Story Embers | Northerner | Activity https://storyembers.org/members/northerner/activity/ Activity feed for Northerner. Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:40:41 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v= en 30 hourly 2 e362222df93dda5182839eb1fa3a7a01 Northerner posted a new activity comment https://storyembers.org/how-to-delicately-yet-meaningfully-write-a-suicide-scene/comment-page-1/#comment-3182 Fri, 31 May 2019 22:04:16 -0400 Thank you, and if you want to learn more, hop over to my blog (linked in bio) and look in the “So That Others May Live” category. There should be another post on the subject coming soon, once I get the mental space for it.

In reply to - Story Embers wrote a new post By Sophia White   Last August, a young man in my church killed himself. He came from a large family, and our community loved him. I decided to chronicle the impact of his death, […] ]]> 38a717daa84a75ba05b64090662564dc Northerner posted a new activity comment https://storyembers.org/how-to-delicately-yet-meaningfully-write-a-suicide-scene/comment-page-1/#comment-3160 Wed, 29 May 2019 16:06:35 -0400 Thank you. I have had to think about these things myself quite a lot lately, and if it helps anyone else, and so on, you know.

In reply to - Story Embers wrote a new post By Sophia White   Last August, a young man in my church killed himself. He came from a large family, and our community loved him. I decided to chronicle the impact of his death, […] ]]> ebee24db1c5d947f4e3644adbadea651 Northerner posted a new activity comment https://storyembers.org/how-to-delicately-yet-meaningfully-write-a-suicide-scene/comment-page-1/#comment-3157 Tue, 28 May 2019 15:54:29 -0400 Hey, I’m glad it helped, and I’m so sorry you’ve been through this too. If you’ve ever got further questions feel free to look me up and I’ll be glad to help.

In reply to - Story Embers wrote a new post By Sophia White   Last August, a young man in my church killed himself. He came from a large family, and our community loved him. I decided to chronicle the impact of his death, […] ]]> 7b35d2ea823138eb80aee1ece374c64b Northerner replied to the topic Question: What the Dickens is True Love? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/question-what-the-dickens-is-true-love/#post-89478 Tue, 14 May 2019 16:16:49 -0400 @h-jones

Well, G. K. Chesterton’s character Michael Moon, in Manalive, says “Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honour should decline”. I haven’t exactly experimented myself — maybe it’s a bit hyperbolic, considering that at least some people are called to celibacy, see also 1 Cor. 7? — but it’s an interesting analogy.

Jenny…[Read more]

]]> 0 817e1dcd628f900b10609443903b7a96 Northerner replied to the topic The Art of Female Characters(Which I Coincidentally Need Help With) in the forum Characters https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/the-art-of-female-characterswhich-i-coincidentally-need-help-with/#post-86926 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 16:35:42 -0400 @sarah-inkdragon She’s a girl. Okay. But she’s also. . . a human being. The differences between guys and girls (fictional or otherwise) aren’t big enough to turn them into two separate species. You can write human beings, obviously, because you’re comfortable writing guys. So. . . instead of focusing so much on what makes her a girl, for the…[Read more]

]]> 0 2d25f1cbbcab638a9e119909dd6fa2d1 Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/22/#post-86923 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 16:17:34 -0400 @seekjustice Girls or women going bareheaded. Unless it’s set after 1950-something (and even then some women still wore hats for special occasions), ye need to cover yer hair. There have been tiny slivers of time and place with exceptions to this rule. But still. If you’re writing a novel set during the Norman Conquest of England and your hero…[Read more]

]]> 0 a16446f29bab82fa35d2aaadbe9c3e61 Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/21/#post-84544 Sat, 30 Mar 2019 16:47:24 -0400 @selah-chelyah what sources are those?

]]> 0 eb70882f961b91f9324d35bdc859e0ad Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/21/#post-84481 Fri, 29 Mar 2019 18:24:21 -0400 @selah-chelyah and everyone: G. A. Henty is good at plotting. Admittedly, he put a lot of work into making one plot, which he then used for every single book of his, but he wouldn’t be the only writer to do that. Once in a while he’s not terribly bad at characterization. However, his historical accuracy is conspicuous by its absence, as a…[Read more]

]]> 0 334f8b10a410797234a19b07ae3e50df Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/21/#post-84353 Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:29:27 -0400 @valtmy Ahh. In that case, never mind. Historical fantasy is a different animal — sort of a chimera. But since you hadn’t previously claimed that genre, and popped into a historical fiction thread to express a conflicting set of principles, I was confused. In context it makes sense.

