Category: A Game of Thrones
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Movies as “Cliff’s Notes”
When Game of Thrones released on HBO, I watched it religiously. Like millions of others, I ate up season one. Gobbled it. So tasty. I loved, and still love, the characters (#TeamSansa), the style, the plot twists. And here is where I have to admit an unpopular thing. I’d started – or tried to start…
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Themes of Strength and Weakness
Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark, Jamie Lannister, Tywin Lannister… What do all of these characters have in common? Power and strength. These are the guys who have the guts, the glory, and/or the gold. Arya Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen… Here are the underdogs. They don’t have the strength, they don’t have the political…
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When the Learning Curve is Steep – Sometimes HBO Can Help
Confession time: I watched the entire first season of the Game of Thrones HBO series before I read the books. I know. I know. It was very Impure Reader of me. I should be thrown on the hellfire that awaits those who use CliffsNotes to write research papers. (Yeah, I know! There are people out there that do that!…
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Westeros The Super Map!!!
Oh, this is good, people. For those of you who love Game of Thrones you must go check out this kickass map of George R.R. Martin’s fictional world! You may now go about your business.
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Scene Breaks: Martin Doesn’t Do ’em
Recently, in the critiques I’ve been giving for my writers group, I’ve taken to pointing out that we, as a group, don’t generally use scene breaks. (Have you ever noticed you start pointing out bits and pieces in other people’s writing that you think you might need in your own? I do that. A lot.) This strikes me as…
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Giving Characters Their Arc
I’m always hesitant when it comes to a Dramatis Personae list anywhere in a book. What it means to me is this: there are too many characters to handle. It means there are too many threads to follow through to a full conclusion. It means that there is so much information gathered in the text…