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Shirah Olafsson

Just a Few Changes

January 14, 2021January 14, 2021 Shirah OlafssonUncategorized

Hey there! We hope you all had a lovely holiday. Ours were cozy and very laid back, with very little writing. Womp womp. Our family dynamic has greatly changed in the last year, and with that we decided it would […]

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4 Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo

October 28, 2020 Shirah OlafssonLife, Matti & Shirah, Networking & Social Media, Writing

I have made one or two half-hearted attempts at participating in National Novel Writing Month, but have given up two weeks in with only a few thousand words written. Even with preparation in October, writing 50,000 words in 30 days […]

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Why Voice is the Most Essential Ingredient in Your Writing

August 17, 2020 Shirah OlafssonWriting

Ah, voice. The ever elusive and incredibly vague element 99% of literary agents say they’re looking for. Ella Marie Shupe once said in an interview, “a great first page with a compelling voice and sufficient atmosphere always stands out.” But […]

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Read This if You Can’t Stick to a Story

August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 Shirah OlafssonDAWN OF ENDINGS, Life, Matti & Shirah, Writing

There are two types of writers: those who have started at least one project and quit, and liars. Before Dawn of Endings (working title), I had never finished a story idea. I would get these images in my mind: scenes, […]

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What We’re Working on Right Now

August 7, 2020August 7, 2020 Shirah OlafssonLife, Matti & Shirah, Writing

When I was a senior in high school, I was diagnosed with a benign heart murmur caused by severe anxiety. I remember getting the diagnosis, but was given no treatment or advice. The doctor wrote it off as stress caused […]

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Our Experience With #SFFpit: What We Learned and Our Favorite Pitches

August 3, 2020September 2, 2020 Shirah OlafssonDAWN OF ENDINGS, Matti & Shirah, Networking & Social Media

Do people even read the introduction to a blog post? I usually just skip to the bold points because that’s where the actual information is I’m looking for. If you read this, leave me a comment below and give me […]

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We’re Going on Hiatus

July 6, 2020July 6, 2020 Shirah OlafssonIceland, Life, Matti & Shirah

We will be in and out of our home for the month of July as we travel the country. As a consequence, our internet connectivity will be unreliable. We invite you to join us on our adventures on Instagram and […]

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Why You Don’t Need to Stress About the Bechdel Test

July 1, 2020July 2, 2020 Shirah OlafssonDAWN OF ENDINGS, Writing

While writing the first draft of Dawn of Endings, I began to wonder if our story passed the Bechdel test. It had to. We have several awesome female characters and all of them have their moments where they put our […]

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50 Questions to Ask Your Alpha and Beta Readers

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020 Shirah OlafssonWriting

So, you’ve finished writing your manuscript and you’re ready to get some feedback. Congratulations! 🥳 *throws confetti* Or maybe you’re not quite finished and are procrastinating. In which case SHAME! Haha just kidding. Don’t leave. Stay. You’re investing in future […]

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3 Tips on How to Get the Most Out of Your Beta and Alpha Readers

June 24, 2020June 25, 2020 Shirah OlafssonNetworking & Social Media, Writing

This is part two of a three part series. Check out part one here: How to be a [Helpful] Beta or Alpha Reader Alpha Readers vs. Beta Readers Before we really get into it, I thought I’d first point out […]

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Drafting

Draft 1
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24,343 of 90,000 words

Currently Seeking Representation

Dawn of Endings
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About Us

Heil og sæl! We are Matti & Shy and we’re currently seeking representation for our manuscript DAWN OF ENDINGS, a fantasy story inspired by Iceland and the Old Norse Myths surrounding Ragnarök.

This website serves as an outlet to gratify our need for expressing ourselves, while we take on the wonderful journey of publishing The Ragnarök Saga.

Here we share our successes, blunders, experiences and a little bit about ourselves. And when we’re feeling particularly cheeky, we’ll share teaser excerpts from our books.

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awriterlypair

Matti & Shy Ólafsson | Writers
You may have heard that Iceland is green and Green You may have heard that Iceland is green and Greenland is ice. This is because in Iceland— whether there's snow, wind, or rain— it is always a perfect day for ice cream.
The best way to capture the northern lights is to The best way to capture the northern lights is to increase the ISO on your camera. This increases your camera's sensitivity to light. 

As we move forward during these dark and challenging times, perhaps we can look for more opportunities to increase our minds' sensitivity to the light. Look for the good in the world around you, BE the good, and find the beauty in the light.
Update: Iceland is still endlessly dark, cold, wet Update: Iceland is still endlessly dark, cold, wet, and windy. 🙃 

Hope your holidays were great!
Old phone booth repurposed as a little library in Old phone booth repurposed as a little library in Reykjavík, Iceland
It is both serene and exhilarating. When the mono It is both serene and exhilarating.  When the monotony of life grows static, it is the magic whispers of these wise trees that reawaken me.
These fall colors are already beginning to fade aw These fall colors are already beginning to fade away as the north winds bring in the months of frozen darkness.
The Winds By Shirah Ólafsson The winds never sto The Winds
By Shirah Ólafsson

The winds never stop here. They blow and they blow until the walls shudder. I pull my knees to my chest as some of the air leaks through the cracks worn by time. Sometimes that wind is nothing but a breeze like beguiling silk.  On those days I can actually get up and hum a tune as I go about my house, the low vibration calming my nerves and drowning out the sound. 

