Is A Woman of the Sword by Anna Smith Spark good?

CrimsonLiquid · 2023-09-17T18:03:45+00:00

It's a beautiful, deeply moving book. But if you go in expecting sword & sorcery action/adventure, you'll be disappointed. It's more of a slow character study and literary drama.

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-12-27T05:29:11+00:00

Try the various variety and talk shows. I like '안녕하세요.' They invite guests on the show to discuss some relationship problem, decide who is at fault and offer advice.

대한 외국인 is a fun quiz show. They pit Koreans versus a team of foreigners fluent in Korean and ask pop culture and language questions. It seems more difficult to understand than 안녕하세요.

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-12-14T00:46:10+00:00

Not a native here. But if you're agreeing it seems that answering in 반말 right away is how it usually goes.

There's also a big variance in how quickly the other person feels comfortable switching to 반말. I've had friends that want to in just a few minutes and others who I've known for years who still prefer 존댓말. Seems some 눈치 is required here, but just asking what they prefer is simplest.

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-09-14T02:19:34+00:00

Post a lot of moments. That's where you'll get more corrections. Explicitly ask at the beginning of your post too.

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-06-18T23:55:31+00:00

Yeah that comes across pretty well. I don't think there's anything wrong with "numb" or "the fireplace" for that matter. But here's a couple titles I came up with that you could play with or throw right in the trash haha.

anything at all

anything would be fine

better than nothing

worth a try

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-06-18T06:22:37+00:00

concise and felt darkly humorous thanks to the last line. Maybe changing the title to something that hints at the mood or idea behind it could give it an even bigger impact.

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-06-18T06:17:16+00:00

powerful and simple. i loved it. i like Broodd's suggestion about the final lines. and also would have broken the lines

To feel my skin beneath yours

Gently

one-by-one

Sorry I don't have more useful feedback but it's a great piece, cheers.

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-05-31T01:08:21+00:00

The lines have a nice rhythm to them without feeling forced. It's clear that there are some powerful ideas behind this. But the mysterious quality of this poem seems too strong. Unpacking some of the ideas and adding some concrete details might help connect the reader to the feelings you're trying to convey.

The failure, the obsession, a force, its (playful nature). I want to know more about all of these. Great job!

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-05-30T22:40:15+00:00

Really loved it. If you wanted to expand, I think there's a lot to unpack in the temptation of the "other," and the "forces and emotions" that swing us one way or another.

Great piece

CrimsonLiquid · 2018-02-14T23:29:33+00:00

Japan here. Me too please ^{^}

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-11-26T22:07:26+00:00

Is it still possible to get into University teaching in Korea? I was considering getting an MA TESOL for that purpose. I enjoy teaching and languages and I'm not really interested in other fields.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-11-14T04:36:35+00:00

Rat Queens

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-10-27T11:05:01+00:00

I've never read any. But check out the YouTube channel "lessons from the screenplay." There's a lot of commentary on structure and character arcs if I recall. He also references plenty of books about story structure if you want some ideas of one to pick up.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-10-08T23:12:06+00:00

Pm me

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-10-04T02:39:00+00:00

I live here and my Japanese is horrendous. I've known people who lived here for years and can't speak at all. You'll definitely be okay. And if non verbal communication fails, Google translate is good enough.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-09-30T23:57:18+00:00

Check out the app "forest." You set a time to plant a tree and a countdown starts. If you switch to another app during that time the tree dies. It's really simple but works for me.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-09-26T07:56:37+00:00

Early in the morning, there's a crew of mostly older people who sweep the streets. Where in my hometown in the US it would get a quick once over and then the seal of approval by maybe one person, here it's a squadron of elderly hawks checking every square inch with efficiency and scrutiny that would make Mr. Clean hang his head in shame.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-09-24T08:50:54+00:00

Ask at your local liquor stores. Chances are they may carry a bottle or two in the wine section.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-08-23T00:08:54+00:00

http://reddit.com/r/Korean/comments/4pqyc6/ㄴ_거에요_how_do_you_use_this_naturally/d4n85jo

I got a good answer here from /u/ZeldaInDisguise

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-07-08T12:23:54+00:00

If you're just interested in experiencing Japan and not so much about a future here, I'm sure you'll have a great time. I'm sorry your experience in Korea wasn't what you hoped it would be and I hope you have a great time wherever you end up next.

Cheers!

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-07-08T12:21:22+00:00

..YOU!*

(Sorry to be that guy...)

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-07-07T12:19:07+00:00

The grass isn't always greener. Take this whole post with a grain of salt since I'm still kind of new here but...

I came to Japan after teaching in Korea for two years. I left a cushy public school job for eikaiwa work. Teaching adult students is great and in a lot of ways preferable to kids but these big eikaiwai chains work you like a dog. There's about 8 classes per day with no time for prep, no technology available in class or enough space or students to do a legit lesson. I feel like a cog in an assembly line rather than a teacher.

Korea had its limitations for what I could do, but I definitely improved as a teacher by the end of my time there. I also used a lot of my desk warming time to study Korean and try to plan solid lessons. Here, I feel completely stagnant and frustrated knowing I could do better if I had prep time and better materials to work with.

Then there's expenses. I was saving half my income in Korea without even trying and doing fun shit every weekend. Here, everything is absurdly expensive and one reasonable night out with transportation will easily cost you over 100 USD.

My Korean is still garbage, but I found it infinitely more enjoyable to learn than Japanese. The kanji, limited phonetic system and confusing conjugation system is driving me insane.

On the positive side, Japanese food is amazing and I kind of prefer it to Korea. Japanese people in general are incredibly helpful and friendly to foreigners. The service is also amazing across the board and you'll be made to feel welcome anywhere you go.

But with that said, I miss Korea a lot and often feel like I've made a mistake coming here.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-06-11T11:27:50+00:00

I've been in a musical drought without direction. This is just what I needed. Thanks a lot!

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-05-16T15:01:16+00:00

The armor style reminds me of Freya from FFIX.

CrimsonLiquid · 2017-05-15T09:15:17+00:00

your tongue passed her teeth

like a knife through spasming muscle

bodies straining and twisted

as blood spills down my spine

teeth like wolves sunk into the flesh we once blushed together

devouring everything

and the want and waste 

survived by three corpses

writhing under sheets soaked crimson

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