Yes, the difficulty with accurately telling a story about…[Read more]

]]> 0 56636f1be8b18523deef8dfd5924bdc8 Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/21/#post-84169 Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:17:46 -0400 @valtmy. . . if you don’t care for historical accuracy, why are you writing things set in a different time, in the first place? Why not write fantasy instead? If you claim to tell a story about a particular era but don’t portray it as it was, readers who don’t know better will walk away from your book with a false picture of the era in mind. That…[Read more]

]]> 0 1deba61a5dd30415c2be25e6264e517a Northerner replied to the topic Help! My guy MC is toooo girly in the forum Characters https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/halp-me-my-guy-mc-is-toooo-girlyyyyy/#post-81832 Tue, 12 Mar 2019 14:41:00 -0400 @mickinley Historically there’s never been anything girly about being a bard (or singing poet if you prefer). Any more than singing bass is more manly than singing tenor. We need all kinds. I would actually like to read a story with a guy who’s not typically “manly” without him being portrayed as weak.

]]> 0 0b2f81e614bf56337c69ccd7b92927c6 Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/16/#post-74571 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 20:57:33 -0400 @Michelle I can recommend the OYAN blog’s resources on historical fiction (https://clearwaterpress.com/oneyearnovel/?s=historical+fiction), and I recently did a blog post of my own compiling links to things I’ve found helpful (https://ofdreamsandswords.wordpress.com/2019/01/26/historical-fiction-resources-online/), including but not limited to how…[Read more]

]]> 0 7fd94e494976c74edae846a135c1ec34 Northerner replied to the topic For All The Historical Fictioners in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/for-all-the-historical-fictioners/page/16/#post-74523 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 17:36:35 -0400 @Rochellaine, @eden-anderson, I wrote an American Civil War novel some years ago, in which a somewhat important plot point was the heroine’s needing to get married, despite not being very excited about it or in love with anyone. I collected quite a few sources on love and marriage during the war. If anyone wants them, I can dump links in the…[Read more]

]]> 0 34205cd49de01845010214fcce759d33 Northerner replied to the topic An argument -- Christian stories don't just happen in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/an-argument-christian-stories-dont-just-happen/page/2/#post-73894 Thu, 24 Jan 2019 22:21:40 -0400 @Daeus-lamb Right-o! Where would be the best place?

]]> 0 fb192a92e9805a11d8d6f7152b76455d Northerner replied to the topic An argument -- Christian stories don't just happen in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/an-argument-christian-stories-dont-just-happen/page/2/#post-73874 Thu, 24 Jan 2019 20:20:25 -0400 @daeus-lamb, “sometimes no answer is an answer”. Yes! Otherwise known as Till We Have Faces and A Grief Observed. Often this is life — often we don’t get the answers until near the end, if then — and it’s so, so important to acknowledge that and not brush it off as flippancy. Often no answer *is* the answer. At least if you want to have a bo…[Read more]

]]> 0 2cdc1c59f8f9c0068c9f1a2492ac0507 Northerner replied to the topic Prayer Requests 1 in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/prayer-requests-1-6/page/3/#post-72253 Thu, 17 Jan 2019 16:23:32 -0400 @kate, @r-m-archer, @the-fledgling-artist, @selah-chelyah: thank you so much. I get nervous over the smallest things and it helped to know you guys had my back.

The bad news: the paper does not have a copyeditor and is not looking for one, and the hiring manager was Out. I was given to understand that he is usually Out.

What kind of s…[Read more]

]]> 0 b36690ed264c2a758e3c0dc92f9f6c60 Northerner replied to the topic Prayer Requests 1 in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/prayer-requests-1-6/page/3/#post-72023 Wed, 16 Jan 2019 14:54:22 -0400 If y’all would pray I get this job I’m after that would be great. . . I need at least 30 hours a week more than what I’ve got right now and in less than an hour I’ll be walking into the nearest town’s newspaper office and asking if they want me for a copyeditor. . . the evidence strongly suggests they do, but they haven’t put out a hiring ad.…[Read more]

]]> 0 b8423825425ff035d8f67dd71ec9639e Northerner posted a new activity comment https://storyembers.org/activity/p/34641/#acomment-34821 Thu, 13 Dec 2018 13:54:09 -0400 *dances* The Kitchen Knight! Gareth, Lynet, and Lynesse are the three main ones (I have a soft spot for Gareth, since elsewhere he’s sometimes described as being a bit bookish). The version illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman is good.

