, or a present-day city like Cleveland or New York City. We do anything from testing out how two kinds of character would interact at a bar, or how they might lead a crew on a mile-long spaceship. The limits of the kinds of stories we can play out and the characters we use disappear, since like with books the images are all left to imagination and how well-written they are.

So, to all aspiring writers and storytellers, I suggest that you pick up a couple of D&D handbooks, download Discord, and get playing. I’ll look forward to seeing what new stories and characters will grace the writing community after your own adventures.

About the Author

Chris Marcellino is a Biomedical Engineering student at Miami University with a minor in Creative Writing. He first took on writing as a hobby in sixth grade and has been a member of two creative writing clubs; one in high school, which he started, and one at Miami. His writing is primarily fantasy-based with some sci-fi elements thrown in. He has used his past personal projects to help him run and participate in several Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. It is his hope that honing his writing skills will not only help him complete his novel but as he enters the workforce as a Biomedical Engineer.

Generation E-reader

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:31:00 +0000

Traditional print versus iPads shows what kids nowadays are missing. But what will the future hold? ♦

In today’s digital age—as a viral video from a few years back illustrated—many children see a paper book or a printed magazine as just a broken iPad. If they can’t type or swipe, they see it as old and outdated. As the newest generation’s lives become more and more digitalized from an ever-earlier age, will there still be room for old fashioned books and the companies which produce and sell them?

It was 2007 when Amazon launched its first e-reader called the Kindle. It was small, sleek, powerful, and with its E-ink technology, the image appeared to resemble a book. This was the first popular e-reader and was soon followed by others, though with the Kindle holding market dominance. The Kindle held hundreds of books with many books costing as low as 99 cents. When compared to traditional books, the Kindle did most everything better in a more compact and portable package. Many thought e-readers would surpass the sale of traditional books years ago, but traditional books have held their ground as baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z have lost the sense of excitement around e-books and have returned to the familiarity of traditional books. Publishers have also invested a great deal of effort to create gorgeous and intricate book covers and design, luring customers back to traditional books according to a recent report. All of this would seem to bode well for the traditional print reading experience as we've known it . . . but the introduction of e-books in school curricula across the nation may change that.

All throughout grade school, I and many others were exposed to traditional books on a daily basis. Trips to the school’s library helped me develop a love for reading and an appreciation for a printed book that has stuck with me throughout the years, and I still prefer a traditional book because of it. Fast forward to the present day, and a student attending my former grade school will not be reading paper books from the library; they will be reading from their iPads. Kids will no longer know the excitement of going to the school library with their class and sitting on plush cushions while the librarian reads them a story, or the eagerness of wanting to go pick out their books to check out for the week. The days of stocked library shelves with the latest releases are gone. Now, each student is required to have their own iPad, which they use for a variety of activities, reading being only one; for these children, their standard format of reading will be through an electronic device, with paper books possibly becoming a thing of the past.

I spoke recently with the parent of two boys currently in the third grade at my former grade school. When I asked whether she agreed with her children growing up with only e-readers, her response was that while the school mandates the kids read on iPads, she buys traditional books for her children to read at home, as she believes her boys should be exposed to traditional books. She said most of the other parents maintain this practice, too. It makes sense why parents might go our of their way to keep print books around; many cognitive-development studies have been conducted on the use of e-readers versus traditional books by children. According to one such study, children were shown to be more engaged when reading a traditional book versus an e-book. The results showed children were more distracted when using an e-reader which led to less understanding of the material. This is a common trend of studies done on the differences in traditional versus e-books. In fact, a study conducted on college students showed similar results, with students having a greater understanding of the material when reading a traditional book versus an e-book. Holding these studies to be true, the benefits of traditional books show why they deserve longevity, even in the digital age.

Still, it will be up to the parents and educators of the youngest generation to keep the tradition of print alive. It is that next generation who will be the next consumers and who'll determine whether print survives into future generations.

About the Author

Evan Pomerance is a senior at Miami University with a major in Economics and a minor in Geography. He is originally from Louisville, KY, and following his graduation in May 2020 he will be moving to Chicago to work in commercial real estate.

Chuck Wendig's Aftermath Trilogy Made Me a Better Reader — and a Better Writer

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 18:31:00 +0000

The Aftermath trilogy isn’t just good for a fun Star Wars story; it also provides valuable lessons in accepting negative feedback from a galaxy far, far away. ♦

Not too long ago, in the galaxy we’ve all come to call home, Chuck Wendig wrote the Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy, cementing into the Star Wars canon new characters and new stories that would, as an avid reader and Star Wars fan, come to be some of my favorite books. The Aftermath trilogy takes place almost immediately after the events of Return of the Jedi, with the Empire attempting to regroup after the Battle of Endor and the Rebel Alliance working towards building a New Republic. The first novel, simply titled Star Wars: Aftermath, follows a mission to rescue the rebel pilot Wedge Antilles, who has been captured by Imperial forces converging at the planet Akiva.

The five new characters in the Aftermath trilogy embarking on this rescue mission are Rebel pilot Norra Wexley, her tech-savvy son Temmin, Zabrak bounty hunter Jas, Imperial defector Sinjir, and Temmin’s droid, Bones. The Aftermath trilogy also brings in characters that Star Wars fans already know and love: Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Mon Mothma, and the aforementioned Wedge Antilles. As a reader, I loved watching the characters introduced in the Aftermath trilogy grow and change throughout the three books, and the plots always amazed me and kept me on the edge of my seat. However, as someone who was doing double-duty by reading the trilogy as an author and a reader, I had a few complaints.

While the first book in the trilogy, Aftermath, is amazing, and I can definitely say I loved it, I found the way it was written to have more than a few flaws. The book is divided into four parts, with the chapters that make up each part punctuated at various points by short vignette chapters called interludes. Part 1 introduces the reader to the five new characters that the Aftermath trilogy follows and sets up the plot with the Empire converging on Akiva and Wedge being captured. However, the character introduction keeps going . . . and going . . . and going . . . and the characters don’t come together and start really advancing the plot until halfway through Part 2. As both a reader and a writer, I saw that as a serious problem. I noticed my interest in the book fading as I kept reading chapter after chapter of what each individual character was doing during their day, punctuated only by the occasional interlude where I got to read about what was happening on a random planet with random people and aliens. As a reader, I knew the characters had to meet at some point, and I got sick of it not happening. Once the characters finally met, however, the story really began to pick up, with chapter after chapter ending on cliffhangers that kept me reading. The characters began interacting and developing in ways that made me love them and want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

When I finished the book I expressed my admiration for it, as well as my frustration about the slow start, to my dad. He mentioned that the author, Chuck Wendig, had received lots of negative criticism for the way the book was written. I remember being shocked to hear that. A famous author, who got to write books for Star Wars, getting negative criticism?! I couldn’t believe it. As an aspiring writer, I found the news a little scary. What happened when I published a book of my own and got negative feedback saying how much everyone hated it? What happened when I hadn’t even gotten to the publishing stage and people were reading over my shoulder saying how much they hated my writing? Questions like these plagued me as I waited for the second book in the trilogy to be released. When I finally got my hands on the second Aftermath book, Life Debt, I went into it unsure what to expect. Would I get another book that started off so slow that the story didn’t really begin until halfway through Part 2, or would Wendig have listened to the feedback from Aftermath and improved his writing? My question was answered when I began reading the book and only set it down twice during the day, staying up until three in the morning to finish it because I was so enthralled by the story.

Star Wars: Aftermath: Life Debt became my favorite book immediately after that. The book made me laugh, it made me want to cry, made me more than once press the book to my skin as if I could absorb the emotions the characters were feeling through osmosis, emoting joy or rage or disgust at something that had happened. Chuck Wendig nearly went from one extreme to another with his slow start in Aftermath being traded for a book that really hits the ground running from Chapter 1 with Life Debt. But Wendig also struck the perfect balance by not throwing too much at the reader at once. He begins with a prologue that follows an unknown character, piquing the reader’s interest and preparing them for Chapter 1, and the action immediately gets to a gripping and thrilling start. I know as a reader I loved the book, but as a writer, I read the book and was blown away as I realized with each page that I was holding a great teaching tool in my hands.

Life Debt is an amazing piece of writing. While it’s no Pride and Prejudice, I still feel authors can learn much from this book, because I know I certainly did; it's a perfect balance of action, romance, horror, and humor, like when a baker puts the ingredients in just right to make the perfect soufflé. Every time I found myself gushing with emotion, I took note of what the author had done to make me feel that way. How had he gotten the characters to interact just so, how did he throw in just the right piece of dialogue, how had he made the setting and the tension just right to make the reader feel something so strongly? And the question that was on my mind the entire way through the book: How the heck did Chuck Wendig get from Point A to Point B?

I doubt I’ll ever truly know Mr. Wendig’s thought process that allowed him to create a piece of artwork like Life Debt after the shortcomings of Aftermath, but I do know that just in reading the two books he taught me a lot about how to be a good author. A good author takes criticism in stride and uses it to make their writing as amazing as possible, something Wendig did beautifully and something I struggle with as an author.

I’m currently working on a novel that I try to share exclusively with my boyfriend, and he’s told me he doesn’t always like to give me feedback or criticism because “you get upset when I do.” That’s not the author I want to be. As authors, we need to be approachable and to remember that criticism is not an attack on us or our work, it’s a chance to learn and be better and to find things that will make our stories even better. My boyfriend gave a suggestion for my story that has already made it a million times better, and I know being calm, collected, and thankful for the criticism and feedback rather than hostile and defensive was better for the both of us.

I want to be like Chuck Wendig one day and write a novel that makes readers overflow with emotion. And if it takes a not-so-great book to get there, so be it. Chuck Wendig’s graceful recovery is something I strive to emulate as an author, and I think every author should, too. How many authors would still be writing rather than sitting in their bedrooms brooding over the failure that ruined their career, when it was actually a learning opportunity that could have led to greatness?

The Aftermath trilogy was great in so many ways. All three books managed to reel me in and make me hungry for more. As a Star Wars fan, these novels are a great addition to your library and a fun way to learn about the hidden stories of the galaxy far, far away. As a reader, these are wonderful books that will keep you interested and engaged and make you fall in love with amazing, quirky characters. As a writer, this trilogy is an amazing teaching tool in pacing, accepting feedback and criticism, and using that to improve your writing. I’m so grateful I got to be a part of it and experience that journey, and I know for certain that the Force is with the Aftermath trilogy.

About the Author

Isabela Liu is a sophomore Creative Writing major with a minor in Spanish studying at Miami University. She hopes to obtain a job in the writing field upon graduation. When she’s not in class or doing homework, she likes to read, write, or help care for her brothers at home.

