Magical Realism: What is it?

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Magical Realism: What is it?

Often considered to be originated in Latin America, magical realism is a genre many people have difficulties pinning down, especially because the degree to which some authors incorporate the genre in their work varies so much. Most people's first encounter with the genre is in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's, One Hundred Years of Solitude, though there are many more authors around the world who have embraced the style. Of course, like any genre, this one is not solely constrained to literature, though that is where it is the most prominent.

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Shakespeare's Sonnets: A Study in Character

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Shakespeare's Sonnets: A Study in Character

Despite the fact that poetry predates the novel - so far as the world knows - many people nowadays attribute poetry to decorative writing created for the sole purpose of being vague and incomprehensible. However, what critics of poetry tend to forget is that songwriting is a form of poetry, and so they are therefore not as unfamiliar with the form as they would like to think. Listen to any song today and you will most likely hear some sort of story, albeit a bad one maybe, but a story all the same.

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How to Create a Writer's Ritual

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How to Create a Writer's Ritual

Having devoted a large portion of my life to tennis, I am quite familiar with the idea of creating a ritual before a match or a serve to help me get into the mindset for the game, and as I began to become more dedicated to writing, I carried that practice over with me. One of the most difficult parts about writing that nobody mentions to you is pure mental perseverance.The truth is, sometimes we really aren't in the mood to write, and that's okay. There are days we feel uninspired or unworthy, and even the most seasoned writers face this challenge. But what matters is how we face that challenge, and what sets us apart is that we choose to overcome this challenge and choose to do so everyday. I have found the best way to do this is with a writer's ritual.

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