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Japanese Poetry and what It Taught Me

October 3, 2022

Literature

creativity, criticism, guest post, Igor Livramento, Japan, literature, poetry

Today’s post – “Japanese Poetry and what It Taught Me” – is authored by Igor da Silva Livramento. He’s a fellow academic from UFSC, fellow author, fellow creative-writing advisor, and overall a great fellow. He’s also a composer, music theorist, and producer. Check out his papers on Academia.edu, his music on Bandcamp, and his personal musings on his blog – in Portuguese, Spanish/Castilian, and English. You can also find him on LinkedIn.

Let me begin by saying:

明ぼのや
白魚白き
こと一寸。

I mean:

akebono ya
shirauo shiroki
koto issun.

Which I will translate as:

White light,
white fish,
an inch of bright.

This poem, by the famous haiku writer Matsuo Bashō, gave me so much to think about. But before I discuss that, let me do a brief analysis of the poem.

japanese literature
Japanese poetry is an ode to simplicity
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How to Write Sex Scenes: Why It’s Hard and How to Do It

September 26, 2022

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

creativity, descriptions, fiction, literature, sexuality, writing

Yes, there are many puns to be made about sex, so I couldn’t resist one with the title – a low-hanging fruit, really. However, the truth is that sex scenes in fiction are a very serious thing. For reasons we’ll speculate about in this post, even experienced writers can make a total cock-up of sex scenes (uh-oh, another pun). More importantly, I’ll offer you some ideas on how to write sex scenes for your novel in a way that does justice to the narrative.

Here’s an early disclaimer: Sex in fiction is as diverse as sex in real life, with the added complexity genre brings into the picture. In other words, you would write sex scenes in romance fiction in an entirely different way compared to literary fiction. I’m certainly not an authority in the former; I can’t stand it.

Ultimately, as with every other writing-tips post I’ve written, this is a set of ideas. Some of them might be something you find useful, others less so. You are the authority on your work, so approach what you find here with the proper skepticism and use it to your benefit.

How to Write Sex Scenes
Sometimes, less is more. Just as this stock photo exemplifies, to write a sex scene that serves your narrative, you don’t have to always be explicit
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What Is Metatextuality: Examples and Purpose

August 29, 2022

Literature

book, creativity, fiction, literature, writing

“What is metatextuality?” There’s a question many students of literature ask. “How about intertextuality vs metatextuality?” is another valid question. Though some definitions can be offered, they are unnecessarily complicated, as we’ll see. Inevitably, the hapless student then comes back with a timid suggestion: “Can you just give me some metatextuality examples?”

This is precisely what I’ll be doing in this post. Funnily enough, I recently realized with some trepidation that metatextuality is a topic I haven’t properly examined in all these years Home for Fiction has been online. Except for one post on metatextuality in Dracula, there hasn’t been a proper analysis of this fascinating topic.

So let’s see what metatextuality is – with examples – what literary purpose it serves, and overall why we need to care, as readers and writers. Here’s a warning, however: As I often do, I will mention “official definitions” only to disregard them; I will present the established way of doing things, only to place it on the sacrificial pyre. After all, it’s about understanding metatextuality in practical terms, rather than repeating vague academic words.

metatextuality examples
Each novel exists not in a vacuum but as part of a larger ecosystem of words, ideas, and culture. Metatextuality is the way all these connect to one another.
(Image made with Mandelbulber; based on the Krzysztof Marczak collection – CC BY 4.0)
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