The Narrative Formula of Gourmet Makes

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 17:25:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Bon Appétit)

This show may not fill your stomach, but it will fill your soul. ♦

The internet has found a new person to lavish their love and adoration upon, and that person is Claire Saffitz. Saffitz is a contributing food editor to Bon Appétit and works in their test kitchen, the place where recipes are tried, tested, and made true. She also works as a video host for one of Bon Appétit’s most-watched series, Gourmet Makes. In this show, Saffitz is tasked with creating a gourmet version of a typically nostalgic snack and/or dessert food. This usually means simplifying the ingredients and almost always involves using kitchenware for unintended purposes, like using a salad spinner as a candy drum to coat M&M’s. The end result is not something the audience is expected to recreate, which inherently contradicts Bon Appétit’s purpose of sharing inventive recipes for home cooks, though this contradiction between the goal of the company and content of their popular YouTube channel actually says a lot about the evolution of YouTube as a form of media.

As YouTube gained popularity as an entertainment source, YouTubers made structured and heavily edited videos, often with a “how to” focus. This gave rise to overhead filmed food videos, as made famous by Buzzfeed’s Tasty, where users could conceivably follow the videos as a tutorial for how to make a food item. As YouTube evolved, the previously popular challenges, tags, and “then vs. now” videos gave way to vlog-style videos. These videos contain less editing and typically follow someone throughout their daily life, with all their rambling and moments of imperfection left in instead of edited out. This evolution of style can be seen even within distinct YouTuber’s personal evolutions. Emma Chamberlain and Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella, both started by making DIY and lookbook videos, but now create vlog content where their personalities come through more naturally and serve as the main intrigue factor of their videos. The genius of Gourmet Makes is that it combines both of these video styles: it contains some structure and editing but leaves in the moments where we see Saffitz’s personality through offhand conversations and (sometimes un)warranted complaints.

The narrative structure of Gourmet Makes is what keeps audiences coming back to experience the seemingly futile exercise of creating a gourmet version of a heavily processed food. Gourmet Makes videos are divided into three sections, which mirror the classic three act plot structure. Part One is the exploration phase, where the audience is introduced to the food item that Saffitz will attempt to recreate in a gourmet fashion, which becomes the “conflict” of the episode. Much like a novel, we are introduced to our main characters (“Hi I’m Claire from the BA Test Kitchen!”) who happen to be real people with Instagram accounts that allow us to continue to interact with them outside the narrative, and unlike a novel, the story for these characters never really ends. Part One contains repeated elements that act similarly to genre prescriptions in that they are included in each episode of the show: Saffitz always says, “And now for my favorite part, reading the ingredients”; different BA Test Kitchen staff talk about the nostalgia of the food item; Saffitz carries all of the different flavors of the food item by herself to clear her workspace; and she goes to the computer to research how the food item is made. These elements have become traditions that the audience can expect from each episode of Gourmet Makes, creating stability and structure that is reassuring to audiences.

Part Two is the trial and error phase where Saffitz tries different methods and ingredients for the gourmet version, tastes the result, and makes adjustments. In most episodes, Saffitz encounters a major stumbling block that forces her to almost completely start over, like failing to correctly temper chocolate to coat Snickers bars. She often complains about this obstacle, tries to give up, seeks comfort from her coworkers, reclaims her resolve, and begins again. Though Saffitz claims to not enjoy filming Gourmet Makes, because it seems pointless and she dislikes failure, she always finds a way forward. This major failure resembles the climax of a typical plot structure — it is the point where everything seems to go wrong. But, this is also the turning point of the video where Saffitz rises up and overcomes the obstacle, as we see in an exchange with Brad Leone, another food contributor of Bon Appétit and host of It’s Alive, in the "Snickers" episode:

SAFFITZ: “I’m just gonna call it quits."

LEONE: “No, that’s not the Claire we know!"

SAFFITZ: “No, that’s not the show."

In some ways, Saffitz is forced to overcome the obstacle for the sake of the video and enjoyment of the audience. Without this moment of near failure that turns into success, Gourmet Makes would not resemble a typical plot structure and would not be as satisfying and enjoyable to watch as it is.

Part Three represents the falling action and resolution in which Safftiz successfully conquers whatever challenges she encountered in Part Two and runs through how one would replicate the process she went through to make the final product. It’s implied that the audience is not expected to follow this process, which reveals that Part Three serves not educational purposes, but narrative ones.

Fans of the show often go so far as to post #IWDFCFTBATK (I would die for Claire Saffitz from the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen) on social media and ironically wonder why they enjoy watching her mess up. But it’s not that they enjoy watching Saffitz fail, they enjoy watching her rise to a challenge and overcome it. It’s cathartic, just like every other three act narrative, the audience experiences the plot right alongside the character. When they rise, we rise. Gourmet Makes is telling the same story that has been told from the beginning of time, they’re just doing it with food. It’s made even more satisfying because this plot isn’t manufactured or fiction; it happens naturally in each episode. YouTube content like Gourmet Makes is essentially the gourmet version of a fictional movie or literature plot, only it is more organic and less-processed, while still allowing the audience to feel filled.

About the Author

Emma Naille is a sophomore at Miami University studying Creative Writing and Interactive Media Studies. She is from Granville, Ohio, and is passionate about storytelling, food, and the power of quiet. Emma is involved with UP Magazine and is a Young Life leader at Lakota East High School (go hawks!).

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do All the Large-Print Books Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 17:25:00 +0000

How publishing has gotten its large print offerings so wrong . . . and how we can all help fix it. ♦

If the grandmothers of the world are anything like mine, they live in a home filled absolutely to the bursting with books. Once they were a fine diverse mix, she being a schoolteacher, but as of late they’ve narrowed to fall mostly within the same categories—a retiree solving food-themed murder mysteries in Florida, perhaps, or the latest Rush Limbaugh book.

I once devoured whole books in a single setting, spent my nights with my sheet propped up above my head with one hand, a book held open with another, and a flashlight stuffed into my mouth. I was someone who read in the back of classrooms during lessons and at the wall with a book open during recess. Unfortunately, I lost the majority of my vision in high school. I walk with a cane and now consume most of my textbooks and pleasure reading through a screen reader.

I can’t read Braille (not well, in any case) and reading on a screen grows stale after 800 pages. As I’m sure many of the more passionate readers out there sympathize with, I still crave the feel, the appearance, the smell of a book; there’s something about turning the pages that no digital swipe can replace. Unfortunately, I also can’t read small type anymore; I’m dependent on screen readers or large-print texts. And even these, as it turns out, are hard to come by for a reader like me.

My grandmother is who publishers market to when producing large-print books. These are often books ghost-written for some Fox News pundit, or cookbooks with thirty casseroles in them, or the latest in a series of murder mysteries named after various desserts. They certainly aren’t thinking of twenty-something college students interested in fantasy adventure books in the vein of Lord of the Rings, or shocking historical tales starring daring seamstresses-turned-spies escaping Nazi Germany with only their wits. Unfortunately, this leaves young low-vision and legally blind people isolated from the literature-loving community, since they can’t access the same titles currently sweeping YA circles and literary fiction cliques.

As with most issues concerning disability, this is an intersectional issue. By producing a greater variety of books in large print, elderly people would have access to different materials, not just those dictated by the mass of their age group. People who suffer from dyslexia would also have an easier time reading the books their peers rave about. Anyone who suffers from migraines—even just the pain and strain that comes along with a long day’s work—would find it easier to read a large-print book.

Likewise, on Amazon, most books available to customers in the large-print category (with the exception of a few big bestsellers like The Girl On The Train and Fifty Shades of Grey) are catered toward seniors. When checking the day’s bestsellers, I found that only two of the top fifteen books were also available in large print, and neither of these were books catered toward young adults.

Publishers need to be more inclusive with their publications. Their actions to this point indicate they are focused solely on profits. The pressure needs to come not just from individual readers, though you have the power to advocate for these, but from those who have the ear of the publishers: the booksellers. Without the booksellers, they make no profit. Without readers, booksellers can’t scrape a living.

I promise I’m not trying to villainize your favorite independent bookstore. They are likely barely affording to pay their employees, just scraping a profit. Large-scale corporate affairs are those who can make the change towards widespread large-print availability. Reach out on social media, contact higher-ups in booksellers like Barnes and Noble, Books and Co. Do the same for the Twitter accounts of Big Five publishers. Reach out to university presses and ask that they publish large-print versions of their materials.

People with disabilities cannot make this monumental change alone. We need help from our neighbors, our peers, our professors and friends. It’s something which can only be achieved by a wave of people, all demanding the same thing from a greedy system which cares nothing for inclusion and thirsts for profits. And they won’t do anything without a widespread call for change from the general public.

Open your favorite book right now and close your eyes. Take in the smell. Feel the pages beneath your fingertips. Read the first page, get lost in the words . . . there’s no screen reader or online book that can replicate that feeling. Shouldn’t everyone get to experience that for as long as they’re able?

About the Author

Shelby Rice is currently a sophomore at Miami University, where she studies Creative Writing and AYA English Education, as well as pursuing an English Literature minor. She is treasurer for Oxford's chapter of YDSA and is editor-in-chief for a leftist magazine centered in that same town. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, she is biding her time until Starfleet is established; in the meantime, you can find her in any nearby library, worrying over whether or not the amulet she bought from Goodwill for three dollars is cursed.

Food Editors to YouTube Sensation: How Bon Appétit Changed Food Editing as We Know It

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 21:27:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Bon Appétit)

This classic food magazine found a new audience online and became a social media star in the process. See what Bon Appétit is cooking up next on YouTube. ♦

In 2012 Bon Appétit created its very own YouTube channel featuring a series of simple recipe tutorials. Fast forward to 2020 and Bon Appétit has managed to establish themselves among the ranks of popular YouTube content creators. What makes their rise to fame so unique is the way in which the company has managed to step outside of their traditional magazine format to promote not only their recipes, but the whole cast and crew of food editors working in the Bon Appétit test kitchen. Not only has Bon Appétit transformed themselves through their YouTube presence, but they have had an influence on the marketing of traditionally written content like magazines as a whole.

When people hear the Bon Appétit name it is likely that they now associate the company with the series of fun videos that have been posted online, but this wasn’t always the case. The company got its start in the 1950s, a time when magazines were still enough to draw in a significant readership. While the company still offers a print subscription on their site, they seem to have realized that they wouldn’t be able to survive on their magazine alone in the growing digital age. As times have changed, so too has the format and content of Bon Appétit. In an effort to stay up to date and continue to draw in readers the company launched a YouTube channel to take their brand to the next level. The channel’s early videos were largely overhead how-tos and interview style recipe sharing that more or less blended into the thousands of other videos being posted at the time. While Bon Appétit’s early videos seemed to copy popular video trends, the company nevertheless continued to experiment in hopes that the videos they produced would be enough to gain the attention they were after.

