Writers of the Revolution, January 6th

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Featured by TheMaidenInBlack
I originally chose to go through this deviant's gallery because of her username. :giggle: I don't know if an English rose is a peculiar kind of rose or that's just a personal username choice, but it did make me discover a peculiar kind of writer.
Rosey's gallery is quite stunning: with a wide range of different themes from historical fiction to Flash Fiction to fixed form poetry and children's literature, you're sure to find something worth your time there. She writes with the skill and patience of someone who knows how much each words counts, and how to carry you swiftly through a story right to the end.

The Divine InheritanceOver the years many a Divine girl had spent her time scrunched up in a corner, watching an older sister get all the attention.  Claire knew that she was no different to her aunts, her great-aunts, her great-great-aunts, and… well, on it went.
'You don't have to watch, dear,' Mother said, as she held another length of ribbon against Sally's face.
'If you must look on like that, Claire, do come and be useful,' said Grandmother.  'Which one of these ribbons best brings out Sally's eyes?'
'What does it matter about Sally's eyes?' said Claire.  'Even I've got eyes on the outside.'
'You're silly,' said Mother, 'being miserable on purpose.'
'I'm not miserable on purpose!'
'My sisters were the same,' said Grandmother.  'Silly, jealous little girls.'
'If this always happens,' said Claire, 'then why have more than one daughter?'
'To love them, silly.  Stop, Mother.'  Sally brushed away the length of ribbon, crossed the room and crouched down in front of Claire.  'The Sight may

The Divine Inheritance
"'Better not take any chances with it on Sunday, then,' Sally said with a titter.  'It might have belonged to wicked Great-Great-Great-Aunt Millicent, or anyone.'"

I don't usually like this kind of stories: they're clichéd and have nothing new to offer me. But the way this is written, especially how Claire and the way people speak to her is portrayed, makes it more about a child and her more gifted sister than it is about that obscure gift that Sight is. With a twist.

The Magic MirrorMy mistress was a queen.
She knew I could have seen such things;
The crops each season brings,
The ministers and kings who would
Sign treaties for her good;
The noble things she could have said
And done, with king abed,
Ageing, mad and half dead, but she
Betrayed him; misused me.
Handsome she was, I'd see, and tall;
Asked mirror on the wall,
Who was fairest in all the land.
I thought her fairest, and
I told her so; the grand queen knew
A spirit's words were true,
While little princess grew, until
Her looks were fit to kill.
I thought to lie, but still I told
The truth as queen grew old,
And Snow, whose heart of gold did shine…
The fault, I fear, was mine.
For spirits, truth is fine and right,
But my words brought her blight.
How dreadful her fate might have been.

The Magic Mirror
"the grand queen knew
A spirit's words were true,
While little princess grew, until
Her looks were fit to kill.
"

This poem is nothing short of impressive. Rosey employs a structure called Luc Bat; kindly offered by Wikipedia, "Luc Bat is a traditional Vietnamese verse form that is deeply tied to the soul of Vietnamese culture and people. "Luc Bat" is Sino-Vietnamese for "six eight", referring to the alternating lines of six and eight syllables. It will always begin with a six-syllable line and end with an eight-syllable one." Additionally, "The general rule is that each rhyme occurs three times - first at the end of an 8-syllable line, then at the end of the next 6-syllable line, and finally as the sixth syllable of the next 8-syllable line."
This poetry is written flawlessly, and is much more beautiful to read if you consider just how much effort is put in it. :faint:

The Cardinal's Return'The Tower, where he brought you as his new bride.  Now look what has happened.'
Anne looked up, took in the red robes and the despised face, and screamed.
'Really, child, you always were one to overreact.'
'But you're…'
'Dead.  I know, and I cannot wait for you to join me.'
'Oh,' said Anne, clambering to her feet, 'what if you are dead?  Dead or alive, you should not be visiting me.'
'I had no friends,' said Wolsey.  'I have only enemies to visit.'
'Why are you here?'
Anne blinked back tears.  She could not bear him to see her cry.  Had he cried when he knew he was on the brink of death?  Of course not.  Perhaps when he had realised he was to lose his money and estate…
'To gloat.'
Anne laughed.  'You came all this way to gloat?  You haven't changed.'
'How would you know how far I have come?'
'It's a long way to Hell, isn't it?'
'Not for you.'
'Leave me alone,' said Anne

The Cardinal's Return
"'You will run out of love for him soon enough, Wolsey,' she said.  'He is still young.  I am quite sure he has not finished yet.'"

