Mariella Hunt & the Tearoom

Books, Art, & Vanilla Chai Tea

writing

  • The Looking-Glass, Conclusion

    This random bit of fiction I started writing for fun will be a novella soon. Over the course of four days, it’s grown into a plot full of potential, and it’ll be a lot of fun to expand. If you’ve been reading it all this time, I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you! “Stop… Continue reading

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  • The Looking-Glass, Part III

    The traveler returned on his own a day later, his nephew nowhere to be seen. He closed the distance between them, watching her with bored acceptance. “Fine, then,” he said. “We made a deal. Where’s the looking-glass?” The faery didn’t reply immediately, puzzled. She’d grown accustomed to superstitious villagers seeking her out for her ability.… Continue reading

  • The Looking-Glass, Part I

    Prose was inspired by this photo on Pinterest! “Fancy a glimpse into truth?” the faery asked. She smirked mischievously, holding a looking-glass to the face of a weary traveler. He’d wandered onto her favorite dirt road on the way out of the city. He crossed his arms, watching her with an expression not of surprise… Continue reading

  • The Faery’s Birthday Gift

    There was a long line of frustrated people outside of the movie theater. Rain thumped on colorful umbrellas, for those who cared to pack them. A few had come without umbrellas and were forced to wait in the rain. The weather was so unpredictable nowadays that it was hard to tell when an umbrella was… Continue reading

  • Excerpt: A Hundred Pages

    These days I really have been procrastinating edits by writing short stories. I’m not sure what I’ll do with them all, but some I am really happy with; I will be sharing excerpts. I don’t know how long all of them will be, and most will probably be serialized. Briony’s story is still in progress,… Continue reading

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  • Edits & Expectations

    I’ve been on hiatus for several weeks now. Yesterday, it took a long time for me to muster the courage to open Serenade and start final edits. Perhaps I was afraid it would need rewriting. In the past, I could only make my stories better by rewriting entire chapters. This time, it’s not the case.… Continue reading

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  • Road to Serenade – Day 1

    When you’re a writer, time goes by slowly. Maybe it’s because we play with time in the stories we tell; everything appears bigger and full of mystery. It feels like years have passed since I started drafting Serenade. I completed the first version in early January, and in the time since then, I’ve learned a lot… Continue reading

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  • Dealing with Manuscript Fright

    Writing a book is one of the most difficult things in the world. Having just finished a novel this week, I feel like it’s the most difficult thing. Even now that I have an almost-complete draft, putting it away for a month remains a challenge. My mind won’t settle; it keeps insisting that I have… Continue reading

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  • Writing Update: The Spontaneous Novella

    As I stated in this post, when I am immersed in a writing project my blog suffers. It’s been weeks since my last post; every day I had the intentions of writing a review, since I did quite a bit of reading despite the writing and edits, but there never seemed to be time. Since my… Continue reading

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  • Writing Update: On Short Novels

    I’m taking another break from editing Serenade, and thought this an appropriate time for an update. I get so caught up in the editing process that I forget to tell people how I’m doing. I’ve learned many things since editing began, but perhaps the biggest lesson is that my books tend to be short. It’s been a… Continue reading

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  • 4 Reasons Why You Should Write Steampunk

    Before I get into my reasons for why you should try writing a story set in a steampunk world, I should probably explain what steampunk is. Honestly, there is no set definition for steampunk, but it tends to be a story set in a world reminiscent of the past but with anachronistically advanced technology, attitudes,… Continue reading

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  • 5 Acceptable Ways to Procrastinate Editing

    Experienced writers know their work isn’t through after the first draft. The opposite is true: Your first draft is the beginning of a long, tedious cycle. Quality work comes from months of writing, editing, and rewriting. Most of a writer’s stress emerges in the editing phase. If done without pause, editing can make you sick.… Continue reading

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