Jillian Fisher (jillifish)

Anybody have any suggestions on what the conflict of the story could be? It’s such a vague prompt. I’m struggling to come up with any specific ideas. What sort of cultures? What kind of clashing? Don’t most stories have some form of clashing cultures? Some of the cultures are only practiced by a few, but they still count, I think. Old ways vs.…[Read more]

Most of my other passions and dreams have died away over the years, since I lacked the means to pursue them. My family couldn’t afford sports lessons (I was very passionate about gymnastics) and when my parents split up, my Mom worked evenings so couldn’t take me to anything. It was a big hassle just arranging to get me home from school while she…[Read more]

Things that make one mystery story stand out above others, for me at least, are a puzzling crime, plenty of suspense (and twists!) and a cast of quirky characters. I mostly read traditional and cozy mysteries, there are quite a few other types and each has a different feel and style. I’m not really familiar with them, other than that they tend to…[Read more]

Oh, it would be the mystery one that this happens to, wouldn’t it? My favorite! But I think we should at least try to write an entry.

What type of mystery should it be?

My initial assumption, and hope, for the Guilds when I first discovered Story Embers, was that they were for serious learning and writing practice. I expected the Guildmaster to be a sort of mentor to the guild members, and that each guild was carefully built around the needs of the members – for example, genre & writing level.

The General boards…[Read more]

I don’t know, I thought it would have been dramatic. I was picturing the pencil as witness to one family’s life. Life can be full of drama. My own has been lately, with my Mom’s sudden brain hemorrhage and then just when it looked like she’d beat the odds, she passed away. Plus, I had suggested setting that family drama against a stretch of time…[Read more]

I like the idea of the pencil, and the beauty being it’s limited life filled with endless possibilities. It also strikes me that it is a life of service and self- sacrifice, both can be beautiful as well. Which makes me inclined to think the viewpoint of the pencil would be more important than that of the person writing or of some other object…[Read more]

I think this definitely depends on the individual, and the circumstances.

In general, yes, definitely write everyday regardless of whether or not you feel like it. Often just getting started can flip that switch, and at the very least it is good practice. Writing as a profession requires the same commitment as any other job – and any time off can…[Read more]

Being that we are called “Meerkats”, I’ve always kind of pictured us being like the animal. It could be our disguise, and normally we’re human but morph into meerkat-like disguises during official guild duties (friendly guild gatherings as well as missions). Or maybe we are just anthropomorphic meerkats. I don’t know. So, I also think we might…[Read more]

I don’t like the term “journal”, I think “diary” is a much more attractive word. Though I guess they don’t quite mean the same thing, at least Mom used to say a diary was more of a short entry to record just the events and facts of a day, while a journal was more free thought. I like a mix of both, but still prefer the word “diary”. And really, in…[Read more]

I also like eb raulands’ idea about the gladiator, but “comes to understand that true love does not depend on the “worthiness” of the object” is kinda cliche. Lots of stories teach or attempt to teach that moral. If we cut that ending and instead just end it when the gladiator learns the truth about his background, I think it’d be stronger and wou…[Read more]

I love the idea, but unfortunately have probably not seen or read much that others here would have. Just based on the books and movies others reference, which I tend to not have even heard of before, much less seen or read. However, if anyone wants to talk Winnie the Pooh, Shirley Temple, or Murder, She Wrote (tv show, not the books), count me…[Read more]

Thanks. I really appreciate everyone’s prayers.

Not well, I’m afraid. She’s still in a coma and the doctors haven’t seen anything that looks like my mom will make much of a recovery, even if she does wake. But I’m still praying for her recovery. She and I were so close that I feel kind of lost and lonely without her around.

I have a playlist of instrumental songs that put me in a mysterious/ spooky mood. The one that I like to think of as my series’ theme song is Danse Macabre, and I play it more than other pieces. I have liked it for a long time, but after hearing it used as the opening music to Sherlock Holmes radio plays (more recent ones) I thought it was perfect…[Read more]

When I finally began taking my desire to write a book seriously, I did start to edit. Before, I only edited my writing if required for a class assignment. I’m one of those evidently rare writers that doesn’t cringe and hide from their first drafts. I usually love whatever I’ve written, even if I do see areas that need improvement. So, like you, I…[Read more]

I think it is very rare for a mystery writer to not plot before hand. A mystery is two stories in one, and if I don’t know the story of the crime, first, it makes it so much more difficult to tell the story of the detection or solving of that crime. Not everything is planned in advance, though, but there has to be a framework or prepping of some…[Read more]

Wow, that is an inspiring total so far! This guild has pretty much written a book in one week! Great job everyone!

I’m sad to report I have nothing to add to the total, though. I am still spinning my wheels trying to get started on something. But I did *try* harder to get moving forward this week.

Is theme always a single word?

If nothing else, it adds something important to the characterization. That should count for something, even if only brownie points. Right? 🙂 That sort of, indirectly, improves the other prose… At least, in my head it does. lol