Nick Enlowe
Author Blog
The Absolute State of Toys
It’s tough shopping for kids these days. What does one even get for their children? There aren’t very many toy stores anymore–Toys ‘r’ Us was forced out of business for many reasons including toy manufacturers and vendors being contracted by greedy companies like Lucasfilm to pay non-refundable licensing fees, royalties on unsold goods, taking generous profit cuts with…
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We Need To Stop Lying
It has been a crazy couple of weeks. So many things have happened, it’s hard to keep up. I’m sure you’re at least aware of the political upheaval in Great Britain under the banner of St. George’s cross and the Union Jack. It was a protest against illegal immigration. And millions showed up. But did…
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How Feminists Gaslit Women in the Writing Industry
So far I’ve shared personal experiences, we’ve covered a little about Leigh Brackett’s celebrated career (which will be important later), and we’ve discussed the bizarre life and career of James Tiptree, Jr. Today we’ll be hearing an industry professional’s take from author, editor, and feminist Kristine Kathryn Rusch. If you’ve not heard of her, you…
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The Charmed Life (and Tragic End) of James Tiptree Jr.
There are lots of young, liberated female sci-fi authors out there who feel they are breaking down boundaries in a male-dominated field. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many certifiably insane people are responsible for getting the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy literature into the awful mess it’s in today, and James was a…
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Leigh Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon: A Sword & Planet analysis
Leigh Brackett should need no introduction–She was a powerhouse in the industry whose absence is still felt today. Sadly, the world lost her in 1978, but not before she managed to finish the first draft of The Empire Strikes Back, one of the best films of all-time. She was a behemoth on the short story/novel…
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No Males Allowed
Finding a good writing group since about 2015 has been a struggle. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. Like there was the time a drum corp decided to have a practice–indoors–in a library, during my weekly writing group meetups. And then there was the time I was practically begging for an honest…
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The 10 Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned in 17 Years of Writing
1. If you wrote yesterday, write again today. This is the mindset I’ve settled on over many years of hearing “write every day” so many times. It puts an emphasis on yesterday, which is of crucial importance: It makes you feel like you’re not writing today because you didn’t write yesterday. That puts the impetus…
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Often Misunderstood Writing Advice: “Resist the urge to edit your first draft.”
How many times have you heard authors advise you shouldn’t go back and edit while writing your first draft? For decades, I believed this was optional advice – Advice to help writers push forward if they were having trouble making progress. I figured it was just another piece of well-meant advice for writers to get…
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How Do Writers Come Up With Their Ideas? – The Noun Game
Welcome to the natural continuation of my previous post, and an earlier post about ideation–and the very value of ideas. The question of focus for this series is perhaps authors’ most classic axe to grind: “Where do authors come up with their ideas?” In my last post, I made it clear I’m not here to…
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The Sandman: Calliope the Muse – Where Do Ideas Come From?
It’s the age-old question: Where do writers get their ideas? This presents a nice opportunity to continue our exploration of Sandman tales, which I still cherish very much despite the recent allegations. (And if you stay tuned, I think I might have a pretty good answer to this age-old question myself.) We first meet Calliope…
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I Somehow Forgot That Writing Is Fun
I overheard folks conversing about how they use AI for just about everything these days. Need to write a proposal? A blog post? Need a software mockup? Chuck it to AI and pretend you’re the genius who created it. You could tell they were profit-minded, business types. And they made fun of people who believe…
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The Opinions You’re Not Allowed to Have
I recently saw a blog where every time the author posted an article, he’d get the few same usual yes-men agreeing with everything he had to say. Clearly, he was preaching to the choir. One day he was fed up, driven to the point of saying something like, “A jest, a barb! Any kind of…
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Sandman: The Tale of Hob Gadling
Ah, the dawn of the nineties. Beginning of a brand new decade. Life was exciting back then, wasn’t it? No one quite knew what to expect. We seemed to get three mini-eras during that time: Sandman got its start in 1989 right alongside Tim Burton’s Batman, and both had that darker, edgier feel that would later become…
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A Bit About Neil Gaiman
After my Brandon Sanderson article went unexpectedly viral (parabolic compared to my usual traffic here), a few friends asked if I’d be making a similar post about Neil Gaiman. The answer was no. And that’s partly because I don’t typically write about the hot topics currently buzzing on social media, no matter how much traffic…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 8: Villain
Let’s take another look at the quote that opened the entire show: “At the northernmost end of this continent, I arrived at the place that the people of this world call Heaven; Aurele, the land where souls rest. “Many souls gather there, and I spoke with friends who once fought alongside me.” -Flamme, the Legendary…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 7: Demons
Frieren Understands the Nature of Good and Evil Many have written about this particular subject, and for good reason. Frieren’s handling of demons is perhaps the single most interesting and groundbreaking aspect of this show. Let’s revisit that Tolkien quote one more time: “It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 6: Rings, Spells, and Headpats
Frieren Understands That Second Chances Are a Blessing The journey Frieren takes across the continent throughout Season 1 largely mirrors the 10-year journey she had taken with Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen to slay the Demon King. Everything she experiences this time around not only further informs us about her original journey, but helps Frieren recontextualize…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 5: Preservation
[Spoilers for the rest of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 1 from here on out] Why Heiter’s Fear of Death Was His Greatest Trait As I alluded to previously, Heiter wasn’t being upfront with Frieren. None-the-wiser to Heiter’s grand plan, Frieren deciphers the grimoire while tutoring Fern as promised. Over the next four years, the…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 4: The Un-Isekai
Sirens. The scene of a terrible accident. The main character recalls that he’d just gotten hit by a truck. They rush him to the hospital, but he dies. That’s right, you just entered an isekai. And in this case, it’s the immensely popular Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. (Never seen it? No worries.) We neared the…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 3: An Emotional Journey
Just like with Goblin Slayer, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End begins with a complete emotional journey on a scale rarely seen in the runtime of a single episode. FRIEREN IS A JOURNEY The opening theme is serviceable. But, if you ask me, Frieren deserved … more. Intros and outros aside, the Celtic-inspired score that accompanies this show is about as good…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise 2: Time
I’m at a crossroad with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End: I’ve done an intro, so what should I speak about next? Most people start by apologizing for how slow-paced Frieren can be. They’re forewarning so you can adjust your expectations, and rightly so. This show does require an attention span. A real one. But it also…
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Frieren Took Me By Surprise
I just finished Season 1 of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren). All twenty-eight episodes. What started out as an enjoyable epic about the pain of living a very long life… and the second chances we so rarely get… ended up weaving a breathtaking tapestry I must take several steps back to fully appreciate.…
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How Writing a Story Can Be Like Playing the Piano
I am mostly recovered from surgery. Thanks for all the prayers! It’s still a little uncomfortable to even sit at my desk chair, but my motivation to write has been strengthening by the day. As I mentioned, I’ve been playing piano for about half a year (while learning alongside my wife and children – which…
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Misunderstood Quotes from Famous Authors – “Write What You Know.”
One of the greatest things an author can do, especially a master of the craft, is pass on the information they’ve learned to the next generation of writers. Unfortunately, some of these famous and oft-quoted pearls of wisdom have suffered widespread misunderstanding. Queue the dreaded four words: “Write what you know.” The above is sometimes…
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The Moment We Lost Yakko Warner
At the beginning of 2020, people were upset about … many things … with no reprieve in sight. SNL was no longer funny. The heroes were all deconstructed. Movie theaters were struggling. Award ceremonies were pandering. People were blaming each other for everything … based on the stupidest thing a country could possibly war over: identity…
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Nick Enlowe 