Other days I manage to tend to some of the cracks. The winds blow harder, only to taunt me; to remind me it's there and will never leave. So I hum. Hum louder as I fortify my protective barriers. 

Then there are the times when the tempests rage and all I can do is stare at my hands. I have the strength to fix the cracks, but not the materials. It knows my weaknesses; sometimes detecting them faster than I can. I mustn't rest. I must never stop rectifying the ever crumbling façade. So the walls shudder. Shudder like chaotic drum beats against the violent gusts, and I shrink against the pummeling, praying this won't be the day it sweeps me away.
I heard that Iceland was created by Instagram. It I heard that Iceland was created by Instagram. It was made completely from scratch to combat the ongoing crisis that all beauty on Earth had already been photographed. The more you know 😉
Berry season also means pie season 👌 Berry season also means pie season 👌
All my writing energy is going towards drafting th All my writing energy is going towards drafting this new #WIP so here's a cute elf to do all my talking today.
The night of my birth was one of promised miracles The night of my birth was one of promised miracles that led to a lifetime of curses.
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 #wip #writingcommunity #amwritingfantasy #forest #mist #fog
Black sand hugs my toes. I dig them in deeper, rel Black sand hugs my toes. I dig them in deeper, relishing the cool, sea kissed soil, and close my eyes as the gentle rhythm of the waves washes over me like a long forgotten lullaby.
The days are getting shorter and the air crisper. The days are getting shorter and the air crisper. The sunsets take on that swirl of crimson and gold. We'll miss these late night fishing trips only Iceland can offer.
Only in Iceland will you ask for a soda and the fo Only in Iceland will you ask for a soda and the food wagon lady give you a free one just because the weather is good 😂
There's a certain simplicity in Iceland's culture, There's a certain simplicity in Iceland's culture, untouched by time. 😌
The clouds gather and the skies darken. I count ev The clouds gather and the skies darken. I count every drop of rain as it kisses my window. 

One,
 two,
 three, four,
 five,
 six, seven

Until the glass weeps.
Our trip has been postponed until the weather impr Our trip has been postponed until the weather improves. I was supposed to be here right now, exploring the West Fjords, so here's a throwback to 2017.⁣
#iceland #inspiredbyiceland #icelandtravel⁣
 #wheniniceland #visiticeland #discovericeland #exploreiceland "
Some of you may know already, but we lost two very Some of you may know already, but we lost two very dear people suddenly in less than a week. This has been a very trying time for us emotionally and mentally. Yet today as I was feeling overwhelmed with everything I needed to do while wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and worry about what tragedy will come next, I remember a line of dialogue one of our characters says and it brought me so much strength: 

“I once came face to face with my own fragility. The North Winds are nothing compared to the speed and suddenness of life stealing what you love most, uncaring for the destruction in its wake. So I learned to be strong. . . .Yet here I am, willing and eager to let myself be broken and shattered once more. . . .Perhaps that is what makes us truly strong; creating a life of happiness, knowing full well the winds and storms will eventually destroy it all.” -Ýr, Dawn of Endings, Chapter 10
We will be in and out of our home for the month of We will be in and out of our home for the month of July as we travel the country. As a consequence, our internet connectivity will be unreliable. However, we'll still be posting in our Stories at least once a day as connection permits so check us out on Insta and Facebook. Have a happy summer and see you in August! 😃
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joyful_kayKayla 💫Not-So💫 Joyful@joyful_kay·
1h

ANNOUNCEMENT:
Hooverville, my historical fiction novel, comes out at all major retailers on July 1st, and will be available to preorder on April 15th! 📚

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AWriterlyPairShy & Matti Ólafsson@AWriterlyPair·
55m

I don't know if I'm neurodivergent (never been tested), but these questions STRESS me out. I feel like every answer I think up is wrong.

Pine (they)@Madeline_Pine

@ericsmithrocks There’s so many good points already so I’ll just add: if an agent has really random querymanager questions (“marvel or dc?” or “favorite tv show?”) this can stress ND writers out because it feels like a societal norm test where we don’t know how our answers will be interpreted

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DeadLionessKaren D. Lioness@DeadLioness·
6 Mar

Saying that wearing a mask during a pandemic is "living in fear" is like saying that using oven mitts means you're "afraid" of the oven.

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AWriterlyPairShy & Matti Ólafsson@AWriterlyPair·
6 Mar

What I really need is a room full of puppies. Fluffy ones. With floppy ears.

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deapoirierbooksDea Poirier@deapoirierbooks·
6 Mar

So, what do we do with our trauma? We write a book about it and pretend it's fiction.

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