Ron Delaney Jr

Friday Morning FYI – 4/17/2015

April 17, 2015 Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI, my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

This week’s FYI is all about the unimpedible march of time:

Time is objective. It doesn’t care about you, doesn’t know you exist, and moves regardless of what you have done, are doing, or will do. Time is also subjective in that how you spend the precious little time you’re given impacts you, the people you spend it with, and those influenced by what you do. My point? Spend your time on things people will remember, because time doesn’t give a f*ck how much of it you waste, but at some point you, and others, will.

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}

Review: The Whispering Skull

April 16, 2015October 8, 2019 Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ZOMG WHY IS BOOK 3 NOT OUT UNTIL SEPTEMBER!!?!

*clears throat* Sorry.

In case you couldn’t tell, I enjoyed this book. In case that’s not enough, keep reading.

Prose – Strong, elegant, consistent.
The writing is exceptional. I find several supporting characters more interesting than the MC, though. She’s consistently written, and quite funny in a sarcastic, dark way–which I enjoy–but for some reason, I like George (the researcher of the team) more.

Story – (This paragraph is pasted from my review of ‘The Screaming Staircase’) In a world where “Visitors” (ghosts) are a publically-recognized threat, children–who are the only people who can see the spirits–risk their lives to put the ghosts to rest. The story is told by Lucy, the newest member of the London-based ghost-fighting agency, Lockwood and Co.

The story is set a short time after the events of ‘The Screaming Staircase’, and focuses on the hunt for a magic (and wonderfully evil) mirror that allows you to see through to “the other side”. We also get some nice expansion of the world, learning a lot about the dangerous relics black market.

The author has a knack for creating real feelings of dread and danger through his use of atmosphere (a cemetery catacomb seems like a terrible place to be after dark) and the creative designs of his ghosts. Several of those blew me away (I’m looking at you, rat-ghost-guy).

Favorite thing – Easily rat-ghost-guy.

Least favorite thing – I’ve sat for ten minutes straining to come-up with something I didn’t like. I’ve failed, and am going to stop thinking about it before I give myself an aneurism.

Overall – Strong recommend for creepiness and splashes of dark humor.

View all my reviews

Friday Morning FYI – 4/7/2013

April 10, 2015April 7, 2015 Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI, my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

This week’s FYI is all about listening:

There’s a difference between making a mistake and stubbornly ignoring facts. Mistakes happen naturally, as in you’re on the short end of something as the natural order plays out. When you willfully cover your ears and pretend something isn’t what it is or won’t end the way it will, that’s not nature screwing you, that’s you screwing you. Don’t screw you.

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}

Growing as a Writer: An Interesting Observation on First Drafts

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 Ron Delaney Jr3 Comments

I believe with all my heart the most important thing about writing a novel is completing the first draft.

It’s just math. It doesn’t matter how great or original your idea is. A great, original idea != a book. It doesn’t matter how long your outline is. An outline != a book. You have to complete that first draft. A first draft is a book, albeit (for many of us) a bad book-but a book nonetheless. Or manuscript, if you prefer. Then you do a ton of editing to make it a good book, or even a great book. If you’d like to see it spelled out, here are some formulas (to keep the whole math theme going):

no first draft = no book

first draft = book

(first draft + editing) = second draft = better book

(second draft + A LOT of editing) = next draft = good book

Simple? Good. But that brings me to a unexpected problem…

Continue reading “Growing as a Writer: An Interesting Observation on First Drafts” →

Friday Morning FYI – 4/3/2015

April 3, 2015 Ron Delaney JrLeave a comment

Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI, my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.

This week’s FYI is all about not-wasting potential:

What are you going to do today? While the past has some impact on that decision, you’re by no means slaved to it. In fact, it probably only deserves minimal consideration. Never use “I’ve always…” or “I’ve never…” as excuses. Life is full of potential. Go realize some.

Thanks for reading,

{RDj}