(Also have you read PENDRAGON’S HEIR, by Suzannah Rowntree? Because you must. Only if you’re interested in a…[Read more]

In reply to - The Inkspiller posted an update @northerner, I don’t know if you’ll see this soon, but I have a question regarding the Arthurian romances – I remember a story of a knight striving to please a lady who places […] ]]> a4ea214aaf05b490a38350727ecda57b Northerner replied to the topic Writing for money alone? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-for-money-alone/page/6/#post-56125 Mon, 29 Oct 2018 15:52:36 -0400 @Kate I’m so glad someone else has even heard of it!

]]> 0 58d1db9e19d37111e23ca2f18daae535 Northerner replied to the topic Writing for money alone? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-for-money-alone/page/6/#post-56090 Mon, 29 Oct 2018 15:12:07 -0400 @karthmin, then I will engage in a very characteristic behaviour and recommend you a few of his works. These are far from being his only good ones — I pick them because they’re good places to start.

Nonfiction: Orthodoxy

Long fiction: Manalive or the Napoleon of Notting Hill or The Ball and the Cross

Short fiction: The Blue Cross (of course…[Read more]

]]> 0 07624914c188b4c7106cfff4a0fd4a8a Northerner replied to the topic Writing for money alone? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-for-money-alone/page/6/#post-49973 Sat, 29 Sep 2018 19:07:56 -0400 @Wordsmith I very much doubt it. And I notice his writing isn’t that great either, which kind of tends to happen when you throw out all the proper standards and deliberately write contrary to them. I mean, if you’re such a great writer that your work can overshadow Tolkien’s — cos he had his influences and things, and I don’t think he’d say “Oh…[Read more]

]]> 0 8701d3f78246a509196d31b4d5280043 Northerner replied to the topic Writing for money alone? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-for-money-alone/page/6/#post-49959 Sat, 29 Sep 2018 17:16:38 -0400 @Karthmin yep. Tolkien is great. I’ve got a classmate, also a Creative Writing major, who says he’s only about average, but then he doesn’t think very highly of Lewis either, so I don’t think his opinion counts for very much. But it’s not just his technical skill at writing that makes him great (though having such a thorough grasp of the English…[Read more]

]]> 0 48f0c969d3a52e0aefcd0e270c4d8ca8 Northerner replied to the topic What is the purpose of writing? in the forum Themes https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/what-is-the-purpose-of-writing/#post-49955 Sat, 29 Sep 2018 16:50:15 -0400 @h-jones, the Peterson quote is right on! Not that the Tolkien and catechism quotes are at all wrong either; they’re what I first thought of when I saw the title of this thread, but that’s a perspective that often gets left out. It’s why we write stories instead of doing apologetics. Nothing wrong with the latter, and if I weren’t a writer I might…[Read more]

]]> 0 3ffb8b6c3a937f548cfc1d6e5a84420b Northerner replied to the topic Writing for money alone? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-for-money-alone/page/6/#post-49678 Thu, 27 Sep 2018 17:51:11 -0400 @Karthmin, Monsters and Critics, in its very shortest form, is against people reading too much into works or trying too hard to interpret them or saying what the authour must really have meant — so things like turning Beowulf into a political or religious allegory, or valuing it as an historical document mainly, forgetting in all cases that it’s…[Read more]

]]> 0 9944d1dd8fe520759efa9bae0b2b8e1e Northerner replied to the topic Let's talk fantasy technology in the forum Research and Worldbuilding https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/lets-talk-fantasy-technology/#post-49019 Sun, 23 Sep 2018 22:39:29 -0400 @Hope-ann On Fairy Stories is essential reading for any authour, but most especially those trying to write from a Christian worldview — not limited to fantasy. Here’s a not-as-sketchy-as-it-looks link: http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/fairystories-tolkien.pdf. Be off with you. Quiz on Thursday.

