Jars of Words

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan Romantic subplot: Yes. Humor: YES. Moving: Yes. Sad parts: Sometimes. Mystery: Yes. Summary: The novel follows a man in his early twenties as he seeks employment in future San Francisco. He discovers a 24-hour bookstore that is more than it appears to be. The novel is humorous and meaningful with vibrant characters and a fast-paced, twisting plot. It displays the relationship between technology and books through a story that is reminiscent of classic magical adventures like Harry Potter . Rating: 4.5/5. For anyone. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness Romantic subplot: No. Humor: Some. Moving: YES. Sad parts: YES. Mystery: No. Summary: The novel follows a thirteen-year-old boy named Conor whose mother is dying of cancer. However, in the midst of all his pain, he finds a monster who may be able to help him - or very well destroy him. A touching and heartfelt story that made me cry several times. If you’

Have you ever tried warm Nutella? It’s impossible to articulate how much better it is than when it’s room temperature. However, I rarely buy Nutella. So I found and edited this recipe for when I want a chocolatey, warm snack. Note: I do not use hazelnuts for this recipe. I suppose any nut will do, but I use walnuts since that’s what’s around my house. 2 tbsp crushed walnuts 1 tsp cocoa powder 1 tsp honey ½ tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp coconut oil Melt in microwave (20 seconds) and stir *Makes roughly two servings

Every novel should contain humor, as it creates endearing characters, lightens tense situations, and enhances the reader’s experience. While humor is subjective and difficult to pin down, some of the tips below may help you create meaningful humor in your work-in-progress. Remember, practice makes perfect! Generally, humor boils down to unpredictability, so don’t let readers know where the punchline is. Play on the knowledge the audience knows but some characters don’t. Let’s say one of your characters just killed a demon, making him miss his curfew. His mom asks him why he was late and he says, “I was ending world hunger,” or “I was protesting the experimentory use of cosmetics on living creatures.” Either response is unexpected and far from what he was really doing, so readers find it amusing. Contradictory traits or actions from your characters can be humorous. Let’s say your main character is a jock who bullies the geeks at school. Maybe one day his mom walks in on

1. Research: Know the terminology, stances, or weapons that are imperative to the scene. If magic is involved, worldbuild to find its capabilities and consequences. However, fight scenes should be fast and intense, not technical. Thus, only include what’s necessary to keep the fight scene entertaining and realistic. 2. Pacing: Use fight scenes sparingly, not just to get the reader's attention. This also means there must be a logical reason why the characters are fighting. Furthermore, the scene should be fast enough to excite the reader and still allow them to visualize it.   3. Stakes: Make the villain formidable and the hero seem like the loser. The more deadly the villain is, the more the protagonist is forced to be clever, making their victory more valuable and intense. Don’t make their victory easy, make it surprising and inevitable. 4. Focus: Ground readers in the scene by using the character’s five senses and by showing not telling. Allow readers to picture th

1. Make the lovers three dimensional and perfect for each other. Neither lover should be a cardboard cutout or mere plot device. Give them unique but equal quirks, strengths, and weaknesses that compliment one another. As iron sharpens iron, both characters will be the only person who can be a catalyst for the other’s transformation and perfect them. However, that is not to say other characters can’t change the main character’s life. 2. Make the relationship realistic. Ask yourself why the lovers like each other. They should have traits that make them perfect for each other, have a mutual attraction towards each other, and have a common goal to journey towards so they can support and strengthen each other along the way. If one character is a sexy, popular jerk and the other is a sweet, homely loser, that relationship needs a brilliant reason as to why it happened and why it’s working. 3. Build the anticipation. Let your characters be friends first, gaining each other’s trust an