It wasn’t until Bon Appétit started to do their own thing and experiment with a series of different video styles that their YouTube channel really started to take off. Introducing more hands-on tutorials with fun and exciting plot lines along with the addition of a whole cast of food editors seemed to be the recipe for success that Bon Appétit had been looking for. It appears that while Bon Appétit had originally attempted to extend their magazine format online, the key to growth was to reinvent themselves and give viewers a sneak peak of what really goes on in the Bon Appétit test kitchen. Not only were people watching to learn how to cook, but suddenly Bon Appétit had tapped into a world of entertainment as well. The takeoff of their YouTube success can in a large part be attributed to the introduction of a few lucrative series on their channels. Some of their more popular series include Gourmet Makes hosted by Claire Saffitz and It's Alive hosted by Brad Leone. These particular series have established Bon Appétit as an entity outside of their physical magazine and as a result their audience has expanded tremendously.

While Bon Bon Appétit’s success can largely be attributed to their YouTube series there is also something to be said for the other use of multimedia Bon Appétit has introduced alongside their YouTube channel. Starting as solely a print company they have slowly become more inclusive in their interactions with online and multimedia formats. Alongside their magazine and YouTube channel, the company owns and runs a fairly successful online website where users can go to find recipes from some of their most popular videos along with a whole host of online exclusive content. Bon Appétit’s website also features some of their newest videos alongside their written content for a truly multimodal experience. The company uses a number of successful social media accounts, including Instagram, which not only serves to highlight the recipes they are working on, but also helps the company establish themselves in the digital age while continuing to provide a crossover in content for their fans. This once again helps them stand out in the traditionally print industry. Outside of the company Instagram most of the editors have their own accounts where they not only share the latest recipes they’ve been working on, but also shed light into each editor’s personal life outside of the Bon Appétit test kitchen. This allows readers to get to know their favorite editors in a much more informal environment. Bon Appétit’s expansion into digital serves not only as a means of entertainment, but as a way for readers to feel as though they have joined a community through their subscription to the brand in all of its entities.

While Bon Appétit seems to have found the winning formula for enduring the digital age, they are not alone in expanding what it means to be a food magazine in the modern era. Because of the relative success that the company has found in their online presence, other food magazines and publishing entities have begun to follow suit in an attempt to keep their companies alive. Magazines like Delish are taking cues from Bon Appétit and reinventing themselves with an online presence. This can all be boiled down to the way in which these companies are attempting to attract new readers.

Not only has Bon Appétit established themselves as a well-known YouTube channel, they have also managed to find a new way to continue magazine subscription growth. First and foremost, Bon Appétit is a magazine. While their YouTube channel has had recognizable success, it all began because the company was looking for a way to increase their readership in a younger audience. This has helped them ensure that the Bon Appétit name is one that will live on in the increasingly tech savvy generations. The company's introduction came at a time when cooking didn’t need to reach a digital audience, but Bon Appétit’s YouTube presence and subsequent success proves that in order to continue spreading culinary knowledge they must do so in a contemporary and accessible form.

About the Author

Natalie Citro is a senior at Miami University where she studies English Literature with a minor in Interactive Media Studies. Natalie also works in the university’s English department where she is a student assistant charged with creating a variety of posters for department events throughout the year.

Pacing—the Rhythm of Words

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 21:26:00 +0000

By improving pacing, you can magnify your voice and enhance your writing. ♦

Those who understand basic music theory and writing can certainly point out the similarities between that which we hear and that which we read.

The pauses and key changes, the diminuendos and accelerandos, are made audible by the punctuation we use when we type. Someone who is decent at sight-reading may be able to hear the song before ever playing out what’s written on a paper, because they know the sound the chords make. Just as a reader may hear a voice inside their head reciting whatever their eyes are gazing at with the emotions conveyed within the story.

With this is mind, pacing is a key aspect of all writing. When I say pacing, I am including the rhythm of a piece, as well as the rate at which a story unfolds. Rhythm, stylistic as it may seem, is integral in determining both the speed at which a scene flows, and the feelings that follow. Rhythm is indicated in multiple ways: by syllables, punctuation, paragraph structure; even by the occasional, “he/she spoke as fast as he/she could.”

Whether you want to think about it or not, your writing has a rhythm to it. This article has it. This example of quipped speech has it: “‘Oh my God! You’re so dumb. Too dumb. I can’t believe it.’”

As do long, mellifluous sentences, which drain in a steady stream from the brain to the keyboard, to the laptop screen, emulating a beautiful choral piece such as those held in brilliantly designed Russian cathedrals.

Now keep in mind—let this worm wiggle into your ear—that poor pacing can make readers frustrated, annoyed, perhaps miserable. Though some readers may take pride in getting through the lengthy prose of Gothic romance and later works like Les Misérables, the typical reader would almost certainly prefer to read five 200 to 400 paged novels than one behemoth of a novel that requires multiple look-overs per page just to process the actual plot points that are present in it.

This is not to say that a lengthy book is worse than one that is shorter and easier to read—much can be gained from longer works with advanced use of the English lexicon. A short book can be a total waste of time and an atrocious experience to get through as well, and just as unreadable if the author fails to get an editor and goes straight to self-publishing on Amazon. Poor pacing, whether in sentences that are often interrupted by a period, too many commas, or are too long, is a detriment to what could be an enjoyable work of art.

So, like any song, it is important to include variation in the rhythm. Consider this:

I would like to sing. I do it all the time. Can’t you see me doing it for a living? I want to perform! That would be a dream come true. We all have dreams. And those dreams are special. Each and every one.

These are all short, end-stopped sentences. But not all of them require their own sentence, and could be attached to another line. For example, these three abrupt lines

We all have dreams. And those dreams are special. Each and every one.

This could easily become:

We all have dreams, and those dreams are special. Each and every one.

Keeping the last sentence short adds impact to what is being said. However, if these were still three short sentences, equally weighted, it would minimize the extra umph of the final one being shorter, making it carry less impact.

Now, let’s analyze the first few sentences.

I would like to sing. I do it all the time. Can’t you see me doing it for a living? I want to perform! That would be a dream come true…

This could be changed to:

I would like to sing—I do it all the time. Can’t you see me doing it for a living? I want to perform! That would be a dream come true.

By simply changing a period to an em dash, less space is added between the first and second sentence. In fact, it reads as rushed, as if the person speaking is excited about what they are saying. The original way this was written made them sound more robotic. All together now, the new paragraph reads as follows:

I would like to sing—I do it all the time. Can’t you see me doing it for a living? I want to perform! That would be a dream come true. We all have dreams, and those dreams are special. Each and every one.

But wait—something else can be done to make this paragraph flow better, which would likewise improve its pacing. Maybe making it two paragraphs instead will help?

I would like to sing—I do it all the time. Can’t you see me doing it for a living? I want to perform! That would be a dream come true.

We all have dreams, and those dreams are special. Each and every one.

Now consider the overall beat of the sentence fragments. Clap along, if you want:

versus

The pacing of this paragraph, as indicated by the number above the line which is where the emphasis falls on the sentence and its duration, is important in maintaining a proper rise and fall in how it reads. All writing can be equated to music and math. It might be 15 vs. 14.5, but the difference is noticeable.

Imagine reading a book that is only written in a frequent duration of 1, with short sentences that all sound alike in their rhythm. That gets old rather quickly.

For moments of greater emphasis, shorter sentences may be used to build more urgency in the narrative. There should be limited unnecessary info given in action-oriented scenes, whereas there can be greater details and longer sentences when setting a story and developing the plot, as well as during the falling action.

Focusing on craft and the writing itself is good to do during the editing process. If you are not familiar with varying the sentence patterns and paragraph structures as you are writing, it is something that can be worked on after writing the rough draft.

Some writers will have an easier time finding their own unique voice, as well as figuring out how to keep their voice without stubbornly sticking to one rhythm.

However, it is an area that can be greatly improved, for all writers.

So get to it.

About the Author

Icarus O'Brien-Scheffer is an undergraduate student at Miami University. He is a writer of fantasy adventure novels, short horror stories, and poetry. Follow him on Twitter and on Instagram. If you would like to seek him for beta reading services, he can be found on the online database violetanedkova.com.

We’re Holding Out for a Hero(ine): A Look at Leading Women

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Bates) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 21:21:00 +0000

Both Marvel and DC have highly anticipated female-led superhero films on the horizon. So far, the advantage goes to DC. ♦

Here is something I thought I would never utter: I now find myself having a deeper appreciation for the DC cinematic universe.

As a young girl I was surrounded by male superheroes. I grew up loving Spider-Man and Thor, and I remember loving the upside-down kiss between Mary Jane and Peter Parker, but for some reason, I never wondered why I wasn’t seeing a woman save the world. Now, after seeing over a decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I am woefully underwhelmed by their lack of female leads. Though I was happy to see powerful women as secondary characters throughout the first four phases of the MCU, they were still secondary characters. I have lived through a lifetime of male superheroes getting their own trilogies while female characters serve as love interests or helping hands. This is not to discredit these characters I have seen; the female characters in Black Panther were particularly inspiring. Shuri is funny and smart as hell. Okoye is a fierce warrior. Yet, they do not get their own films.

In 2019 Marvel came out with its first female-led superhero origin film, Captain Marvel (something DC had already done two years prior with Wonder Woman). It took Marvel eleven years after the start of the MCU, with 2008's Iron Man, to release their first female-led film, and even with a 152-million-dollar budget, a number of collaborating writers, and Marvel Studios’ resources at their disposal, the movie still dropped the ball in creating a well-rounded female character. Much of the failure of Captain Marvel lies in what seems to be the pressure of (finally) addressing societal/gender issues in their cinematic lineup. How can one woman be expected to bear the weight of over a decade’s worth of no representation?

The writers didn’t give the character much of a head start, as we begin the movie with a woman who has no idea who she is. Stuck on an alien planet with no concept of her identity, her

Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel

personality is very slow to form, making her a boring one-dimensional character. Ironically, men and women alike in this film constantly comment that she is “too emotional,” though she is often about as emotional as a piece of wood.

I see what the filmmakers are trying to say . . . and many other women do, too. This is a part of our narrative. (“You’re too emotional”; “Are you on your period?”; “Women aren’t fit for this job, they’re too sensitive”; and so on.) This would be warranted, if Carol Danvers actually acted like a human being, but instead we’re given a leading woman with no memory, no identity, no sense of self, and ultimately no personality.

