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Just a couple, of married writers

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Writing Tips

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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What We Learned From Our First #PitMad

June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 Shirah OlafssonNetworking & Social Media, Writing

It was a quiet Thursday afternoon of preparing queries. I scrolled to the bottom of the query manager form and groaned. The agent I was preparing materials for required a pitch. We had made a few feeble attempts to make […]

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What to Do When You’re Struggling With a Scene

July 22, 2019July 22, 2019 Shirah OlafssonWriting
Writing Vivid Scenes

Writing descriptions has never been my forte. In fact, I used to bequeath Matti with every single setting description and fight scene because I found both to be so dang hard! If he was busy writing something else, I would […]

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Writing Advice for the Tired Parent

January 22, 2019June 11, 2020 Shirah OlafssonMatti & Shirah, Writing

Growing up, the only thing I wanted to be more than a writer was a mother. At seven, I would go with my mom to her La Leche League meetings and would be the self-proclaimed nanny of the babies and […]

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Creating Deep & Consistent Characters

August 20, 2018October 17, 2018 Shirah OlafssonWriting

Character Building Even before world building and plot structure, character building is probably the most crucial element to creating a remarkable story. Sure, readers want to get lost in the world you have so carefully and thoroughly crafted. Yes, pacing […]

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How We Harnessed the Magic of the Norse

August 5, 2018August 20, 2018 Matthias OlafssonHistory & Culture, Iceland, Writing

Disclaimer I must warn you that I have no idea what I’m talking about. 🤪 This post is just to share the process Shy and I went through to define the magic of our fantasy world. If you are writing […]

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5+ Sources that Inspired the Ragnarök Saga

August 1, 2018August 20, 2018 Shirah OlafssonHistory & Culture, Iceland, Matti & Shirah, Writing

I would like to begin our very first blog post by thanking computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin for their beautiful brain child, the Google Search Engine. *Cue angelic choir. Thanks to the internet, it has become so much easier to more […]

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Drafting

Draft 1
27% Complete
24,343 of 90,000 words

Currently Seeking Representation

Dawn of Endings
100% Complete
126,607 of 126,607 words
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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
We may not have access to plumbing or electricity We may not have access to plumbing or electricity or even perishable food yet, but the view could be worse.
The lupine are beginning to awaken from their wint The lupine are beginning to awaken from their winter slumber 😌
Sunday drive to the lake Sunday drive to the lake
In another, more indulgent life, I'd own a boat. 😌
The Fagradalsfjall eruptions site is ~3 miles from The Fagradalsfjall eruptions site is ~3 miles from my house. Another mountain blocks our view, but every night as the sun goes down, I like to peak out my window to watch the red glow in the sky.
Love this use of negative space Love this use of negative space
Another rainy day in the 101 Another rainy day in the 101
Sunshine in Iceland is a sacred experience. Sunshine in Iceland is a sacred experience.
Instagram post 17881632158199473 Instagram post 17881632158199473
Iceland's brand is #Lego Iceland's brand is #Lego
This is Ronja. She only pays attention to me when This is Ronja. She only pays attention to me when I sit down to write. So I guess you could say we're writing partners.
This isn't an #AprilFools joke. Iceland really is This isn't an #AprilFools joke. Iceland really is this gorgeous.
"I stare at the void between my eyes and the wall, "I stare at the void between my eyes and the wall, my lungs rising and falling only because they know nothing else. Then, the blackness fills my eyes and I slip once more into a sleep untainted by time. I drift past the pain of before and the anger of now and the fear of tomorrow, where the blackness is waiting."

 #FromTheWIP #AmWriting
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.
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