Building Reader Empathy for an Unlikeable Character (Analyzing Fairest by Marissa Meyer)

I recently finished Fairest by Marissa Meyer, and it blew me away. I already knew Meyer could write wildly entertaining tales with likeable protagonists (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress). With Fairest Meyer proved herself just as adept at slipping into the mind of a sociopath.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Fairest is a companion novel to the Lunar Chronicles that tells the backstory of the villain Queen Levana. Levana is evil: a rapist and a murderer several times over. Yet, as I was reading the book, I felt that I was able to, if not completely sympathize with her, still understand Levana enough to empathize with her.

So, I got to wondering: How did Meyer make us empathize with an evil character? Here’s what I came up with.


Brain Science for Writers 12/2/2015

Secretary Clinton Participates in G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting Press Conference (4481662959).jpg

"Secretary Clinton Participates in G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting Press Conference (4481662959)" by U.S. Department of State from United States - Secretary Clinton Participates in G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting Press Conference
Uploaded by Elitre. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Featured: Women Candidates Face Implicit Bias Hurdle. I think this is one area where more woman leaders in fiction could help.

Featured: Why do people find some nonsense words like "finglam" funnier than others like "sersice"

Harry Potter in the fMRI Machine

Will your genetic defense for that violent crime backfire?

The Dark Side of Creativity. Via Passive Guy.

People Pick Familiar Foods Over Favorites

The surprising value of viewing traumatic experiences

Where did the ‘gay lisp’ stereotype come from?

Careful – a long-running rivalry can make you reckless

Being true to yourself may protect against the harmful effects of loneliness

Is evil a disease? ISIS and the neuroscience of brutality. It's a really big leap between some of the experiments mentioned here and the issue of evil. Still, the article raises interesting questions

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Establishing a Strong Relationship With an Offscreen Character (Analyzing Shadow and Bone)


I've been going back and forth a lot about this blog lately.  As you've most likely noticed,  I haven't been able to post many original craft posts, and even the Brain Science roundup posts have been haphazard. Nowadays, paid work takes priority over blogging.


A month ago I decided to close this blog down, and had settled on that decision for about 24 hours before I made a 180 degree turn and decided to make a conscious effort to write more craft posts.  Why?  Because I'm the one who learns the most from writing these-- taking the time to analyze books I admire and figuring out why I admire them. 

So, here's the TLDR.  I'm going to make an effort to blog more, but to make this feasible, the posts will be less polished than before.  I used to spend a lot of time editing blog posts, but now I'm just going to focus on getting the ideas down. Hopefully, people will still find them useful.

On to the book of the day.  I'm two books into The Grisha series and enjoying it immensely.  (Moderate spoilers for Shadow and Bone). One thing that struck me, was the relationship between Alina and her childhood friend Mal. Mal plays a very large role in later parts of the story, and in order to make the developments believable, the reader must be convinced that Alina and Mal are very close.  The tricky part though?  Mal's off screen, in another part of the country, for much of the first half of the book.

Brain Science for Writers 11/19/2015

By Paulr (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons


Featured Post: Social psychology textbooks ignore all modern criticisms of Milgram's "obedience experiments." A heartening critique of some depressing classic studies.

Featured Post: 'Many of the alleged rules of writing are actually superstitions'

The five-point plan to help Paris survivors recover from attacks.

Why We Are Attracted to Deviant Personalities. Interesting, but see the caveat about self reported data.

Do you make choices as to whom you leave waiting in the crosswalk?

It Was Inevitable: Someone Taught a Neural Network To Talk With Romance Novels. via Passive Guy

Being Sarcastic May Make You More Creative

How to spot the warning signs and prevent mass shootings

Subliminal religious prompts might not make people nicer after all

Our shifting motivations: The inherent pleasure of a task is more important to us once we get started

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 10/7/15

Blausen 0010 AcousticNeuroma Tumor.png

Blausen.com staff. "Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 20018762. - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.



Top Pick: "A tumor stole every memory I had. This is what happened when it all came back." Absolutely fascinating.