Carol is only given some semblance of self through flashbacks, but the memories that define her are not diverse. We see her getting beaten in a race by a boy, yelled at by her father, heckled by men in her squad, and insulted by a gross man asking her, “You know why they call it a cockpit, right?” She is dominated by a narrative of “You can never succeed because you’re in the world of men.” Again, this is a righteous narrative, though it’s not fleshed out well because she is so drowned in these ideas that the writers forgot to give her a personality. Carol even says herself, three quarters of the way into the film, “I don’t even know who I am!” I’m not sure who she is, either.

Carol is less of a person than a cypher through which to address gender issues. And while the toxic commentary from random male characters in the film (like, “You should smile more”) are issues that women unfortunately have experienced, myself included, they feel haphazardly forced into the film and undermine the feminist hope of a fun, kickass female superhero. What the film lacks is balance between addressing this realistic narrative while also creating a strong, personable heroine.

***
When I picture an ideal female superhero, I envision something more like Wonder Woman, or even Harley Quinn.

Yes, DC does it better.

Wonder Woman, coming out two years before Captain Marvel, set a good precedent that women can be strong, smart, caring, and handle a love interest without it letting consume her storyline. Wonder Woman comes from an entire island of beautiful Amazonian goddesses who possess unimaginable strength and a great female bond that connects them all. She falls in love with Steve Trevor, the very handsome Chris Pine, but this love interest, like all superhero love interests, does not dominate the main plot or Wonder Woman’s goals. Diana represents a real hero: offering hope when there is no one else, making a path for others, and standing for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Diana is inspiring and empowering, and the camera gives her agency rather than lingering on or sexualizing her character, as it has done previously to Black Widow, Gamora, or even the version of Diana presented in Justice League (no thanks to a different director).

The scene in which Diana crosses “No Man’s Land” is exactly the kind of heroic moment I know my younger self would love to see:

Harley Quinn, first introduced back in 2016’s Suicide Squad, landed her own film this year in Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn. Though this film does similar work to Captain Marvel in addressing issues like abuse and sexual assault, it’s more successful as a film precisely because Harley Quinn is a more exciting and dynamic female superhero to watch. In fact, it’s important to make a distinction between the Harley Quinn of Birds of Prey and Suicide Squad. In the previous film, Harley Quinn is often sexualized by the camera, and she’s presented as subservient to the Joker. After the movie’s release, unfortunately, some even romanticized their relationship, though it’s clearly presented as highly toxic and abusive.

But Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey gets revamped. The film acknowledges her relationship with the Joker, but Harley is able to grow from this experience, and it’s this growth that’s important and empowering. Harley Quinn realizes that she is not boxed in by the harlequin metaphor, a mute jester for someone else’s entertainment. She has her own agency and self-worth outside of her relationships. She proves, too, that female superheroes can be funny, just like their male counterparts. While Carol Danvers feels the need to be stoic, silent, almost masculine in representation, Harley Quinn is chaotic, fun, comedic, and a diversified feminist character. (As an added bonus, the film’s soundtrack is done by all female artists.)

Was the movie amazing? Is Birds of Prey perfect? No. Granted, it had a relatively modest budget (for a superhero film) of 84 million dollars, and there were certainly some cringy moments and things I didn’t like about the film. But the character of Harley Quinn was not one of them. Marvel still seems to have a better handle on their cinematic universe and overall storytelling, but when it comes to writing leading women, DC has the upper hand . . . so far. Marvel’s Black Widow comes out soon (though its release date has been pushed back in response to the coronavirus pandemic), and I’m excited to see her origin story and how it can help her character develop, given that, ten years after her character was introduced in Iron Man 2, we still know very little about her, other than she was a Russian spy. Hopefully, Marvel can take this opportunity to inspire young women and help them feel represented . . . and maybe, down the road, Marvel will put its billions of dollars to good use in creating even more female superhero origin stories.

I think back to what I would have been inspired by as a young woman. A superheroine is not simply someone with otherworldly powers; she’s a strong woman who is simultaneously relatable and inspiring. She is multidimensional and, like all people, she is layered. She has fears and desires, she gets up when she is beaten down. She is someone we could hope to turn to in a time of panic. She can be strong without sacrificing femininity. I hope that we can have more leading women we can look up to who are not solely defined by the politics of gender but are able to battle these ongoing issues in a way that does not undermine their own stories and personhood. I hope we can continue to refine and redefine what it means to be a heroic woman.

About the Author

Katie King is a graduating senior at Miami University of Ohio, where she studies creative writing and film. In her free time she loves to read and write fiction, play guitar, and snuggle with her very chonky cat Teddy.

The Creative’s Question

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Bates) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 21:27:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Alice Dietrich)

Creativity can be hard to define. “Being a creative” shouldn’t be. ♦

Over the past few years there has been a shift in the language (and the thinking) around the word creative. Before, people would say that "being creative" was an aspect of their personality, the kind of vague descriptor that might have been given to you by a loving mother or an excited art teacher in elementary school. But in recent years the word has gone from being an adjective to a noun, and those who once considered their creativity a skill now use it to define a very broad skillset, if not their entire professional identity.

In a world of ever-increasing, always-available content, the “creative identity” has emerged as a kind of catch-all producer of dynamic and varied media. Graphic designers, writers, artists, photographers, podcasters, video essayists, and many more have set aside past job descriptors and claimed the creative identity as a flexible, adaptable, and highly employable title for what they do, and for the many talents they can bring to a business. What’s so intriguing is that there are no set qualifiers to be deemed a creative—there are no licenses, accreditations, or PhDs to obtain. Creativity seems to be in the eyes of the creative, and even defining it can feel wrong because of the very essence of what it represents: newness, imagination, innovation, inspiration. In other words, creativity can often feel like an abstract concept, and defining it can seem as elusive as plucking a snowflake from wet pavement.

But for creatives looking to earn a living from their work, that’s a problem.

“I see creatives all the time that don’t know their worth or what they are actually valued at,” says Michaela Mitchell, a recruiter for Creatives on Call, a staffing company that connects creatives with top employers. “Some companies think creatives aren’t worth investing in,” Mitchell says, not because they don’t think creatives are worth the money, but the opposite: “They think they are too expensive, not worth it...”

Maybe part of this discrepancy comes from that age-old tension between art and commerce: there’s the romanticism of doing art for the sake of beauty alongside the reality that people, creatives included, need to pay rent and buy groceries. Even more troubling, there are sometimes misunderstandings around the basic idea that creative work is indeed work and, as such, ought to be compensated.

“With the word ‘creative’ people assume pottery, whimsical. People don’t take it seriously as compared to people who say, ‘I am a scientist,’” Mitchell says. “I see an undervaluing of creatives in business.”

Instead of unlocking a world of colorful possibilities, identifying as a “creative” might be a greater detriment than benefit, precisely because of the misunderstandings around the term and what it means. However, according to Mitchell, there are bright spots that creators can cling to, particularly when dealing with companies that recognize the need for strong creative.

“Some companies more than others value [creatives’ work], like Procter & Gamble. They see the worth in investment. It’s obviously [also] a lot about their budget.”

Companies need creatives now more than ever in order to stay competitive in an ever-growing and connected world, and this provides enormous opportunity for creatives—whether designers or writers or those with talents across media and genres—to explore the freedom to create whatever identity they feel encompasses their ability. But they have to be prepared for the world to question them and to be ready to demonstrate their value, both to companies and for their own understanding of their talents and (financial) worth.

Here are some simple, helpful things creatives can do to make sure they’re clearly defining who they are, what talents and skills they bring to their work, and how these can be of benefit to potential clients:

	Be confident in your worth. Evaluate your abilities, portfolio, and skills in order to walk boldly into professional settings and not get short-changed. This might involve updating your skillset, making an online portfolio, or pursuing different avenues of creativity; it will be different for every creative!
	Don't be trapped by comfort. It is very easy to get onto one track as a creative and pursue it exclusively—why not explore a little? Be open to different and foreign ways of creating, because it might just land you a pretty sweet gig, and also awaken new passions you didn’t know you had.
	Don’t get hung up on definitions.Due to the endless media platforms, it can become difficult to define yourself to one or the other. Instead of focusing on your title, turn your focus to what you are trying to accomplish. The best way to showcase your ability is through your work/portfolio, and many times, success looks a lot more like a hodgepodge rather than a streamline. You can read more about how other creatives have flourished unconventionally here.

About the Author

Carrie Bantz is a senior Marketing major and Creative Writing minor enrolled at Miami University who is interested in nonprofit work or ministry following graduation. She is a proud third generation Redhawk, and in her spare time you can find her reading, singing, playing piano or guitar mediocrely, or hanging out with her sweet friends.

The “Insta-Activist”: Revolutions in Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 17:17:00 +0000

Could Instapoetry create a more socially conscious and equitable world? ♦

In recent years, “Instapoetry” has revolutionized the ways in which individuals interact with and think about poetry. These short, sharable poems are designed to circulate widely across social media platforms like Instagram (hence the name “Instapoetry”) and have achieved a massive following. “Instapoets” like Rupi Kaur, Atticus, and Nikita Gill boast millions of followers on their social media accounts. Many of these writers have even signed to Big-Five publishers and had their work transformed into full-length collections.

While Instapoetry has captivated the public, it remains hugely controversial among more “traditional” poets. Some, like Texan poet Thom Young, decry Instapoetry as “fake” poetry and cite its simplistic, direct language as being void of artistry. Others, however, praise Instapoetry as a useful gateway into the often intimidating and unpopular genre.

However, these raging debates largely ignore a crucial aspect of Instapoetry: its work to inspire social activism and call attention to injustices. Scroll through @rupikaur_’s Instagram account (or flip through her bestseller, milk and honey) and you’ll discover dozens of poems that register Kaur’s experiences as a person of color, a daughter of immigrants, and a survivor of sexual violence. Still other Instapoets, particularly Morgan Harper Nichols, advocate for mental health awareness and better self-care practices. While these activist-minded poems appear intermixed with works about romance and heartbreak, they constitute a significant and growing part of the Instapoet culture online.

Many of the so-called weaknesses of Instapoems make them well-suited for the social justice work they engage in — particularly their “simplistic” and straightforward language. Take the following two phrases as an example: “if you have never/stood with the oppressed/there is still time” and “stand up for all/stop the/separation.” These two messages share a great deal in common: they have brief word counts, encourage activism on behalf of oppressed peoples, employ direct language, and are similarly organized with enjambed line breaks. However, they come from two wildly different sources: the latter appeared on a protest sign at a 2018 march against President Trump’s immigration policy, while the former is an Instapoem taken from Kaur’s Instagram account. Though the parallels between these genres may be coincidental, their underlying strategies are very intentional. The “Instapoem style” is designed to be accessible; the poems’ brevity entices readers with a low-commitment experience, and their pithy, direct language communicates their message clearly. Readers aren’t asked to think critically about the heavy metaphor or image to identify a poem’s message. Instead, they’re asked to criticize the real-world structures and society that oppress certain groups of people.

