Every month, I share all of the websites I come across that I find helpful, humorous, or just awesome. Below, you’ll find all of December’s Website Wonders categorized into Publishing, Writing, Reading, Cute & Lovable, and Interesting.
If you enjoy these websites, be sure to follow me on Twitter because I share even more websites and photos like this there.
Enjoy!
My Favorite Article
Please Stop Saying Rey from Stars Wars is a “Mary Sue”
I think the title explains this article perfectly, but the article is a fantastic read about why we need to stop attacking female characters. It’s nonsense.
Publishing:
What Authors Have NO Control Over: This week Marie Rutkoski announced that the covers of The Winner’s Trilogy was changing—three months before the last book released with the original covers. There was major uproar (which I find terribly sad, because it’s the inside of the book that matters), so many authors took to the Internet to explain who makes these decisions and how punishing authors isn’t helping anyone.
What’s in a (pen) name? An article by CTP author, Sherry Ficklin. A great piece about how important choosing your pen name is.
Writing:
The Top Seven Arguments Against Using Profanity in Your Writing (And Why They’re Dumb as Fuck) This was easily the funniest article I’ve read all month. I absolutely loved it.
6 Depressing Realities Of Writing Young Adult Fiction It’s just so sad.
Reading:
48 Of The Most Beautiful Lines Of Poetry: Because I love poetry.
10 of the Most Iconic Swords in Fiction: If you’ve read The Timely Death Trilogy, you know how much I love swords.
Cute and Lovable:
Portraits of a Baby Boy and Bulldog Who Were Born on the Same Day: They. Are. Just. So. Cute.
Dog Adopts A Baby Fox After His Mom Died In A Car Accident: Again, just so cute.
Interesting:
Women Try To Pose Like Female Comic Book Heroes: A great YouTube video. I’m a HUGE comic book fan, but this was still fun to see. I think it would be interesting to see men do this too.
Giant Ocean Waves by Mario Ceroli Art that is worth looking at.
~SAT
Shannon A. Thompson 
I heard some people use the ‘Mary Sue’ complaint a few times. Seems to be a common insult thrown at female characters. Though I don’t think a lot of people using it knows what it means. Inconceivable. 🙂 By the way, apparently there’s called the ‘Hawkeye Initiative’, which puts Hawkeye in female comic book character’s odd positions.
Yeah! I think that term can work in certain places, but I’m finding it more over-used than anything else. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read, then read reviews on it, and thought of that meme made from the Princess Bride. (“You keep using that word…I don’t think you know what it means.”) I’ll have to look up that Hawkeye business!
~SAT
I just realized that I don’t even know what the phrase means any more. Thought it was a female character with no substance, but the way it’s used doesn’t seem to work with that definition.
Crazy, isn’t it? 😛 How do we even keep up?
~SAT
Probably by spending more time in Internet fights than writing, editing, publishing, and promoting. 😛
Haha! Exactly!
~SAT
Happy New Year, Shannon! As for this Website Wonders, I agree that the artilcle on why not to use profanity was clever and funny! Back to work, but looking forward to the best or favorite poetry lines. Thanks, little sister, for so much creative work!!
Happy New Year, Val! I’m glad you enjoyed the articles! Thank you for reading and discussing these articles with me. 😀
~SAT
That was a great article on pen names. Thanks. It will help when I set up my own. Have a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ~Lynn
I’m glad you loved it! She is great. Have a very Happy New Year too, Lynn!
~SAT