Top Pick: Learning to Make a Stone Age Axe Gives Clues to How the Brain Evolved

Lie Detection
is a Team Sport

Small Distractions Can Have Big Consequences. A study from an old labmate of mine!

Women and fragrances: Scents and sensitivity

Why Honest People Do Dishonest Things

The Last Two Digits of a Price Signal Your Desperation to Sell. Or is it that simpler numbers are less confusing to process, and give people more mental energy to drive a hard bargain?

Psychologists study burglars' expertise

Men and boys with older sisters are less competitive

Google searches for ‘n-word’ associated with black mortality

7 easy ways to reduce the pain you’re feeling

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/30/15

Raja Ravi Varma, Looking into the Mirror


Top Pick: Morals, Not Memories, Define Who We Are

Top Pick: Why Do Narcissists Lose Popularity Over Time?

Mental Models

Paralysed man uses mind control to walk again

A Short History of the Rise, Fall and Rise of Subliminal Messaging

Ask students about religion, and they’ll tell you they drink less

How Children Make Sense of Impossible Events in Fiction

People Are More Likely to Cheat at the End

This article has been perfectly formatted for maximum reading comprehension (via Passive Guy)

Why Nobody Intervened in the July 4 Metro Murder

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/19/15

A Day Out With Friends (12301023434).jpg

"A Day Out With Friends (12301023434)" by Faisal Akram from Dhaka, Bangladesh - A Day Out With Friends. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Featured post: How Grounded Is Your Love Life? I love embodied cognition studies. Great fodder for imagery ideas you can use in your writing.

Featured post: The Coddling of the American Mind. More an opinion article than a research article, but raises interesting questions.

Is "Baby Brain" a Myth?

What Happens When Minority Kids Are Taught Not to Talk About Race. (Thanks to Kurt for the link)

How influential are peer reactions to posts on Facebook news channels?

Decoding Trump-Mania: The Psychological Allure of Hating Political Correctness, Part 1

Nail Biting May Arise from Perfectionism

‘Milestone ages’ may trigger new perspectives on life

How To Be a Better Person: Awe Yourself

Workplace rudeness: Death of a thousand cuts

Cell phone notifications may be driving you to distraction

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/12/13

An introverted and an extroverted man; exhibiting excessive Wellcome V0009475



Note: A friendly reminder that Midnight Thief is still 99 cents until Sunday! Also, on Amazon, you can add the audiobook to your ebook purchase for just $3.99 more (so less than $5 total!). Order from Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

Featured pick: Confessions of a neurotic extrovert

Featured pick:  Familiar Faces Could Help Robot Cars Win Trust

Massive International Project Raises Questions about the Validity of Psychology Research. So basically, don't believe anything I post. (kidding... sort of...)

Doctors use antipsychotics to calm ‘challenging behaviour’

Television viewing linked to higher injury risk in hostile people

How Come Some People Believe in the Paranormal?

The Man Who Wasn’t There: Exploring the science of the self

Predicting who will murder his wife or his family

Why big societies need big gods

The Man Who Saw His Double In The Mirror

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

MIDNIGHT THIEF is on sale for 99 cents. Spread the word to win prizes!



(Cross posted from my author website.)

Daughter of Dusk, the sequel to Midnight Thief, launched on August 4th. A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read and share Kyra's story.

To wrap up the first month of release, the Midnight Thief ebook is on sale for 99 cents on all ebook retailers from 9/10-9/13! If you haven't read it yet, grab it from Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, or Google Play.



And if you've read MT already, I'd really appreciate help spreading the word about the deal. To make sharing the news more fun, I'm hosting a giveaway for a big Midnight Thief universe prize pack. Here's a picture of what you'll win:



It includes:

1. An audiobook of Midnight Thief

2. An signed copy of Poison Dance. (With author's handwritten annotations in the margins, if you'd like).

3. An early draft of Daughter of Dusk with author's editorial marks.

4. Assorted swag.

It's an international giveaway, and you can enter by sharing this post. See the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




ORDER MIDNIGHT THIEF FROM:

Hardcover: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository (Free international shipping)

Ebook: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
Order DAUGHTER OF DUSK from:
Hardcover: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository (free international shipping)

Ebook: Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Google | Kobo



Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 8/3/15

An interrogation room of the Spanish Inquisition with two pr Wellcome V0041642


Livia's Pick: How to Extract a Confession…Ethically

Livia's Pick: The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives. HT Passive Guy.

