Category: Uncategorized

The 2018-2019 Alchemist Review has created a new narrative for our journal this year! In just over a month we have put together two events, both of which are expected to be successful. We also have initiated a fall writing contest that will showcase fall themed writing. On top of that we have lots of new plans for the upcoming months! We are excited and humbled at the prospect of building up our literary community. This logo signifies our commitment to keep growing as a journal and to keep looking towards the future. We are thrilled to share this journey with you!

Hey y’all! We are doing something new this year! We are having a competition for the cover art for this years Alchemist Review!! We can’t wait to see what the artists of UIS have to offer!

 

Everyone is a story, everyone is a writer! We would love to hear your story!! Drop a comment, message, or email (alchemistreview@gmail.com)

Marjorie is a senior at UIS majoring in English and this is her third year on the Alchemist Review. This year she is excited to serve remotely as a fiction editor and give other students the opportunity to have their creative writing published in a longstanding literary journal. In addition to attending UIS, she is a mother of two boys and she works as a legal assistant with the goal of attending law school after completing her undergraduate degree.

Roald Dahl is the masterful author of James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was born September 13, 1916 and died on November 23 1990. After WWII, his writing career began. What started with a few short stories in news magazines ended with some of the most beloved children’s stories of all time. He took inspiration from his childhood to write these marvelous adventures. For example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was inspired by his favorite candy store. His stories sprinkle humor over serious topics, making them enjoyable and relatable to children and adults. From the words of the man himself, “A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest of men.” For more information and inspiration, check out his official website: https://www.roalddahl.com/home/grown-ups

 

 

Alexandra is a southern California native living in New York City. Is an online English major. She is a bibliophile and pluviophile.

Here is our official flyer!! We cannot wait to see what this year will bring!! Feel free to leave a comment for any questions as well!

Creating a character that is believable and lifelike may be one of the hardest things to do! They may be lifelike in your mind, but creating that on the page is not as easy! Here are some tips to help with that! Feel free to leave some feedback!

• Write the character twice, once to fall in love and again to be disgusted! This will allow you to pick apart their best and worst qualities!
• Give them an obsession and/or a quirk! I dont know about you, but I don’t know anyone who isn’t obsessed with at least one thing!
• Give your character some flaws! I know you love your characters, but really, they are not saints. If you want them to be believed, they need to be relatable. That means flaws and weaknesses!
• Give them some distinguishing markers! A scar, hair color, eye color, etc. Something to make them stand out a little bit, whether good or bad!
• Allow your good characters to do bad things and bad characters to do good things! This makes your characters more dynamic and complex.
• They could probably use a psychic wound! The past haunts, traumatizes, and affects all of us. This is where a backstory can help out!
• Allow room for blind spots! Blind spots are the things about ourselves that others see, but we do not. These are usually compulsive actions, but be creative!
• Take a personality test for them! This allows you to ensure your characters are not you! It will also allow you to think if how they will respond to the situations you put them in.
• Personal Contradictions! We all contradict ourselves, let your characters do that too!
• Act it out! This is especially great for creating dialogue! If it feels unnatural, guess what, it probably is…
• Allow your characters to wander from the path! Life never goes in a straight line, and people don’t walk a straight path. Allow your characters to take detours, to stray a little bit, to even make a u-turn, or even let them go the wrong way for a bit of time.

Sarah is an English major that has no idea what she’s going to do once she graduates. She loves reading, writing, and cats. Her favorite books are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. She also enjoys The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers.