Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. A bleak, philosophical discussion on survival, morality, and the human spirit in the shape of a novel.

7 hrs ago • Livia J. Elliot

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A Feint Within a Feint Within a Feint: Destiny and Deception in Dune

Listen now | From “a feint within a feint within a feint” to free will, prophecy, cycles of history, and weaponized religion, we break down what makes…

Mar 18 • Livia J. Elliot

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The Anatomy of Paragraph Breaks (Part 1): Structural Rules & Story Beats

Paragraphs are one of the fundamental structures of a story. This is the first part of a two-volume essay discussing guidelines for splitting…

Mar 4 • Livia J. Elliot

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February 2026

From Surface To Subtext: Developing a Critical Reading Practice ~ Reading Craft #4

When we collapse depiction into endorsement, literature that thrives on ambiguity and contradiction becomes intolerable. Let's analyse how interpretive…

Feb 25 • Livia J. Elliot

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When Religion Becomes Strategy: Political Theory in Dune

“No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero.” This line cuts against everything modern…

Feb 18 • Livia J. Elliot

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Why “I Can’t Relate” Isn’t a Measure of Good Literature ~ Reading Craft #3

Not all books mirror the readers, yet often, readers expect them to—and this narrows literature's scope, risking excluding stories that challenge…

Feb 4 • Livia J. Elliot

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January 2026

Borges Thought His Masterpieces Were "Clumsily Executed."

On Jorge Luis Borges, self-judgment, and why writers misread their own work.

Jan 28 • Livia J. Elliot

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Crafting Neologisms in Speculative Fiction ~ World-building Series #5

Let's unlock the secrets of crafting fresh language that feels native to your fictional worlds. I'll cover tips, examples, and pitfalls for creating…

Jan 21 • Livia J. Elliot

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Not Just a Joke: The Power and Peril of Satire

As Vladimir Nabokov famously said: “Satire is a lesson, parody is a game.” Today's essay is a reflection on satires, after I encountered one too easy to…

Jan 13 • Livia J. Elliot

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We Lie, Therefore We Think: The Linguistics of Deception in Embassytown

Listen now | Embassytown is one of the most extraordinary linguistic thought-experiments in modern SFF. This episode explores how Miéville uses…

Jan 7 • Livia J. Elliot

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December 2025

Favourite Reads of 2025

My reading this year unfolded more slowly, but with more intention. Instead of rushing through lists, I let curiosity lead. Here are my favourite books…

Dec 17, 2025 • Livia J. Elliot

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Collaboration Is Not Chaos: On Collaborative Writing Techniques

Collaborative writing is a fascinating experiment in trust, style, and storytelling. In this Guest Essay we deep-dive into a very specific scene wrote…

Dec 10, 2025 • Livia J. Elliot

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