Why screams are so scary. Good reminder about the dramatic effect of a scream, even if it's in print.

Active Duty Army Suicide Attempts Analyzed

There are four kinds of drunken personality (among students, at least)

What is the correct way to talk about autism? There isn't one

The Psychological Cost of Being a Maverick

The Long-Lasting Effects of Nazi Indoctrination

Does the Millennial know that tattoo might be a business faux pas? Some amusing tattoo stereotypes described here.

When Doctors Advise “Wait and See,” Worries Can Be Crippling


Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Help me solve the mystery of the noontime philanthropist. (And win an ARC)

EDITED TO ADD: Ack, I showed this to husband and turns out I totally forgot the part about angel dogs. (Think about it, if you've read Midnight Thief). Now added below.

Back when I started writing Midnight Thief, my Mischievous But Secretly Supportive Husband (MBSSH) told me, “I’m writing a book too. It’s called Noontime Philanthropist.  It will have angel dogs in it, and I’m totally going to hit the bestseller lists before you.”

He never ended up finishing (or starting) that novel, but as we get closer to launching the sequel Daughter of Dusk, I find myself thinking back on that intriguing title.

So today I turn the question over to you guys. What is Noontime Philanthropist about?

Just for fun, I’ll have Husband choose his favorite answer on 8/3, and I’ll send my last ARC of Daughter of Dusk to the winner.

 The official facebook thread for this discussion is here, though you can also comment on this post and I'll paste your answer into facebook for you.

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 7/28/15

Jammu (North India) (396151962).jpg

"Jammu (North India) (396151962)" by Steve Evans from Citizen of the World - Jammu (North India)
Uploaded by russavia. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Livia's Pick: What your smile says about where you’re from

Livia's Pick: Shining a light on why sensory metaphors are so popular

Everything Science Knows About Reading On Screens via Passive Guy

The experiences of adults with "selective mutism", in their own words

Is sexism the reason why so many heterosexual men are prejudiced towards gay men?

Companies are more successful when their employees feel young for their age

Free will inside the Nazi death camps

Does the Justice System Neglect Forgiveness?

Fixing the Problem of Liberal Bias in Social Psychology. A reminder that all researchers have their biases.

Black victims of violent crimes aren’t treated any better by the system than Black defendants …

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 7/21/15

Kapseln.JPG
"Kapseln" by user:Würfel - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.




Featured: The Problem of Artificial Willpower. Really interesting philosophical questions...

Featured: Being A Better Online Reader

Just two questions predict how well a pilot will handle an emergency. I wonder how much of the self reported scores is reflective of confidence vs. actual ability.

Saving For Retirement — As Simple As Counting in Days

The scaremongers were wrong: Metalheads from the 80s are thriving. Yeah, but I wonder how they do on hearing tests.

Brain wave study shows how different teaching methods affect reading development

Our jumpiness at nighttime is not just because it's dark. Keep time of day in mind as a tool for creating atmosphere.

I bought a house that is simply too big and now I have to hire a cleaning service… The humble brag is now an area of scientific inquiry.

What Your Pet Reveals about You

How Smart Should the President Be?


Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 7/14/15

IPhone at Macworld (angled view).jpg
"IPhone at Macworld (angled view)". Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

 Brain science for writers is a roundup of neuroscience and psychology articles of interest to writers.

Top Pick: The Must-Have Effect: When an Upgrade is Available, People Tend to Break What They'd Like to Replace. I love how we make up stories to justify our behavior.

Fiction writers’ perspective-taking no better than other people’s. Interesting, though I'm holding out hope that there's a test out there that will find a difference :-)

Everyday Routines Make Life Feel More Meaningful

How racial stereotypes impact the way we communicate

Common medications sway moral judgment

How social anxiety manifests on Facebook

Solitary Confinement Is Cruel and Ineffective

Is It Time to Rethink Life-without-Parole Sentencing?

Pre-Crastination: The Opposite of Procrastination

Money Can Buy Happiness If You Spend It Wisely



Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 7/7/15

Achilles by Lycomedes Louvre Ma2120.jpg

"Achilles by Lycomedes Louvre Ma2120" by Jastrow (2007). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Top: What personality features do heroes and psychopaths have in common? Goes off in a few different directions, but raises some interesting questions.

Top: How Other People Influence Our Experience of Reading

Your Facial Bone Structure Has a Big Influence on How People See You

Commenters exposed to prejudiced comments more likely to display prejudice themselves. So yeah, those crazy comment sections that you should never read? They're actually affecting you.

How baby names vary state to state

Health factors influence ex-prisoners’ chances of returning to jail

When these people look in the mirror they see a monster staring back. What it's like to have body dysmorphic disorder.

Higher Income is Related to Less Daily Sadness but Not More Daily Happiness

In Praise of (the Right Kind of) Praise

Do you think like an entrepeneur? (I got zero out of eight :-P)

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

The Comprehensive Post of Romance Vibes and Attractive Things

Swoonworthy reads...

Daughter of Dusk, the sequel to my first novel Midnight Thief, launches in August (And you can get a free signed novella and other swag if you preorder!).  So I thought I'd share some of the notes I made while revising the book.

Notes from my second round of beta readers for Daughter of Dusk came back with many people wanting more chemistry between Kyra and the love interest. So as I started revising, I needed to come up with ways to make the attraction show through.

As I went into my revision process, I did something that I've been doing since before I sold my first book, which was to analyze books which I thought did a good job at whatever I was trying to achieve, and breaking down how they did it. I've previously done similar analyses about conveying friendship and writing good death scenes.

For this analysis, I chose two slow burn romances that made me melt:  the Cinder and Kai romance in Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and the Elisa and Hector romance in The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (which all lovers of romantic stories should check out).  I read through the each book and jotted down everything that made my stomach flutter, and I categorized them below.

So below is a monster list of all things attractive.  I hope you find it useful! Tell me about your favorite romance arcs in the comment section.  And if you check out Daughter of Dusk, let me know how I did!


Brain Science for Writers 6/25/15

Lee Meriwether as Catwoman 1966.jpg

Image Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick: The Problem with Female Superheroes

Top Pick: Why it matters that computers are now able to judge human creativity (HT Passive Guy)

Manning up: men may overcompensate when their masculinity is threatened

Justice system chips away at women’s rights


Social Media Cyber Bullying Linked to Teen Depression

What Makes Magic Funny? (Or anything funny?)

Liar, Liar: Children with good memories are better liars

Irrationality Continues to Plague the Justice System 

How baby names vary state to state

The health effects of homophobia

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Random Practical Tips for Your Debut Year

At Vromans with Susan Adrian, Mary McCoy, and Gretchen McNeil.  Thanks to Elizabeth Briggs for the Photo


So I recently finished up the Pasadena Teen Blog Fest, which will probably be the last event I do to promote my debut novel Midnight Thief. The next events will be to promote the sequel Daughter of Dusk, and I'll be posting info about those launch events soon. 

This has gotten me to thinking about the things I learned this past year about having a book out--not so much big picture, overarching things, but the little bits of practical advice I might pass along to someone with a book coming out soon.  This is what I came up with.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 5/31/2015

Flooded street and vehicles.JPG

"Flooded street and vehicles" by MarkBuckawicki - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick: Why it's OK to swear on social media—and other tips for tweeting disasters (Actual disasters, not social media firestorms)

Top Pick: Kurt Vonnegut graphed the world’s most popular stories

What Is Odd Pricing?

“I know I shouldn’t text from the toilet, but….”

Here's What It Feels Like to Be Invisible

Do parents favor their biological children over their adopted ones?

Single and secretly wondering which of your friends might be able to introduce you to your future soulmate? See this article on cupid in your network.

Up Your Online Dating Game with Evidence-Based Strategies

How To Make The Most Of Your Valentine’s Day: Tips for finding love or maintaining your current relationship.

Are yinz frfr? What your Twitter dialect says about where you live

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 5/18/15

Hope in a Prison of Despair.jpg

"Hope in a Prison of Despair" by Evelyn De Morgan - Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick: How to Help the Growing Female Prison Population

Believing Beauty Is Attainable Causes Pain. Also, check out the interesting tidbits in the "I think I can" sidebar.

Famous Paintings Can Reveal Visual Disorders

Speaking a second language may change how you see the world

Ovulation changes women’s desire for variety in products

The Smell of Stress and Fear

Poverty Shrinks Brains from Birth

Depressed parents cause anxiety and bad behavior in toddlers

Shopping while hungry leads to more non-food purchases

Sexy men make others take bigger risks with money

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 5/17/15

Boy Face from Venezuela.jpg
"Boy Face from Venezuela" by The Photographer - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Top Pick: Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?

Top Pick: Young, Attractive, and Totally Not Into Having Sex

How social norms come into being. Seems relevant for bestselling book and box office hits as well.

“She’s strong for a girl”: The Negative Impact of Stereotypes About Women

Too much praise may make kids narcissistic

Noise And Distraction May Hold Untapped Creativity; First Physiological Evidence Of 'Leaky Attention' (HT Passive Guy)

Trust issues? It may be your brain structure

The psychology of female serial killers

Why you might want to beware the introvert on your team

Psychopaths cannot understand punishment—what does that mean for the courtroom?

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 5/3/15

Lego StarWars Han Solo Endor base

Top Pick:  Han Solo Shot First. The surprising significance of past tense, present tense, and everything in between on Wikipedia

After handshakes, we sniff people's scent on our hand. Kinda creepy, but cool!

Harsher punishments for the obese and hippies -- particularly for purity related violations. Insightful and depressing look at how subliminal biases can work.

Gossip boosts self reflection.

"I did it for the team" – How outsiders cheat in pursuit of popularity

Does Thinking About God Increase Our Willingness to Make Risky Decisions?

By age three, girls already show a preference for thin people

The Women Who Stare at Babies. Women who want to be mothers enjoy looking at baby faces more than other women. A good example of how a character's point of view can affect visual descriptions.

Moral Time: Does Our Internal Clock Influence Moral Judgments?

By helping other people, you'll find it easier to accept the help you need


Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roudnup 4/25/15

Daisy Jopling


Top Pick:  The rhythm of great performance. (via Passive Guy)

Misdirected vengeance can still feel just.

Why don't you want to sing and dance in public?

Most supernatural beliefs are about avoiding harm, not bringing benefit

Why we are saying "uh" less and "um" more.

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

My Income Distribution for 2014

About a week ago, I went over my writing income for 2014.  Since I find it interesting when other authors post about their earnings, I thought I'd post the distribution of my income from different publishing channels.

So what happened in 2014?

Traditional Publishing:
1. Midnight Thief (novel) released (July)
2.  Daughter of Dusk (novel) contracted (April) for 2015 release

Self publishing
1.  From Words to Brain (essay) self pubbed after getting rights back. (January)
2.   Lord of Time (short story) sold to Inscription Magazine (September) and self pubbed after exclusivity window ended (December).  Also made available for free to new mailing list subscribers (sign up at www.liviablackburne.com).
3.  Poison Dance in backlist.  Permafree from April through November.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 3/20/15

Pierre and Marie Curie at work in laboratory Wellcome L0001761.jpg

"Pierre and Marie Curie at work in laboratory Wellcome L0001761" by http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/b1/39/aecc9d98a43b42241bd63bbf03b8.jpg
Gallery: http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0001761.html. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


Top pick: Belief that some fields require 'brilliance' may keep women out. Makes me wonder if we need more stories about brilliant women.

Anthropologist seeks the roots of terrorism.

Why romantic illusions are a good thing.

In the brain, romantic love is basically an addiction.

Terms of Endearment.  Why do we use pet names in relationships?