This is unusual for the kind of historical fiction I've read in the past, however, as it happened often while I was browsing Rosey's gallery, it kept me reading on. Henry VIII and his story are something she delves into more than once, with a new perspective and detail that makes it "new" although centuries old.

Victory Keep: Chapter 1Edgar stepped into a clearing and found a centaur suckling her child.  He threw his hands over his eyes.
'I am terribly sorry, madam!'
'It's all right.'
Her tone was scornful, but with better things to worry about, Edgar did not take it to heart.  He uncovered his eyes.  She was feeding the child like a mare, not a woman, so he felt no need for embarrassment.  He stooped down a little, trying to determine the gender of the young one.  As with foals, it was easy enough to tell.
'What a delightful little boy,' he said.
The mother smiled.  'Thank you.'
'Do you mind if I sit down here for a few minutes?'
'No.'
'I am very tired.'
The centaur made no reply.  She stood with arms folded and her back legs slightly apart, gazing out into the forest.  Edgar was disappointed.  The significance of the situation had not escaped him, and he hoped she would talk to him.
The first thing to do was find somewhere to

Victory Keep: Chapter 1
"'Died of grief?' said Xorie.  'Can that happen?'

'Well, there may have been poison involved.'

'Selfish brute!  What about his child?'
"

The starting point of an intriguing story. As in the previous piece from her that I featured, Rosey uses a lot of dialogue here, and it works perfectly! It not only makes this a much lighter read, but it also makes it easier to picture the characters in my head as I read... and it makes me want to read more, which I soon will. Because who doesn't love centaurs, seriously?

We :heart: ThornyEnglishRose



Featured CRITIQUES

on Limitation is the Birthmother by MidnightSun16
"the language in this piece is also very overwrought; any emotional reaction i had to this piece was tempered by how much verbosity i had to wade through."
[Read more here]



on Acquainted with the Night by SilverInkblot
"The time gaps you leave throughout are good, in that they feed the progress the character makes, and do, as you say, help my imagination in building an image of her. However, towards the end (the last few lines), the time gaps, to my mind, get a little bit 'wobbly'."
[Read more here]




Featured RESOURCES


As the title suggests, this is about lines and how a smart structuring can make a difference in your writing. It's a very short read, but an useful one!

The LinebreakThe Linebreak
A line has three points of strength: its beginning in correlation with the prior line's end, its end in correlation with the next line's beginning, and its strength as a separate unit in the narrative development.
The first two points are points of emphasis; the first word, or possibly phrase, is emphasised by its primary position. Likewise, the word or phrase at the end of the line receives emphasis. Both of these points in a line form a logical link: the ending of a line leads on to the beginning of the next, particularly if enjambed. This allows a twist in meaning to be achieved by the break. At this point things become a little vaguer, since both 'meaning' and subsequently 'twist' are difficult to pin down. The twist may come in a pun, a shift of narrative focus, a change in sonics, in voice, or simply something worth emphasising.
The third point is the strength of the line as a unit. A line should in its own way advance the narrative of a poem significantly an



I don't think there's anyone who doesn't love typography. If well done, it is beautiful both to look at and to read, because the visual impact is just as strong as the feelings you get from reading it; this article goes through the main things that make it the stunning tool that it is and shows you how you can exploit them.

Mastering TypographyMastering Typography


Typography is a rather obscure field, which is quite odd because typography is in everything you read. As such, it’s very important for a graphic designer to know everything there is to know about typography and preferably also the history and anatomy of typefaces. Bad typography is usually only consciously noticeable by type geeks (like me), however even someone who knows absolutely nothing about typography will find text with bad typography harder to read. In this article you will learn some basic principles and features to advance your typography.
Software
Before we have a look at the features to improve your typography we have to select the right software. A few features which will be discussed in this article can be used pretty much regardless of the software but for most things you have to use genuine design software, so a program like Microsoft Word won’t suffice. You can achiev


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Sammur-amat's avatar
Lovely! Both the name and the poet! :clap: