I've started spewing out my first draft scenes, instead of meticulously laying down each word. If you commit to the idea of rewriting, then it makes no point to care about what you say in the first draft.

Just tell the story in your sloppiest, stupidest fashion and don't give a flying fuck if its feelings are hurt. Slay, butcher it, just make it weep. And unleash your inner sadist.

There's something weird about being a neurotic. When you want to be liked, so very liked, then doing something like blogging out your mind's dung heap might be the last thing on your mind.

People might not like you. Maybe you haven't had a shower. And you're making a vid on youtube. You feel dirty inside.

But then again, we're the narcissistic generation. We're supposed to do this. We're all playing the same game. Building a legacy, whatever. But that's just me being a neurotic again.

No rest for the weary.

Shadows flit around us as we write, sometimes more times than others. I know I've got them. And with enough shadows, layer on layer, they weigh down the air, every keystroke, every breath.

Anxieties arrive at the tips of your fingers, and no matter what you say to yourself they remain there. Sizzling.

My way of coping with the fear tends to be focusing on the word. Being present there with them. Mindfulness.

What's yours? You know you want to comment this post. Go on. Go on.

This book reads like a cross between Beowulf, the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Clan of the Cave Bear, with a twist of fantasy. The result is a compelling story all its own, and it's a ripping-yarn page turner that expresses quite a lot of complex content in a short amount of writing, and it's all accessible on first read.

I found myself drawn to keep reading and I can't wait for Banished, Book 2. If you like fantasy with a mythological bent, this is an intriguing and rewarding read. So just get it!

Note: I downloaded this for free off the Kindle store however the views I express are my own, regardless of price.

Find author William Deen on Twitter @WilliamDeen

His website is at http://authorwilliamdeen.blogspot.com/

First book review. Yay!!



I don't delve into YA nearly as much as I'd like, so the only real point of comparison in my possession is the Hunger Games books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it much more refreshing than the trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

The author clearly has a love both for storytelling and writing. The prose sings and is clean and uncluttered. The premise is interesting and presents a more compelling moral dilemma for the protagonist than that of Ms. Everdeen. The emotions of the characters resonate with you and the universe immerses you in the story.

I found myself wishing the book was longer. I wanted to know more about the universe and its history. The crucial opening scenes were hazy to me until I re-read them about halfway through. From then on everything about the condition of the protagonist-narrator became clear to me. That's my bad, I think, not the author's fault.

Speaking as a writer, reading Children of the Gods taught me about good pacing, characterization, worldbuilding and sentence-laying. I can't reccommend this debut novel more highly. A joy to read and inspiring to this unpublished author. But if you just want to read a work of innovative, well done YA fiction this one's for you all the way.

Find the author on Twitter @MonicaEmme

Her website/blog is at http://analaskangirl.blogspot.com/