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 3/3/2015

Image-François Pascal Simon Gérard 006.jpg

"Image-François Pascal Simon Gérard 006" by François Gérard - Unknown. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick: To fall in love with anyone, do this. This is a fascinating article on how to generate emotional intimacy between two people. The article overstates it a bit -- the actual study (linked in article) didn't actually make people fall in love. Rather, the couples who went through their procedure scored one point higher on a "closeness questionaire" than couples assigned to small talk. But still, I found the article fascinating. And for novelists, I highly recommend clicking through to the research study and reading the questions in the appendix, if you'd like an example of the types of questions and conversation topics that foster emotional closeness between two people.

Long work hours make people more likely to drink heavily

The delivered story vs. the interpreted story.

For Couples, Success at Work is Affected by Partner’s Personality

Political gridlock: blame the men. Take the conclusions drawn here with a grain of salt. The study itself involved survey data from voters, and experiments on undergrads. To go from that to speculations about how congress functions is a big leap indeed. Still, this article has some interesting points to think about.

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roudup 2/24/15

Take a picture with a proud dyslexic.jpg

"Take a picture with a proud dyslexic" by Project Eye-To-Eye - http://www.flickr.com/photos/62668825@N07/6871550940/sizes/l/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick: Dyslexia can deliver benefits.

What you like on facebook gives away your personality.

Cheating bosses stain the reputation of their organisations and their junior staff

Experiment showcasing humanity’s ‘dark side’ may offer a way to control it

Lots of selfies may suggest you’re a narcissist

Pushy Parents Could Harm Kids’ Social Skills

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 2/17/2015

Stagefrightposter

Top pick: Rebrand stage fright to overcome it.

ADHD and Creativity  via (Passive Guy)

Beer for Creativity via (Passive Guy)

The messy minds of creative people.

Stiff masks block emotional memories. Do you make facial expressions while writing emotional scenes? Might help you get in the groove.

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 2/10/15

Rice Field.jpg

"Rice Field" by Unknown - USAID Bangladesh. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Brain Science for Writers is a periodic roundup of neuroscience and psychology articles of interest to writers.

Top Pick:  Rice farming might be linked to holistic thinking.

Why fat shaming makes the problem worse.

Exposure to different forms of violence affects kids’ sleep differently

How the religious see robots.  I'm actually not a huge fan of how this article was framed.  There's a lot of buildup about how religious fundamentalism affects one's views of robots, and only toward the end is it stated that the result of interest didn't actually reach statistical significance.  In layman's terms, this means the effect didn't reach the standard threshold required to decide that it is a real effect (and not a result of random chance).  The most I would say here is that this is something interesting that could suggest a followup study.  But still including this article in the roundup because it poses some interesting questions.

An interesting "time travel" experiment that asks interesting questions about how we view our past.

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

My Five Favorite Reads from 2014

Due to DAUGHTER OF DUSK deadline craziness. I'm over a month late for my annual 5 favorite reads post.  But DAUGHTER OF DUSK  is through copy edits now (yay!). 

So without further ado...




5. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.

As a nonfiction memoir, this is very different from my usual genre fiction fare. The beginning was a bit slow, but it provides context for Ms. ten Boom's deep Christian faith, which is what allows you to understand the way she reacts to the many challenges she faces later on.   Given that these are real people, I feel bad saying that it gets more interesting after the war starts, but that was my reading experience. The story itself is harrowing and heartbreaking. From Ms. ten Boom's efforts to hide dutch Jews from Nazi's, to their discovery and imprisonment, and eventual transfer to the infamous Ravensbruck women's concentration camp. Humanity's capacity for inflicting suffering on each other is really horrifying sometimes, but The Hiding Place ultimately is a story of forgiveness and healing, and I found it incredibly inspiring.



4. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Wow. I don't know how I made it through my childhood without reading this classic, but I'm so glad I remedied it now. The Blue Sword is high fantasy at its best, with a heroine (Harry Crewe) you can root for, beautifully realized worlds and cultures, and a sweeping quest of epic proportions. Also, Harry beats up a lot of people with her sword. Which, you know, WIN.

