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Recent content by C. A. Stanley

  1. C. A. Stanley

    Weird Dreams

    I laughed out loud at this. People at work giving me strange looks...
  2. C. A. Stanley

    Weird Dreams

    I had a pretty horrid dream last week, no doubt thanks to my tramadol (I've been having very strange, intense dreams lately) I was standing in a huge, empty outdoor swimming pool, with loads of people surrounding me (in the pool and around the edges). I randomly started violently throwing up...
  3. C. A. Stanley

    What are you Reading Now?

    Advance copy? :eek:
  4. C. A. Stanley

    What are you Reading Now?

    I'm currently reading Mario Puzo's stuff. Finished Omerta for the second time, I'm half-way through The Godfather (which is great), and will be starting The Sicilian in a few days. I've taken a welcome break from reading fantasy; I often have these brief phases of reading alternative genres, and...
  5. C. A. Stanley

    What are you Reading Now?

    I haven't read that one. What's the book like?
  6. C. A. Stanley

    So Sue Me

    I know this suggestion comes from the most distasteful of inspirations, but could you build a system based on the so-called 'laws' of terrorists? I specifically have ISIS in mind. Most 'crimes' are punishable by death, and said death comes in a variety of 'creative' forms? Burning, crushing...
  7. C. A. Stanley

    What are you Reading Now?

    And Anansi Boys Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
  8. C. A. Stanley

    Have you ever contracted "world builders disease"?

    Geopoet... I like the sound of that. I have suffered with world builders disease for some time now, and the truth is, I love it. If it means I'll never be a serious writer, so be it. For me, writing is not just about writing; it's about writing about worlds I have created. Creating these...
  9. C. A. Stanley

    What are you Reading Now?

    I just finished reading The Power by Naomi Alderman. The most thrilling book I've read in a long time. At first exciting, then increasingly dark. A real eye opener on the subjects of gender and power, and what happens when power structures are suddenly inverted.
  10. C. A. Stanley

    Writing, depression, loneliness, imagination. Everything.

    If I'm totally honest, a lot of this resonates with me. I've suffered with anxiety and depression all my life. I hated my childhood; I didn't have a bad childhood by any stretch, but I was anxious and depressed and didn't know why. So to escape this world, I read books. Fiendishly. Why stay...
  11. C. A. Stanley

    The Price of Magic

    Great example. I do prefer to think of magic as a 'muscle', like in the film Chronicle. “It’s like a muscle, we just have to learn to use it.”. In a similar vein to mental traits, which you can improve over time (reduce emotional sensitivity, or apathy; improve confidence, or decision making etc.)
  12. C. A. Stanley

    Can body art be an effective means to represent social status?

    I've always thought this is an interesting idea. There is a certain visual and symbolic appeal. If the tattoo is applied by magic, would it not be better to have the design/style of the tattoo determined by the magical method itself? I.e. not controlled by a 'tattoo artist', but the magic...
  13. C. A. Stanley

    How do you feel about a 'Chosen One'?

    Fair point. And I totally agree with you. But if your goal is to save the world, do not all other things pale in comparison? I'm just playing devil's advocate here :)
  14. C. A. Stanley

    How do you feel about a 'Chosen One'?

    And what if the CO has 'the power to save the world, or destroy it'? This is far more realistic. If I were to see a man attacking a woman, and I had a gun, I could just as feasibly shoot the attacker and save the woman, as I could shoot the victim and take the attacker for a pint. Power is...
  15. C. A. Stanley

    How do you choose your characters' names?

    There are so many ways you can do this... I like to merge names. I tend to translate a few appropriate words into a couple of languages that have similar characteristics (not necessary linguistically, for example, Iceland and Russia are both cold, that'll do for me!), then mix and match and see...
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