]]> 0 ceff1139a124ee3b409e879e6389ce1b Northerner replied to the topic Writing for money alone? in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-for-money-alone/page/5/#post-47306 Tue, 11 Sep 2018 21:09:34 -0400 This whole thread is deeply interesting, even the digressions on “who’d want to marry a writer?” (that perennial question) and group hugs. (I for one like my personal space and rarely give it up when I can help it to an ordinary one-to-one hug. Group hugs are just weird.) And I know exactly what @Hope-ann means when she says if you’re surrounded…[Read more]

]]> 0 e34848a44771c90e1fb33f85a823487d Northerner replied to the topic MBTI Roll Call!! in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/mbti-roll-call/page/5/#post-47299 Tue, 11 Sep 2018 20:32:51 -0400 @Elizabeth INTP with no math or science skill. That stereotype does bother me, because it seems to equate intelligence with being good at working with empirical data and, when you’re doing math, a very limited set of options. I like the flexibility of art, thanks, and I’m much too theoretical for my scientific friends’ liking sometimes.

Now, the…[Read more]

]]> 0 b86847c14a13801b6a602936be64c64b Northerner replied to the topic Cranky Old Man Syndrome in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/cranky-old-man-syndrome/#post-43291 Fri, 10 Aug 2018 15:40:27 -0400 @the-inkspiller, I understand something of where you’re at — I’m rather melancholic, and being around happy people for too long has a way of making me pessimistic just to provide some balance or something. And I know what it’s like to be cynical about politics, looking for someone to take advantage of their place where they can Do Something and…[Read more]

]]> 0 8f0e3a85979882976c78ac32b345cffa Northerner replied to the topic Lesson 10 : Sharing in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/lesson-10-sharing/#post-43172 Wed, 08 Aug 2018 16:13:20 -0400 I’ve been absent quite a lot recently: being counsellor at a week-long music camp (even though I am not at all musical), not being able to remember my password and then not being able to reset it, and I think there was something else? But I did win Camp NaNo, and I wrote thirteen thousand words last week, so I have been productive.

]]> 0 6544e643cb35470419ee9a943b771300 Northerner replied to the topic "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/poets-have-been-mysteriously-silent-on-the-subject-of-cheese/page/2/#post-40966 Tue, 10 Jul 2018 00:17:31 -0400 @The-inkspiller you will love Orthodoxy. (It’s the book he wrote after he published Heretics, a collection of essays about problems with modern philosophy, and people said, “It’s all very well to tell us what not to believe, but what should we believe in its place?” and partly autobiographical.) And probably Queer Trades. Is The Blue Cross one o…[Read more]

]]> 0 ac7e904b7bd7246898e2a59a1aa34603 Northerner replied to the topic "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/poets-have-been-mysteriously-silent-on-the-subject-of-cheese/page/2/#post-40956 Mon, 09 Jul 2018 22:03:58 -0400 @Sarah-narnathron thank you for the lovely comment!

The acting thing is mostly because a profession which involves, not to put too fine a point on it, people pretending to be other people, the most successful being those who are best at deception, is kind of. . . off, somehow? And, yeah, you can point to how the kinds of people who hand around…[Read more]

]]> 0 2222a57f5520b0cad34ea4f8d575a869 Northerner replied to the topic You Have Arrived at Parimi Alca! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/welcome-to-parimi-alca/page/5/#post-40955 Mon, 09 Jul 2018 21:56:43 -0400 I am. . . slightly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm here. I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually.

@Cassie-hartfinh favourite to read or write? I dunno. Lots of them have strengths and most have weaknesses. Most of what I own is fantasy of one sort of another. Favourite colour is a funny one. Usually it’s green but my current protag likes red, so I…[Read more]

]]> 0 cea23a7d29a202643a005bf83b140351 Northerner replied to the topic Let the Ink Spill! in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/let-the-ink-spill/page/2/#post-40711 Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:45:29 -0400 @the-inkspiller, and I don’t even know Greek! Isn’t it a great feeling when someone gets an obscure reference you make?

Do finish the Chesterton anthology (which is it?). And tell me what you think, if you remember. He’s one of my favourite authours.

]]> 0 66ecd65223ba923dccdb0a8ad611e03d Northerner replied to the topic Let the Ink Spill! in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/let-the-ink-spill/#post-40672 Thu, 05 Jul 2018 15:03:41 -0400 @The-inkspiller I’m glad I could help! Also, out of curiosity. . . Kyreleis. . . where does her name come from? Because it looks a lot like it could be a contraction of Kyrie Eleison, which given what you wrote about her in the first post is very interesting. Or just an accident?

And good luck with having to end up writing a very different story…[Read more]

]]> 0 b46226a3aadf328e45fc373a9c5d1fcd Northerner replied to the topic Let the Ink Spill! in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/let-the-ink-spill/#post-40636 Thu, 05 Jul 2018 00:30:33 -0400 @nuetrobolt, but the Head! It creeps me out.

]]> 0 d23eb129e004a682745078509b991f6f Northerner replied to the topic What does INTP or INJF stand for in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/what-does-intp-or-injf-stand-for/page/2/#post-40617 Wed, 04 Jul 2018 19:58:49 -0400 How has Kate not showed up in this thread yet?

One thing I really like about all the introverts gathering on KP and here is that no one says “oh, you’re an introvert? But you don’t seem to have anything wrong with you” or “But you write long posts, it’s not like you’re shy or quiet”. Because we all know what being an introvert is (“recharging” by…[Read more]

]]> 0 195603ef2205f3dbfc64ba19f7225947 Northerner replied to the topic Let the Ink Spill! in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/let-the-ink-spill/#post-40616 Wed, 04 Jul 2018 19:51:37 -0400 @The-inkspiller ooh, another hist-fic writer, nice! What periods do you gravitate toward? And combining historical and science fiction could be awesome. I don’t have a head for science, myself, but I admire people who not only understand it but can make it enjoyable to read about. I suppose everyone read the Ender’s Game series before I did…[Read more]

]]> 0 271d409293146930e8b40a9af367017e Northerner replied to the topic Strong Female Character in the forum Characters https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/strong-female-character/page/2/#post-40391 Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:04:07 -0400 If you wanted to play with foil characters, you could contrast her with another woman in the story by (not explicitly, of course) asking “what makes a strong female character? This girl who goes fighting, or [for example] the woman who bears half-a-dozen children of her own body and looks after them all while dealing with the effects of the Fall…[Read more]

]]> 0 2c0baa2d29039c5763b1e1eb2907926a Northerner replied to the topic "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/poets-have-been-mysteriously-silent-on-the-subject-of-cheese/#post-40340 Mon, 02 Jul 2018 17:08:43 -0400 @Mariposa. . . well, it’s not like I’m a science major. This way even the smallest things surprise me.

@Brie-donning I am always up for a discussion of Chesterton, and any time you want to read more, I’ve got lists of lists of recommendations, poetry, plays, fiction, non-fiction, essays, you name it, he probably wrote it.

@Literatureforthelight…[Read more]

]]> 0 8e4047df7a7c4d028cc7268b6f453daa Northerner replied to the topic "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/poets-have-been-mysteriously-silent-on-the-subject-of-cheese/#post-40065 Thu, 28 Jun 2018 14:25:02 -0400 @Carolyn-Matthews, INTP stands for Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Procrastinator (well, not actually the last one) — it’s an MBTI type. We’re stereotyped as computer-science people, although I am neither. @Kate-flournoy can tell you all about the types.

@Mariposa, probably one of the flying kinds — it’s the next best thing to being a dragon…[Read more]

]]> 0 a04ee3107d4d397b31cae5164e182c7b Northerner replied to the topic "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/poets-have-been-mysteriously-silent-on-the-subject-of-cheese/#post-40019 Wed, 27 Jun 2018 17:48:23 -0400 @Elizabeth, Hello, fellow INTP! Yep, I was, and still sort of am. And the title is a non sequitur, because I do that — stuff a quote in when I can’t think of a better title. This one’s by Chesterton.

@Allison-grace, you were on KP too, weren’t you?

]]> 0 4a263cf8d4b710ad2d633e54c0211677 Northerner's profile was updated https://storyembers.org/activity/p/9980/ Wed, 27 Jun 2018 14:53:07 -0400 0 75b58e8d59edc74f756214e2b9c3d0e0 Northerner started the topic "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." in the forum Introduce Yourself https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/poets-have-been-mysteriously-silent-on-the-subject-of-cheese/ Wed, 27 Jun 2018 14:45:58 -0400 *stares at the cursor for several minutes*

What you need to know about me: I’m bad at introducing myself. Guessing which categories of information and how much will be right for my audience and neither too much nor too little is really hard.

I write stories? That might be obvious. I say my main genre is historical fiction, although every time I…[Read more]

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