Books Undone by Livia J. Elliot

Books Undone by Livia J. Elliot

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Literary Analysis

Know the Rules, Break the Rules: What Embassytown Teaches About Meaningful Dialogue Formatting
Dialogue formatting guidelines are there for a reason, but with a good enough counter-reason, you can break the rules and craft something memorable…
 • Livia J. Elliot
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…
 • Livia J. Elliot
When Words Cross Boundaries: On Adjectives, Verbs, and the Themes They Unearth
Properly used, adjectives can be conceptual tools that shift the mood of a scene. Let's analyse three concise, precise sentences to understand unusual…
 • Livia J. Elliot
Two Narrators, One Place, Different Takes ~ Narrators Series #6
In fiction, limited narrators bend the story according to their biases. This essay reflects on how point-of-view alters a hallway's description by…
 • Livia J. Elliot
How Mental States Shape Sentences ~ Narrator's Series #5
In first-person narration, the prose itself showcases the narrator's mental state. This essay analyse one excerpt in detail, then outlines steps and…
 • Livia J. Elliot
Writing Emotional Overload: How to Show What Can’t Be Said (With Examples)
How do you narrate when your character is emotionally overwhelmed? I'll take you through a step-by-step transformation of a single moment: from flat…
 • Livia J. Elliot
How They Write Shows Who They Are ~ Narrators Series #4
Proper grammar is overrated—or, perhaps, grammar is just one of the many tools in a writer's belt to achieve the fabled show-don't-tell advice. Let's…
 • Livia J. Elliot
One Voice, Many Layers - Guests Talk on Fluid Narrators w/ Amy Minton
Listen now | Voice is one of the more ambiguous literary terms, and it can be even more so in multi-timeline, framed narratives. This podcast dives into…
 • Livia J. Elliot
1:02:57
Quiet Narrators, Loud Meaning ~ Narrators Series #3
Let's explore how spare, unflourished prose can speak volumes about character, tone, and truth. I'll analyse an excerpt sentence by sentence, then share…
 • Livia J. Elliot
Let the Reader Discover The Truth ~ World-Building Series #2
What your character doesn’t understand can be just as powerful as what they do. Let's see how narrative dissonance—when the reader knows more than the…
 • Livia J. Elliot
The World Doesn't Need You: Existentialism in Annihilation
Listen now | Annihilation is a challenge to humanity's perennial navel-gazing. It confronts us with the terrifying idea that the universe is not…
 • Livia J. Elliot
45:49
How Old Is The Voice? ~ Narrators Series #1
A narrator's age can deeply affect how readers connect with the text. This article explores how word choice and sentence structure can show specific…
 • Livia J. Elliot
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