Many Instapoets also combine their text with images, further emulating the messaging strategies that protest signs use. The type and arrangement of image vary from poet to poet: Kaur supplements nearly every one of her poems with a minimalist line drawing, while Atticus often experiments with photography and typeface. Nonetheless, this attention to the visual both reinforces the message that the text conveys and encourages readers to pause when they encounter the poem. In yet another of her pieces, Kaur does just this, combining a drawing of a woman’s dripping breasts and genitals with the text, “you want to keep/the blood and the milk hidden/as if the womb and breast/never fed you.” The startling image does a great deal of work for the poem: it both hooks the reader and illustrates the oppression (and suppression) that women’s bodies often face. Ultimately, it’s not difficult to imagine this piece as a highly effective protest sign at the annual Women’s March.

Another commonly criticized aspect of Instapoetry is the home it finds on social media. At best, critics argue that this platform imbues the poems with superficiality; at worst, they conflate its popularity and high visibility with capitalist greed and egocentrism. It’s true that Instapoets write like they’re running a business, churning out poems at a rapid pace to keep their social media feeds fresh and engaging. They even supplement their poems with gimmicks: Atticus keeps his true identity a secret, teasing his followers with photos of himself wearing a mask, while Kaur intermixes her poems with dramatic, model-esque photos of herself in couture dresses. As influencers with a wide following (Kaur nears four million followers on Instagram), Instapoets have a responsibility to use their platforms for good — to speak out against injustice. However, they simultaneously owe themselves the freedom to write and express themselves creatively. This tension is unlikely to disappear, but is perhaps less problematic than it first seems. For example, Kaur’s photos could be seen as empowering images, particularly for women of color.

The goal of any social justice movement is not only to change the laws and policies that perpetuate oppression but to change the culture that accepts them. As far-reaching cultural hubs, social media platforms are particularly suited to host poems about social justice movements. Not only do they reach an expansive and diverse audience, but they also submerge the poems alongside users’ news feeds and their friends’ posts. They directly remind social media users to acknowledge their own inherent biases and provide a counter-narrative to the “trolling” and bias interwoven into these platforms.

Personally, I believe the first true “Insta-Activist”— the first poet to take full advantage of the Instapoem style and the affordances of social media — is yet to be seen. While poets like Kaur have made great strides in opening conversations about race and gender inequality, the majority of their work still centers on other themes. As of now, Instapoety has done the most good for the secluded (and often antiquated) poetry sections in bookstores; now, living poets’ works occupy a place in the storefront, alongside bestselling fiction and celebrity memoirs. Nonetheless, the potential to use Instapoetry for social activism remains powerful and instills the work with an immediacy and visibility that more traditional poets aren’t always afforded. When the revolution finally comes, you can rest assured that it will be posted to Instagram.

About the Author
Elizabeth Brueggemann is a Professional Writing and Creative Writing double major at Miami University. In her free time, she enjoys writing her own poetry and creative non-fiction, creating playlists for her friends, and skydiving.

The Wattpad Celebrity

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 17:16:00 +0000

Self-publishing: It's more powerful than you think. ♦

"If only I had known what was to come.”

These are the final words of Anna Todd’s novel After, and while its protagonist Tessa feels this way about falling in love with a reckless boy named Harry, these ending words could just as easily apply to Todd’s life as a writer. At twenty-three years old, Anna Todd was a young author without any connections or experience in the publishing industry. Like so many aspiring writers, she was a novice with a dream and a slim chance of achieving it. Flash forward seven years and that inexperienced twenty-three-year-old is now a New York Times Bestseller, with multiple novels published by Simon & Schuster and a film adaptation of her debut novel on Netflix. So, you might ask, how did she do it?

The answer is simple: Wattpad.

From basic romance novels to niche fandoms, Wattpad is extremely accessible, allowing writers to skip the seemingly endless journey of traditional publishing. If you were to wake up one day with a story, all you need to do is write, click “publish,” and instantaneously your creative work is available to millions of people. Though self-publishing on Wattpad won’t bring you immediate fame and fortune, it can give you real-world feedback, which is key in developing your work as writer.

Self-publishing often has a connotation that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of writers who strive for success in traditional publishing. However, it is not an act of desperation nor a last-ditch effort, but a springboard for gaining an audience, drawing attention, and eventually starting a career. In traditional publishing, getting a piece to the literary market could take years. Many authors lose control of marketing and creative decisions to an editor and publishing company, where creative works are expected to fit a certain brand. Self-publishing, on the other hand, gives authors complete control of marketing, the turnaround period, and royalties. When you self-publish, your creativity is free and unhinged, and you can show the world your own brand.

There are many ways to self-publish, but Wattpad seems to have taken the world by storm. With over eighty million users, the website has turned the feared world of self-publishing into a culture. Also known as Wattpaders, authors are free to post, comment, like, and share with no limitations. The culture of the platform has shown that self-publishing is a powerful tool through its ability to grab the world’s attention. Returning to Anna Todd, in 2013 she created an account on Wattpad under the username “imaginator1D” and began posting a story chapter by chapter. Todd’s love for the boy band One Direction and singer Harry Styles led her to create a fanfiction about the romance between college student Tessa and Harry. Thinking no one would care to read it, she posted her chapters for After in her free time for fun, until her story started getting upwards of a million reads. With After now standing at 623 million reads, Anna had stumbled into a success she never dreamed was possible. Now that she had the world’s attention, the publishing and entertainment industries began to look her way. On October 21st 2014, Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, made Anna Todd’s One Direction fanfiction available on Amazon, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play. Starting at ninety-nine cents a copy, the novel now sells for ten dollars on sites like Amazon. Five years later, After was made into a major motion picture.

Anna Todd wasn’t the only Wattpader to find this success; numerous Wattpad authors have been published by big publishing companies, among them Beth Reeks, whose novel The Kissing Booth was published by Random House and later turned into a popular Netflix movie. These writers were novices when they decided to self-publish and show the world what they had to offer, and it paid off. Not everyone who self-publishes is going to get a movie and publishing deal, but Wattpad is always going to be there, waiting for the next writer to grab the world’s attention. So perhaps it’s time to dust off that novel you’ve been scribbling down in a notebook, open that file on your computer where a story has been hiding for a couple years, and click “publish.”

You’ve got nothing to lose.

About the Author

Claire Cummings is a Creative Writing and Media and Culture double major at Miami University. As a senior, she plans to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree and pursue a career in television producing and entertainment marketing in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, she enjoys writing fiction novels and screenplays, film production, and acting.

It's Time to Rethink the High School Literature Curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 17:15:00 +0000

The high school curriculum should instill a love of books, not a fear. ♦

When I was a kid, I loved reading. There was something so incredible to me about stories, the ability to turn words on a page into vivid scenes in my head. I frequently made my parents drive me to the library or Barnes & Noble to look for new releases and would often be working on multiple books at a time. Then, in high school, I began to lose interest in reading, when the time I spent reading books for leisure was supplanted by time spent reading books for my English class. I found these experiences to be much different. Reading for class forced me to go beyond the experience of simply enjoying a story. Now, I was introduced to literary analysis and forced to scan for themes, motifs, and symbols. I quickly found that Hamlet did not hold my interest in the way that Diary of a Wimpy Kid did. Reading became a chore, and I stopped looking for books to read outside of school. I felt defeated. This begs the question: how can we change high school English classes to instill a love of books rather than a fear of them? The answer, I believe, lies in contemporary literature.

While of course there's merit in reading the classics, incorporating contemporary literature allows for more accessibility, bringing in new perspectives that older books cannot provide. Books written within the last twenty years would be far more relatable and easier to read for an audience of high school students. And many students likely don't know what they’re missing out on in the current world of fiction.

There are those who would argue that Shakespeare’s plays and Greek tragedies are the most educational works of literature, so they should form the core curriculum of a standard English class. The question needs to be asked, though – are these perennially included because they're among the greatest works of literature, or just the most ubiquitous? The standard Western canon has dictated the way we teach entire generations of students, but who is to say whether Shakespeare or Hemingway have more literary merit than, say, Junot Díaz or Lauren Groff?

There's also an inherent problem with assigning books that use archaic language and deal with themes that high schoolers are not interested in: they just won’t read them. It ends up deterring their motivation to read and decreasing their interest in books altogether. More often than not, when faced with a difficult text, high schoolers will turn to SparkNotes or some other summary website, which ends up defeating the purpose of assigning a book in the first place. When the reading audience can’t even get past the language being used, it is impossible to pick up on the deeper nuance of the text.

Contemporary literature also offers the opportunity to bring more diverse voices into high school classrooms. Books that make up the standard curriculum are largely written by (dead) white men, and many students never see themselves reflected in the books they read. Better representation can lead to greater interest. Schools across the country are making strides to be more inclusive in many aspects; why not in the curriculum?

Incorporating contemporary literature in classrooms also allows classes to focus on current issues in and through fiction, encouraging students to be active readers post-graduation. English classes should teach more than just how to read a book; they have the potential to teach us why we should read. Books are more than just tools for analysis; they are reflections of varied experiences and lifestyles that can broaden our horizons and help us see the world in new ways.

The statistics on teenagers’ reading habits are clear: high schoolers today are reading far less than they were just thirty years ago. A study conducted by Common Sense Media found that the number of 17-year-olds who say they “never” or “hardly ever” read has tripled, from 9% in 1984 to 27% in 2014. Furthermore, this group's reading for pleasure was stated to not be more than once or twice a year. Notably, the books being read in classrooms in 1984 are likely the same ones being taught today, only now they have become even less relevant to high schoolers' daily lives.

Of course, there are factors at play other than the curriculum. The prevalence of social media and streaming content has given today’s teens far more to occupy their time than what was available in 1984. However, instilling an interest in books at the high school level could change their priorities. After all, while television and other content has become more accessible, so have books. You no longer have to leave your bedroom to purchase and read any book available on Amazon. There is a world of literature at teenagers’ fingertips . . . we just need to show them that fiction is more than the narrow scope of their English class.

About the Author

Ethan Maguire is currently a junior Creative Writing and Media & Culture major at Miami University. He is the president of Sketch Writing and Acting Group, a sketch comedy organization on campus. He is otherwise unremarkable.

