I'd like to share two little pieces of writing with you today. The first is a bit of an experiment I've been meaning to try for a while: a story written using a structure reminiscent of the Psalms and Proverbs from the Bible. It's quite a bit easier to write than regular novelling, so I figured I'd try it to get a story done I've been excited to try out. Of course, I immediately got stuck working on the third stanza. Anyway, here's the first two chapters of "The Knight of Wands,

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So this is just a silly little thing, half-meditation, half-political theory about Equestria. I'm sure nobody but me will find this interesting, but... yeah. :P

The human had long since accommodated themselves in Equestria. They'd met the mane 6, gone on an adventure, traveled the world, all that jazz. Now, they found themselves in Canterlot, face to face with the Princess of the Sun herself, with a single question on their mind.

"How?"

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Ya'll mind if I gush about the Tarot just a little?

I'd like to think I'm pretty rational. I've got a science degree, I love experimentation and research--I own a slide rule, for pete's sake! I'd like to think I know how to keep grounded and focus on evidence-based beliefs rather than pie-in-the-sky magical thinking. But I've got a sort of weak spot for oracles, and it's hard to explain why that is.

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Ah, story titles. You know how they say first impressions count for everything? The title of your story is that first impression. When you're judging a book by its cover, the title usually gets some play in there as well. A strong, evocative title can get your readers thinking about what your story will be about; conversely, a bad title can either bore your reader into indifference, or worse, misinform them about what the story is gonna be about. (Never gonna be a problem with The

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Okay, I've got to talk about this, but I don't want to dirty the comment section with my angry ranting, so... here we go.

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So I watched this video the other day about "The Five-Man Band," a specific permutation of character archetypes that pops up all over the place in myth and fiction, particularly Eastern media. I could certainly go over all of them, but most of them won't blow your mind or anything. There's the Leader, who leads the group; the Heart, who acts as the emotional center of the group and is frequently the Influence Character; the Smart Guy, who's either super techy or a wizard; and the Big Guy, who's

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Way back in Ancient Greece, so the story goes, Socrates was teaching in Athens. One day, a young man came to him, in awe of his wisdom and philosophy. "I want to be as smart as you," he said. "What is the secret to your success?"

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I'd like to offer you three rules I came up with as part of an alternate project I was working on involving what I was calling "the four unities of story." These rules were part of the Unity of Plot, which represented the notion that everything in your story must be in service towards the completion of a single Goal. The point of these rules was to remind you to hit every beat and cover every angle. Let me jump into it, and hopefully you can see how these are helpful.

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All right, I can finally get to this. I promised myself, if I was going to do a review of the movie, I would use it as a teaching moment, rather than just air my complaints. (Oh, spoilers. I was a bit lukewarm on it.) I think a discussion on theming would be most appropriate, while also tying in my thoughts on the Influence Character, the rest of the mane 6, and the additional characters. But all right, I've delayed enough. Let's get to the meat of the thing.

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Okay, I know I've been quiet for a while, and I've got plenty of topics I want to talk about (including one inspired by the movie--I know, I know, it's a month late!), but the Magic color pie has been stuck in my mind for a while now, so that's what I want to talk about. I don't even play Magic all that much, but the philosophy of the five colors is fascinating in its own way, especially when you start to see the connections between things in your day to day life. I'd love to talk

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