write six billion stories

If you were an immortal, how many stories could you write before you got bored of the whole idea of stories? I can't imagine ever getting tired of making stuff up... but I suppose there must be a limit. Every thing that has ever happened, never happened, can't happen, or must happen--all are stories. How, with …

The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber

What can I say about this book? It was a journey, an adventure, an endeavor. I loved every page of it and was left aching, (I swear I felt a physical ache) for more at the end. Every time I read one of Faber's novels, I say his characters are what make it. And this is …

To contract or not contract

What makes a writer decide not to use contractions? Especially in a story written in first person, they seem like a natural choice to make it sound more like a person speaking. In Borne, the narrator doesn't contract. Saying 'could not' and 'can not' and 'did not' etc, isn't exactly distracting, but I notice it …

Borned

When your viewpoint character is the least interesting character in the story, this might be a problem. I'd rather read about Borne. I'd rather read about Wick. I'd rather read about 'the Magician.' I'd rather read about Morde the giant bear. I'd rather read about the mysterious scientists in the Company building. I'd rather read …

Painfully obvious metaphors

Borne is a child. The person who found Borne feels like a mother to 'him', and is raising him with the man she lives with. They argue about Borne a lot like parents in a broken home might. Borne doesn't know about the world or himself and gets hurt because of his innocence, and then …