Virtual Reality: The Ultimate First-Person Narrative

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 17:13:00 +0000

Even if you are not a gamer, VR advancement is taking the storytelling experience to a completely new level . . . and everyone, especially writers, should take notice. ♦

With the advent of the virtual reality headset, or “VR,” nerds, geeks, and gamers everywhere are rejoicing. Most of the public knowledge about VR revolves around how it will be useful to companies, designers, engineers, and the medical community. It will be revolutionary for so many aspects of our lives, but there is one part that is less publicized: the gaming experience. Whether you grew up watching a Star Trek series with their “holodecks,” got hooked on Sword Art Online or just recently saw Ready Player One, chances are you were fascinated with the concept of a fully immersive game. There is something magical about finally getting to live in the world of the impossible. If you are not one of these people, then I promise you will be soon.

VR headsets are worn like goggles and, through the use of lenses, allow you to look at a screen that shows a 3D virtual world in which you can look around and move. VR sets such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive come with cameras that map your movement in the real world and adjust your virtual world accordingly. Controllers are held in each hand and provide haptic feedback (physical vibrations) when you pick up an item or hit something in game. New technology is coming out every day to provide even more immersion. Tegway Co. LTD is prototyping gloves that will relay hot and cold sensations to the player’s hands. Imagine casting a fireball in a game and being able to feel the heat of the spell as it leaves your hands!

Usually for video games, there is a degree of separation between the gamer and their playable character. VR gets rid of this as the gamer bodily becomes the character. This means that, as games and storylines become even more immersive, games will need to account for the diversity of their players. Game writers will need to think of more ways to create storylines for a gaming experience that allows players more in-depth world exploration than ever before, and game designers will have to account for a 3D world where players aren't limited to a specifically curated perspective but will want to look around, explore, and interact with the virtual world, even more than in console games. Companies like Bethesda and Ubisoft have been making open-world games for years, such as Skyrim and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Now, they'll have a platform that will allow this style of open-world gameplay to reach new heights.

If gaming is not your thing and you are wondering how this will apply to you, look no further than movies. With VR technology, movies will place a viewer inside the scene. Imagine a horror movie where you are standing among the group of scared teenagers as a chainsaw revs in the distance; perhaps you even get to choose which characters to follow if they split up. Movies will become less sedentary and more involved. There are already filmmakers experimenting with Choose Your Own Adventure-style interactive technologies in their storytelling, where friends can watch the same film and get completely different endings. Now consider how that might be integrated with VR, where your own interactivity with the world changes the course of the film. This opens up multiple dimensions and paths to storytelling that previously were not available to us.

This is uncharted territory for storytellers. Of course, traditional movies and video games will never be completely replaced, but writers are continually given more options for how to employ their craft. We should be looking to, and excited for storytelling where there is no fourth wall. Where viewers and players are not just controllers, but participators. In our search for escapism, VR will take the gold medal.

We live in the future of media consumption. The virtual sky is the limit and when we reach that, we can head for the stars. As of right now, VR technology is still a bit too expensive for the average American to own. However, much like how computers and cell phones became household and personal items, VR will make its way into homes across the country. We as writers should be prepared and ready to join to this opening market and adapt our stories to this new medium.

About the Author

Kira Doebereiner is a soon-to-be graduate of Miami University with a degree in Creative Writing. She loves all things stone, mossy, and at least 150 years old. When she is not reading, she can be spotted during infrequent public appearances at a local restaurant’s trivia night, where she finally gets to use her minors in Classical Humanities and Art History.

The Failures of Your Favorite Authors

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 09 May 2019 23:58:00 +0000

If you're filled with self-doubt and have faced with crushing defeats in your writing, take heart: it happens to the best of us. ♦

As writers, we can all relate to failure. Failure is a fact of life, no matter what field you find yourself in; it just so happens us writers enjoy the throes of failure more often than others. We toil and pour our soul into crafting and refining our art for months, even years, to often no avail. But, this is no reason to fret. Whether it be personal or professional, failure also found its way into the lives of some of the most successful and influential writers in history. Yet they prevailed. So, let us not be discouraged in what has been; rather, let us focus on what could be in exploring some of the failures of your favorite authors.

I’ll begin by allowing you to guess the first writer: a beloved American icon who, after World War I, became deeply depressed and began writing in the league of the “Lost Generation” in bohemian Paris. A Nobel Prize found itself in his trophy case in 1954, only for the author to suffer two plane crashes the same year. Seven years later, after a long bout of paranoia and as many as fifteen sessions of electroshock therapy, he was found dead with his favorite shotgun in hand. He left an estate in Key West filled with his famous polydactyl cats.

Ernest Hemingway had his lumps handed to him his entire life, which was marked by tragedy and unluck. An Austrian mortar shell nearly killed him during his time as a Red Cross paramedic in World War I. Regarding the incident, he claims he survived the explosion with “237 bits of shrapnel, an aluminum kneecap, and two Italian decorations.”

His largest writing failure was during a meeting in Switzerland. His wife was packing to visit him and, wanting to surprise him, brought all of his writing projects. That would normally be a sweet gesture, but her faux pas was bringing everything. Absolutely everything. She brought all the carbons, every paper copy, literally his whole body of work. And of course, that suitcase got lost. This was in 1923, and Hemingway didn’t want to write for years after. Finally, in an attempt to compose a new body of work, he wrote quickly and in a “lean” fashion, providing him with his famous, skeletal style. That crushing loss of his work would eventually land him the Nobel Prize for Literature thirty years later.

Dr. Seuss almost didn’t make it into the mainstream due to his struggles, either. You probably haven’t heard of And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street, as it’s not nearly a Green Eggs and Ham. He got the idea while stuck on a boat while returning from Europe—the boat’s engine was apparently loud and repetitive lending him a rhythm for his writing. Dr. Seuss went to twenty-seven different publishers and twenty-seven publishers turned his book down. He lost hope until one day he was walking home in New York City and bumped into a friend from Dartmouth who then worked for a publishing house that specialized in children’s books. That friend got him published and the book became critically acclaimed, inspiring him to write as a career.

Many if not most famed authors have been turned down numerous times by publishers. For example, Stephen King’s Carrie was rejected by thirty publishers. When it was finally accepted by Doubleday, King received the news by telegram, since they'd had their home phone cut off in order to save money. The telegram read: “CONGRATULATIONS. CARRIE OFFICIALLY A DOUBLEDAY BOOK. IS $2500 ADVANCE OKAY? THE FUTURE LIES AHEAD.”

Likewise, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone was rejected twelve times. Rowling finally caught a break when an editor at Bloomsbury Publishing read it to her eight-year-old daughter, who loved it. Today there are more than 500 million Harry Potter books in print worldwide, and Rowling's share of the books alone has been estimated at over a billion dollars.

One of Rowling’s inspirations, J. R. R. Tolkien, struggled with self-doubt about The Lord of the Rings. The world was in the throes of World War II as Tolkien, then a famed professor at Oxford University, worked on the book. Bombings occurred daily and Tolkien worried about the future of his novel. He had written an entire language and history for his setting and began to face doubts about if his novel would be read. He also worried about the complexity of his story: would he be able to finish the novel with no holes? Would the story’s world and narrative be appreciated? We all face doubts like these, especially when we’ve invested years, even decades, of our lives to projects. Yet he persevered and sold one of the most loved and well-known novels in history.

We even have records of Charles Darwin stressing about the legitimacy of his work. In an 1861 letter to his friend Charles Lyell, Darwin summed up his mood this way: “I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything.” Further, he was considered merely average in school and dropped out to become a parson. He would later publish On the Origin of Species and become one of the most influential intellectuals of all time, though upon publication the New York Times reviewed his text unfavorably, saying, “Shall we frankly declare that, after the most deliberate consideration of Mr. Darwin’s arguments, we remain unconvinced?”

Mary Shelley’s first novel Frankenstein was published in 1818 to public acclaim, though mixed reviews. But following Frankenstein, Shelley would write six more novels, none of them matching the first's success. After her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley's death in 1822, her writing had to support her and their young son, which put even more stress on her work. While writing one of her more forgotten novels, The Last Man, Shelley wrote in her journal, “Amidst all the depressing circumstances that weigh on me, none sinks deeper than the failure of my intellectual powers; nothing I write pleases me.”

Nearly dying countless times, losing your entire body of work, self-doubt, mental illness, rejection from publishers. None of these prevented some of the greatest works of all time from being written. What all of these artists had in common was perseverance. They were determined in themselves and wrote even when it seemed hopeless. Take what you will from any of this; whether you think exceptional people get exceptions or not, there is an undeniable trend that you cannot succeed without determination.

About the Author

Antonio Vazquez Lim is a Political Science and Philosophy double major enrolled at Miami University as a first-year student and is interested in pursuing a JD/Ph.D. after undergrad. He’s a proud West Virginian who enjoys creative and philosophical writing, powerlifting, and caring for his tortoises in his spare time.

The Evolving Narrative of LARP

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 09 May 2019 12:55:00 +0000

Love reading stories that transport you to a different world? LARP provides you with an interactive experience where you can create and star in your own fictional narrative. ♦

"Bam-Bam!” a burly voice rang through the woods. It was odd how my body responded as though it was my real name. I turned to find a tall man stomping in my direction. I could tell by the stickman painted on his face that he was a part of my tribe. Although I didn’t know who he was, he sure knew me.

By participating in live action role play, or LARP, players can enter into another world’s narrative by assuming the role of a character that could exist there. The players and the game masters work together to create a story within their respective games. Being very similar to improv, the stories that are created for and through these games tend to evolve greatly over time, sometimes even during gameplay.

In this case, it was my first large-scale game, with roughly fifty players present. I went to this game with a relatively new friend in the middle of winter and was going to be there all weekend. The game I chose to play was Dystopia Rising, a full-immersion, post-apocalyptic game in which I would be in character for almost the entire time I was there. (Of course, the game stopped for a few hours for sleep, and gameplay was off limits in the restrooms.)

Despite having done online role-play for years, I was completely out of my comfort zone. The one advantage I had was that my character was supposed to be antisocial, which made it a lot easier for me to role-play through my own anxieties. In reality, most of it was a lot easier than I’d led myself to believe it would be. Although I spent the entire weekend surrounded by mostly strangers, I never once felt like I didn’t belong. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and helped me learn the ropes. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy myself if I didn’t have a few close friends play with me, but I had a blast walking through the snow by myself and meeting new people.