As an older YA book, it does move a little slower than recent YA fantasies. For me, this was exacerbated by a rather slow speaking and soft spoken audiobook narrator (whom I later grew to appreciate). I almost gave up on the book in the first few chapters, but am so glad I didn't, because the story was amazing.



3. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

This is the first Brandon Sanderson that I've read, and I totally understand now why he has such a huge fanbase. At the risk of sounding like this Penny Arcade strip, the worldbuilding was really imaginative and well done. What really made me fall in love though, were the characters, almost none of which end up being what they appear. The willful princess Siri, the mysterious God King, Lightsong (the god who doesn't believe his own religion), the mysterious Vasher... I found myself thinking about them for months after I finished the book. Warbreaker is a bit slow to start off (I'm seeing a trend here in this blog post?). There's a lot of setup required with this many characters and such an intricate world, but the payoff is worth it.



2. Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer

My five star books fall into two rough categories. There are the ones where I sit back and speak in an observant academic way about the craft and the character development, plot structure and scene setting, and take copious notes for my writer's toolbox. And then there are the books where I'm too busy a screaming fangirl, cuz who has time to take notes when OMG CINDER'S IN TROUBLE AND WOLF HAS SUCH DREAMY EYES AND IKO AND THORNE ARE BEING HILARIOUS AND I'M GOING TO DIE OF AWESOME THIS MINUTE.

I will refrain from saying which category the Lunar Chronicles in. Cuz, ya know, a girl's gotta have her secrets.

Hehe, seriously though. I'm really impressed with this series, just the sheer fun of it all, and also how Meyer keeps on introducing new POV characters. At this point, Meyer's juggling three female leads and three male leads, as well as some very well developed side characters (Iko ftw!), and manages to make them all unique and utterly charming. Can't wait to read Fairest and Winter!

(Incidentally, I analyzed Cinder quite a bit for inspiration when revising Daughter of Dusk.  I'll blog about that at some point.)

And my favorite book that I read in 2014?



1. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

 Megan Whalen Turner, you are a goddess.  Every line of this book is pure genius. It did take me a while to figure this book out. After the high drama and shifting kingdoms of The Queen of Attolia, I was expecting more of the same here. And there's definitely some badass moments here, but The King of Attolia has a smaller scope, dealing mostly with the intrigues of the Attolian court. What finally made the book click for me was when I realized that this book wasn't about Gen totally defeating his enemies (though that happens), but rather it's about Gen coming to terms with his new role as King of Attolia. And Turner is brilliant here. Scene by scene, she paints a masterful layered picture of Gen, until we see him in all his genius and vulnerability and get a clear picture of what he has become since his early days as The Queen's Thief. Turner's writing is really clever here, and I actually learned how to use the Goodreads quote function just so so that I could write down some of my favorite lines. The King of Attolia also directly inspired several scenes in Daughter of Dusk, which I'll also blog about at some point.

And those are my favorite reads of 2014.  What about you, dear readers? What were your favorites?

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 2/3/15

Deadline logo


Brain science for writers is a roundup of psychology and neuroscience articles that might be of interest to writers.

Top Pick: Banish procrastination by thinking differently about deadlines.

Defined by Brain Injury

Twitter rage is linked with heart disease. (via Passive Guy)

And in weird medical reports, a woman who sees dragons.

Sex vs. love in hookup culture.

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.

Brain Science for Writers 1/26/15




Happy new year, everyone! My short story Lord of Time (cover shown above) is now widely available.  See my author website for three ways to read it.

And on to the brain science links...

Top Pick: Writing your way to happiness.  (via Passive Guy)

Social failure, not lifestyle, has made Scots sick

We're more likely to cheat when we're anxious.

How does gender of the protagonist and reader affect the reading experience? I wish they had used more than two stories here, or used a story where they could switch out the gender of the protagonist, because it's hard to separate the effect of protagonist gender and other aspects of the stories used.  But still, interesting to think about.

His brain made him do it” and so I feel much less empathy for him

Hope you enjoyed this post! To get regular updates from this blog, use the subscription options on the sidebar.