Roxana-Mălina Chirilă

On Writing

Thoughts around my novel

I’ve finished recording the audio version of the first episode of Flight from Hell and I’ve sent it off to the Big World Network. Meanwhile, I’m writing episode four, which turned a bit surreal on me. Novels do that, I think. Surprise you. You think you have stuff figured out and then there’s this extra bit of richness or of fun lying about, ripe for the writing. Flight from Hell is the sort of thing you don’t plan on writing.

Ellipses are like kisses of courtesy

Ellipses are exactly like kisses of courtesy. Not because they’re a way to bond with someone else and to be polite and friendly, but because they differ from place to place and the wrong way of doing things can cause you endless trouble. As far as kisses are concerned, you courtesy-kiss even not-very-close acquaintances on the lips in South Africa (on special occasions, at least; so one of my professors in uni has told us – a peck on the lips).

Writing on the novel (vs writing on TV scripts)

I’m under the weather again today. Somewhat dizzy, somewhat nauseous. It’s either some sort of flu, or the meditations of my ’enemies’ are actually working for once (yes, I live in a context in which people meditating for my downfall is not entirely out of the question, even if I think it highly unlikely – I’m not important enough). I would go to the gym, but I’m already working out with the lightest weights in existence and there’s nowhere to downgrade to.

"Flight from Hell" on August 4th

Just a short announcement: my novel, „Flight from Hell” will be launched on the 4th of August on the Big World Network. Keep an eye out for Roxana Kiril 😉 The genre(s): Horror/Supernatural. Rating: 18+. Apparently I can’t write stuff for a general audience even if I try. Not that I was particularly trying to. The first episode (chapter) will be available for free. After that, reading is subscription-based, but the subscription is barely $3.

Misconceptions concerning writers

There is this wide-spread misconception concerning writers, which I suppose comes from literature lessons in high school: that writers need ideas. False. I have yet to meet a writer lacking ideas. They might have a bad case of writer’s block („Ok… Got to this point, what now?”), or writer’s procrastination („I will write the greatest novel ever!… Tomorrow.”), or writer’s stylistic suck („I swear I sounded different than a whiny 15 year-old last time I tried this”).

Note to self: Sucker Punch soundtrack

Definitely writing music. The wonderful White Rabbit cover, the awesome Sweet Dreams, the strength of I Want It All/We Will Rock You. (actual note to self: Keeper for Mangaka, 2$ and a chocolate bar, the odd bits of Flight From Hell, The Missing – with the Queen medley.)

On Writing: Stealing ideas from Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez has an amazing style, no? So beautiful, so flowing, so thoughtful and clear and enchanting, making you dream of magic and wish to live in another, more beautiful country. And it’s all done through words. All the magic there is in G.G. Marquez is visible in every single book that he wrote. I could talk about his plots, his world, his whatever – but I actually want to talk about a single aspect of his writing: sentence structure.

The humanities are crap at writing

Dear Humanities Peers, This Is iRrAtionaL A year ago, when I was a Master’s student, I complained to a clever friend (also a web developer) about one of the texts I had to read for university. I told him it was horrible to read, that I could barely understand what the author wanted and I wasn’t entirely sure I got the point. „Why didn’t the author draw a picture?” he asked me.

NaNoWriMo had an idea (but didn't mention it)

This post is in English because whatever. So, apparently the biggest „Let’s write!!!” thing in the online world, NaNoWriMo is hosting a very stealthy event on April 13: the NaNoWriMo Writing Marathon. Where you sit down for 8 hours and write, or something of the sort. For the record, I love NaNo. It’s the sort of thing that gets you to sit down and start writing instead of sitting down and thinking of writing.