The most enjoyable part of the game was being an NPC, or a non-player character. In Dystopia Rising, each player has to work a shift as an NPC before “graduating” to a full character with a personal plot of one’s own. Sometimes being an NPC involves some level of role-play within another player’s personal plot. Sometimes it would merely be taking on combat roles, a facet of LARP that isn’t a part of every game. Doing the NPC shift, I saw more of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into these larger games, including a glimpse into the world of the game’s writers.

Because there are a multitude of different types of games, Game Masters (the people crafting these stories, also known as storytellers) have to come up with various ways to tackle their narratives. Some will begin planning their next story immediately after completing a game while others will roll with the punches and think on their feet during gameplay, or some combination of the two styles. No matter the direction they take when creating their stories, storytellers can experience a change in plans as early as the first minute into a LARP game.

Maria Cambone, who has been LARPing for 10 years and writing for LARPs periodically throughout, explains that your plans for a game narrative can easily be completely derailed. For example, if you plan a game for fifty people and, upon getting to the game, realize that only half that number shows up—and most of them are from out of town—you would recognize the narrative needs you had originally anticipated are now different. Occasionally, the storyteller may want to talk with new players prior to gameplay to see what they are hoping to get out of the game. Sometimes the players know, and other times they figure it out together during the game.

Photo credit: Dystopia Rising Colorado

Naturally, being a writer, I am deeply interested in this aspect of LARP, even trying my hand at creating LARP narratives a few times in some of my classes. But these narratives are harder to craft than they might appear. As James Mateika, a LARPer of 11 years, says, “The hardest part is recognizing if the players are frustrated or still having fun.” And I found this to be the case when writing my own: what I thought would be fun on paper didn’t always translate in person, especially in the early stages of designing a game. Other obstacles also arose, such as players being hard to read and things not always going the way you anticipated, much like Mateika experienced in one of his games that involved fighting with foam weapons known as boffers.

“In one game we completely missed that we were in the wrong area and killed what was supposed to be the end boss of a weekend-long game,” Mateika says. Since this occurred within the first few hours, the storytellers found that they needed to revisit the drawing board, and fast. Other times, players can think of things in ways the storyteller hadn’t considered, going in a completely different direction than initially intended.

Having role-played many times prior to trying Dystopia Rising, I already noticed how easy it was for me to assume the roles of my characters in stories I was working on. I have learned that this comes in handy when writing dialogue and creating well thought-out characters. Noticing these benefits to LARPing, I started to wonder more about storytelling in LARP games and how it could affect my writing in forms other than LARP writing.

This led me to understand that my involvement in role-play could actually have something to do with why I struggle to come up with a structured story. Though there are many things that can be learned from a LARP game’s narrative, Cambone believes that it’s not a skill that easily translates to other mediums. You can learn skills that will help greatly when building a good setting, or even help in understanding how different characters can realistically interact with one another. However, when it comes to creating plot, it’s rather difficult to master if you focus all your creative energy on LARPing. I’ve noticed that if I spend a lot of time role-playing and go to write immediately afterwards, I struggle to create without another person’s energy to feed off of. However, as Cambone has expressed, the more you work on maintaining your craft, the easier it will be for you to create narratives on your own. It’s an activity that forces you to think on your feet and put yourself in another pair of shoes . . . and it also allows you to encounter a roller coaster of emotions, make new friends, and experience things that you otherwise wouldn’t.

Cambone puts it best when she says, “LARP is an experience I live.” While you can watch a movie with another person or share your thoughts about a book with others, the story remains something that you both were told. With LARP, the story is an interactive experience with another human being, something that you’ve both lived through together. You, as your character, could feel one way towards another player’s character while feeling completely different outside of the game. While LARP isn’t an activity for everyone, it allows anyone to create their own unique experience. LARP is its own kind of medium in which the list of authors is endless and the price of entry can be as low as finding a group of friends.

About the Author

Rebecca Helton is a fifth-year at Miami University majoring in Interactive Media Studies with a focus on game design and minoring in Creative Writing. Rebecca is hoping to combine her two areas of study to prepare for her future as a graduate student working toward a career in Student Affairs.

Theater of the Mind: How Audio Drama Made a Comeback

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Bates) — Thu, 02 May 2019 14:44:00 +0000

Listened to any good plays lately? With the resurgence of audio drama, both the classics and some brand-new favorites are just a click away. ♦

Back in the 1960s the poet W. H. Auden declared that, because of television, “radio drama is probably a dying art,” which he felt was a real loss of an art form: “A dramatic medium in which almost all the effect depends upon the spoken word offers unique opportunities to poets,” Auden said, “and it will be a matter for regret if they are deprived of it.”

Luckily for us, entertainment has crossed into the digital age via phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and smart speakers, and this has allowed the former “radio drama” a new chance to continue through the beloved Amazon service Audible and podcast apps such as the Old Time Radio Player or TuneIn's Audio Drama Internet Radio. These apps and others have created space for innovation and creativity to prosper in this once-dying genre and have become a reader's—or in this case, listener's—best friend, racking in nearly a trillion dollar profit last year. I remember when Audible was the hot new thing, but I’ve been a fan of audiobooks, and especially audio drama, since my middle school years, when my local libraries added audiobooks on CD and MP3 electronic resources to their collections (I also learned why adults disliked waiting lists). Back then, Shakespeare was enemy number one as my professors loved to assign his works. Reading in a dialect older than my five times my predicted lifespan with fluctuating characters isn’t the easiest to understand—nor reading the text on the page and then trying to imagine what this voice sounds like, or how that scene played out in the midst of chaos, and so on—and I found that the audio format was my best defense.

My love of literature has propelled me since to become an avid reader, and I'm generally not too picky about the format I choose, utilizing literary outlets and formats accordingly. If I have downtime, I like a physical experience where I can hold my book, flip the pages, bend the corners and come back later. If I’m traveling long distances and don’t want to chance leaving my book somewhere, reading on my phone is the way to go. If I’m on the go and attention isn’t required, or I’m exercising or hiking, I choose audiobooks. But there are still times when I prefer the audio drama in particular, and where its best features are still as important to me as back in my Shakespeare days.

As an English major, I sometimes struggle to get through the sheer volume of readings in my classes just like any other student. And when classic drama is part of the syllabus—whether Fences, The Crucible, The Importance of Being Earnest, and on and on—audio drama is the format that brings the text to life for me, able to immerse the listener in the world of the play beyond trying to conjure a visual for oneself: there are skilled actors performing the parts, special effects to help you imagine action and setting, audio production (sometimes including music) to create mood, and a sense of liveliness. When trying to be all parts in my head, as I’m sure many can relate, it’s easy to lose the identities of the characters, or misunderstand the stage direction, or to disrupt the flow of the piece, and I must reread to make sure I don’t miss anything. Audio formats are helpful for staying on track, comprehending what’s in the words and maintaining the distinction between the characters. It brings a much closer experience to how the text was supposed to be encountered than merely reading the words on the page, particularly for those students who prefer auditory to visual learning, though a student can still incorporate the best of both: you can listen to the play first and then read the play, or you can listen to the audio play as you read it. Either way offers a much more immersive experience than reading alone, and believe me, your GPA will thank you.

Today more than ever, access to literature from hundreds of years ago up to the newest releases is at your fingertips, for anyone’s price range and any way you like to enjoy it. Classic works by Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and so many others can be listened to through Audible, of course, whose current trial offer is thirty days free including one audiobook and two Audible originals (after the trial, you get one audiobook and two Audible originals for $14.99 a month). But if you can’t afford this low rate, your local public library is the next best thing, where you can access streaming audio works for free through such apps as Hoopla and Overdrive.

About the Author

Jaimoneé Madison is a senior Linguistics major at Miami University with minors in Spanish and Creative Writing. She recently had her first piece accepted for publication in the upcoming edition of MU's Mosaic magazine. What Jaimoneé loves most about writing is that there's always something to propel her writing or bring her deeper into this world; at any moment she's able to take something and create from it. She had the honor of meeting the one and only African American female award-winning children's writer Sharon Draper, who gave her what she considers one of the best pieces of advice she's ever received: Write true to yourself and to your cause.

The One Thing to Bind Them All

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Thu, 02 May 2019 14:42:00 +0000

Ever wonder about how a book is bound? This step-by-step guide will give you all the tools you'll need to bind your own. ♦

It’s the first century BCE in modern-day India. In a dim, candle-lit room, a religious man is hunched over a pile of dried palm leaves split down the middle and covered in rubbed ink. He numbers the leaves, binds them in the middle with twine, and covers each end with hard, decorated wood. He holds his creation up to the flickering light and marvels at his work. The scribe is the world’s first known bookbinder, or bibliopegist. At that moment, he surely has no idea of the significance of his achievement.

Walk into any modern bookstore, and you are met with a rather uniform selection of books. At first glance, they all seem to be bound with the same heavy paperboard called binder’s board, used in hardcover books. Upon closer inspection, a few books also seem to be bound in cloth, soft paper, or leather. These materials make up the four most ubiquitous forms of book bindings, but they have not always been the staples of the bookbinding industry.

Since the advent of automation and assembly-line production, the variety of materials used to bind books has steadily dwindled. There, at one time, existed many different materials and methods to bind books. About fifteen methods to bind books proliferated throughout early recorded history, from Coptic binding, calf binding, and girdle binding, to cased cloth binding, limp vellum binding, and Ethiopian binding. The most successful technique, case binding, is commonly used today without heavy machinery. Case binding involves covering paper in a hard container, resulting in what’s more colloquially known as a hardcover book. It’s a fun, simple process that many people around the world use to renovate or decorate their favorite literature.

I started binding books when I was in high school as a past time. There were lots of interesting books that I owned that were all plagued by inexplicably boring covers. In an effort to make the books I loved more interesting, I unknowingly delved into a hobby that would consume my attention to this day.

In an effort to spread my love of bookbinding, I have written a step-by-step guide on how to bind books. The initial materials required are as follows: the book you wish to rebind (or generic paper), standard folios, a stapler (preferably a long-arm stapler), PVA glue (i.e. Elmer’s glue or similar), a hole punch, a butter knife, and knitting fabric.

Step 1: Stacking

	Make sure that all of the pages are organized on landscape-oriented paper with two columns of text.
	Stack the source material’s pages into four neat piles in chronological order. Four piles is the minimum number that the paper should be divided into, as later on, we will be placing these four piles into slots in a standard accordion folio. Exceeding four piles may be necessary for more dense volumes, which will, in turn, increase the number of folios used.

Step 2: Folding

Divide the papers in half, hamburger-style. Remember to keep all the pages facing the same direction! Even the most experienced binders sometimes finish a book, only to realize that Chapter 17 is upside down. Depending on the texture you want your book to have, a more or less precise fold should be used. Many binders enjoy messy folds. Having the pages of your book be slightly different lengths adds a great sense of antiquity, especially within fictitious books that strive for excitement and believability.

Unfold the paper and turn it over onto its back, so the blank side faces upwards.

Step 3: Stapling

One of the most exciting and fantastic pieces of equipment used by any serious bookbinder is the long-arm stapler. This baby can connect twenty to fifty pages at once, adding legitimacy to any binder whose craft might be lacking in other areas. Using a long-arm stapler it is not necessary, and normal staplers can get the job done. However, a long-arm stapler completes tasks faster and is an excellent conversation piece. This type of stapler can be purchased either online or within office supply stores.

Place the upturned pages about two inches or so from the edge of the stapler and press firmly downwards on the stapler until all the pages have been joined together.

Next, turn over the pages, and use a small ball peen hammer, or the side of a butter knife, to blunt and fold over the ends of the staples. This is extremely important, as failure to do so could cause flesh wounds and potentially tear the inside of the cover of the book upon completion. Make sure that you have stapled the pages together at no fewer than two separate places, but no more than three, as over-stapling adds unnecessary weight, and the binding glue does not stick easily to the metal staples.

Step 4: Gluing

Now for the most important part of binding: creating the very heart of each book. There are many different ways to bind books, including using twine, leather, leaves, and human skin (rare and not recommended), but for the sake of this tutorial, glue and fabric will be our binding agents.

	Procure as many normal three-ridged folios as necessary. The three ridges create four valleys that the stacks of paper will fit into.
	Cut a thin piece of fabric so that it is about the same length as the page height and roughly four to five times the width of all of the folios put together.
	Hold them together tightly, and all lined up. Imprecision here does not lead to antiquity, excitement, or believability in the final product.
	Place clips along the page edges opposite the binding to keep folios together. Use clothespins, or if your book is very thick, bulldog clips work fantastically.
	When all of the papers are aligned properly with the folios, apply white liquid glue. Amazingly, in this specialized and niche activity, normal Elmer’s glue is the easiest option. If you are feeling jazzy, a glue gun also works.
	Before it has a chance to dry, flip over the binding and glue the fabric to the other side. At this point, from left to right, spine to page edge, it should be as follows: cloth, folio, paper.

Step 5: Covering

Place the folio on your desired book cover. You could use an old book with a fancy cover on it that you like or a newer version of the same piece of literature. Have fun with it. There is nothing better than opening what appears to be an NRSV Bible and realizing that it is actually a cocktail cookbook. If you are using a pre-made cover (like the binding of another book), you can skip over to Step 7: “Edging.”

For this tutorial, we will use a plain piece of corrugated cardboard, which adds a fun squishiness to the cover. Line up the cardboard’s edges so they are parallel with the folio’s edges. The tradition is to add about a quarter inch border on the non-spine edges. If the intention is for more of a Shawshank Redemption chisel-hidden-in-Bible vibe, consider other lengths that give it more thematic realism.

Step 6: Spining

	Stack your book sandwich—cardboard, folio, cardboard—and press them together, measuring thickness.
	Cut the spine out of the same cardboard material so that it matches the thickness of the covers and paper together and that it is the same height as the book covers.

Step 7: Edging

	Finally, you are ready to put all of the pieces together. Flip over your cardboard so that the side you want inside of the book facing upwards and place the fabric on it.
	Apply glue along the top edges of the cardboard and fold the fabric over so that it covers the edges of the cardboard. At this point, you should have your fabric covering the book, with the front and back covers laid out with the spine between them. Try not to keep space between the covers and the spine. Any space would weaken the book’s binding.

Step 8: Binding

	Now, with your cover ready, place glue on the fabric along the spine of the folio and press firmly down onto the spine of the cover. Continue to press and hold the spine firmly.
	It is important to close the book and give it time to rest. The paper is often wrinkled from the glue, so it is best to use a low heat iron a few days later to smooth out any bumps in the paper.
	Return back the next day and behold your beautifully home-bound book! That’s it! You’re done!

About the Author

John Christopher Buchheit was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Throughout his life, he has been very interested in bibliopegy. The strange anthropodermic bibliopegy (i.e. binding books in human skin) is what caught his attention and imagination, but in the end, it has been the more mundane materials and his love of science that have kept him as an interested and avid bibliopegist. He graduates from Miami University in May 2019 with a BA in Biology with a Pre-Medical co-major, a minor in Spanish, and a focus in European Culture. It is not quite clear what the future holds for him, but he knows that his loving friends and family will be there to support him every step of the way.

Toxic Men in Media: Criticism or Glorification?

noreply@blogger.com (Turning Page) — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 19:40:00 +0000

Can character critiques be effective when audiences aren't getting the message?. ♦

The original hero is a good guy. He is a clean-cut, handsome leader who knows the difference between right and wrong and faces no internal qualms about fighting for what is indisputably right. He stands for morality, he sees no gray areas, and he does not succumb to temptation. This hero became a predictable messiah figure that viewers soon grew bored with, and thus, the anti-hero has risen to popularity over the last twenty years.

However, the anti-hero is moving from a flawed hero to an irredeemable man who does the bare minimum to occasionally to make us believe that maybe he does care about something, or someone. This type of protagonist began to receive backlash for representing moral depravity and violence against women, but instead of making better characters, creators have moved in the direction of putting forth these male protagonists under the guise of “criticism” of this precise behavior. After many years of watching toxic male protagonists on my screen who are supposedly meant to be self-criticisms, a question must be raised. Does the viewing experience even allow for these characters to function properly? More often than not, it seems that audiences are missing the point of these characters, and are simply enjoying the spectacle of watching horrible men sleep with beautiful women and commit gratuitous acts of manipulation and violence.

The issue here is that authorial intent has almost no bearing on how the viewer interprets what is put before them. Creators may have every intention of portraying that a man is despicable and not to be idolized, but the viewer may never come to this conclusion. This dissonance between the creator and the viewer is expertly articulated in the fifth season of Bojack Horseman. Bojack Horseman is an animated show that features an alcoholic, drug-addicted, emotionally manipulative, Hollywood has-been. He spends the show ruining his own life as well as hurting anyone and everyone who cares about him. Just when the audience begins to sympathize with Bojack, he almost has sex with his friend’s seventeen-year-old daughter, or chokes his girlfriend and co-star in a drug-induced haze. In the fifth season, the character Diane realizes that the television show she is working on, which stars Bojack, centers around a man who has committed horrible crimes, and could be viewers like that character feel exonerated rather than condemned, which was not her intent. As far as I’m concerned, in doing this Bojack Horseman is one of few shows that stars a morally abhorrent male protagonist and explicitly reminds its audience of that fact. The point being that although the character has done good things, he has also done things that are inexcusable, and as viewers we should not overlook either aspect of his character.

Another animated character that has entered the mainstream in the last several years is Rick Sanchez, one of the two protagonists of the television series Rick and Morty. Rick Sanchez is a genius scientist and inventor who takes his grandson, Morty, on inter-dimensional adventures. Rick is also a raging alcoholic who abandoned his wife and daughter and consistently uses others, in most cases his family, only as a means to his own selfish ends. Rick has almost no moral compass, and he uses his intelligence to avoid and excuse any responsibility he has to treat another human being with bare minimum respect. And yet, while there is a consensus among viewers that Rick is not a good person, it seems most viewers hold Rick to the same standards that he holds himself to: that he does not have to be a good person, because he’s too powerful and intelligent to be tied down by such an insignificant responsibility. This is an attitude that is particularly unsavory when we see it translated to men in real life—men who believe they are intrinsically superior to others, and therefore, do not need to treat others with basic respect. Furthermore, Rick is consistently excused for his amoral and apathetic behavior when, once every several episodes, he reluctantly reveals through small, backhanded moments of selflessness that he does care for his grandson. Somehow, the audience takes the scraps of Rick’s emotional reveals and uses these moments to reconcile the countless times he has traumatized and endangered his grandson.

Even before watching The Wolf of Wall Street, the consumer knows that Jordan Belfort’s debauchery catches up to him and causes him to crash and burn. We know that Belfort spent 22 months in prison and lost the glamorous empire he built. We know that we should not want to be like him. But while watching the movie we root for him. We are jealous of his lifestyle and his prowess. He is portrayed as untouchable—as godlike. By the time I entered college I knew countless eighteen-year-old boys who aspired to be Jordan Belfort, the drug addicted, domestic abuser, billionaire fraud. In the final shot of the film, after Belfort has served his quick and cushy time in prison, he is still selling. The camera pans to an audience that avidly watches Jordan Belfort in all his glory, aspiring to achieve what he has. This shot could be interpreted as director Martin Scorsese subtly placing some of the blame on us—the audience, the consumer, and the society that not only allows for Belfort’s debauchery, but also idolizes and strives for it. This final shot supposes that Scorsese expected The Wolf of Wall Street to be misinterpreted.

Even films such as 500 Days of Summer face misinterpretation despite the film rather explicitly showing us that the protagonist, Tom Hansen, was not the victim in his failed relationship, but perhaps that he never took his partner’s desires into consideration. It is clear early on that Tom is never going to regard Summer, his love interest, as a dimensional person, and as the film is shown from his point of view, she never does gain dimension. Summer is merely the girl he has decided is “the one,” and when she does not reciprocate that feeling, Tom becomes persistent, vindictive, and victimizing. This film has faced quite a bit of misinterpretation since its release in 2009. Many viewers have perceived Tom the way he perceives himself in the film: as the victim. The actor who depicted Tom, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has even commented on this public response to the movie saying: “I would encourage anyone who has a crush on my character to watch it again and examine how selfish he is.” Why do so many viewers miss the true message: that Tom’s idealism of a girl who does not want a relationship is narcissistic and harmful? Why do we want to side with Tom? Because he is the protagonist, and as viewers and readers we have an inherent tendency to root for the protagonist. This tendency is not unlike to the tendency of humans to see ourselves as the hero rather than recognize our own wrongdoings.

These narratives may operate under the guise of self-criticism, but the effect often falls flat in part due to the viewer experience. As soon as we are presented with a protagonist we will step into his or her shoes, and we will begin to excuse the things they do and sympathize with them. We will believe that these terrible actions aren’t his fault, because Bojack's mother was cruel, or because we would also be tempted by greed and corruption like Jordan, or because every once in while we see evidence that Rick does care about his grandson. As soon as we begin to identify with a character, the element of criticism falls away because the viewer gives this character sympathy, and effectively, exoneration. Can we really call this self-criticism at all if the consumer misses the point?

About the Author

Allie Quinn is an undergraduate student at Miami University in the Creative Writing program.