profile theme: Stories in the Key of Manga:

Welcome to my profile. I am a writer that enjoys finding ideas everywhere I look, whose model of inspiration is Ray Bradbury's library set from Ray Bradbury Theatre, and who currently finds himself captivated by the artistic endeavor of manga storytelling (though unable to draw or paint in anything but words). Allow me to introduce and explain myself. Yoroshikune-onegaishimasu

I also hope to start posting stories at Royal Road, though given that it is isekai and litRPG heavy, I may not do so well there, but that won't stop me trying!

Also, be advised, that I am in the midst of renovating my profile, so please bear with me.

Pen Name: Yuuenchi
Real Name: Michael L

§1 Biographically Speaking:

My education includes an undergraduate degree in history, graduate work in library science and philosophy.

My working life is spent by the checklanes of a major grocery store chain, which means plenty of person-to-person interaction comes my way: the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly. Its mentally wearying I'll admit, but on the upside many many story ideas come my way at work, and I scribble away on receipt scraps to capture as many story ideas as I can, because you never know when inspiration will strike, and inspiration, like death and time (and well taxes), waits for no man (or woman).

§2 Writing and Reviewing

My preferred reading genres: include Sci-Fi (hard military sci-fi in particular), epic fantasy, YA fantasy, as well as the more general fiction category (popular and literary), manga (particularly the shoujo/josei genre, a nod to shonen/seinen, and Japanese historical-fiction) and plenty of non-fiction categories (theology, philosophy, science , history, East Asian and Japanese cultural studies, sociology and anthropology, and...well you get the picture.

My writing: slants toward YA and epic fantasy and slice of life short stories. My models (and mentors) for the former include the work of Tolkein, Lewis, Milton, Dante, Jordan, Clancy, LeGuin, Susan Cooper, and Tamora Pearce. My models (and mentors) for the latter include the full range of anime and manga, especially anime and manga that fall into the shoujo category, and some that don't such as Takahashi Rumiko.

1) "Under the Red Umbrella", the first story i completed for Fictionpress, is also being published on Royal Road. Wish me luck.

2) "1000 Cranes For Love", the third story I completed for Fictionpress, is also being published on Royal Road. Wish me luck here as well.

3) "Yuuenchi no Koi", the second story I completed for Fictionpress, is -you guessed it- now in the initial stages of being published on Royal Road.

My writing habits and stye: are a little eclectic. As I said, I do a lot of scribbling on receipt scraps, and note taking in notebooks. Next I take these receipts and assemble them into a marbled notebook (I like the feel and look of that type of notebook..I have nearly a 100 all told, granted most of them are still empty), and then transcribe that to a computer file, which presumably gives me two layers of editing ready made for my stories. At the same time, all of my stories percolate for a good while before showing themselves as writable projects.

"Teen Heart Manga Stories": The majority of my shared writing for the foreseeable future will be hosted in the Manga Section. This is not to say that I am solely a writer of manga-style stories or wish to be considered as only engaged in anime-style storytelling (a simple glance at my nonfiction reading interests should tell you that), I do have projects waiting in the wings for both the Young Adult Section and the Fantasy Section (when I get around to seriously working on them, presumably after I exhaust my initial run of Manga story ideas), but for now, those sections are not right for my tone and voice. I made the decision early on to 'brand' my storytelling as "Teen Heart Manga Stories" (THMS), reflecting the influence that manga and anime has on my imaginative discourse. It's really more of a catch-all phrase for a slew of anime inspired tales of varying lengths, from one-shot short stories to tales involving multiple chapters and "seasons", that for the most part could pass as Light Novels with a bit more dialogue . Most of my "slice of life" tales fall within its borders, and my few science-fiction tales also arise out of this project. Nested within the THMS are two subcategories: "Dear My Shoujo" and "Shonen Write!" -which should be self-explanatory from their descriptions

I maintain a forum, "Teen Heart Manga Stories" in the Fiction: Manga section at: http://www.fictionpress.com/forum/Teen-Heart-Manga-Stories/6803/ to supply updates, background info and story notes; engage with reviewers, readers and/or supporters and fans (if ever I have any of the latter); and generally make a nuisance of myself where no one will notice *grin*. So, please come take a look, and tell me what you think.

My reviewing philosophy. I prefer to review whole stories as opposed to individual chapters. This is not to say that I don't or won't read newly posted stories or leave feedback on individual stories if asked, it's just that I find it easier and more constructive to analyze a document/story as a whole. With reviews, I look for the good, the bad, and the ugly: Grammar and punctuation; transition, transition, Transition; overall narrative flow, believably (especially important in manga style Light Novel stories), and transition -these are the harbingers of doom I offer.

I am (or plan to be) an active reader, reviewer, and beta-reader. I also plan to systematically read through as many works as humanly possible in the Manga, Young Adult, Fantasy, and Science Fiction categories, and provide reviews mainly for currently active members that's a lie, I'll review anything that I continue reading pat the first chapter. I am still developing my reviewing style, though my influences (TLS, NYROB, NYTBR, Books and Culture: a Christian Review) biases me in the direction of crafting reviews as a stand alone essay commenting on an existing and preferably completed) work, as opposed to merely listing the good and bad points found within a story or particular chapter. That doesn't mean that I always live up to my high standards. So, please bear with me.

That leads to my second Forum: "Yuuenchi's FictionPress Review : General Fiction Edition" in the Fiction: General section at: http://www.fictionpress.com/forum/Yuuenchi-s-FictionPress-Review-General-Fiction-Editition/18083/ which is a place for myself -and others! so please, come join me!- to provide more in-depth reviews of stories here on FictionPress than the "review" function within individual story chapters are meant for. The plan of Yuuenchi's FictionPress Review: General Fiction Edition is for it to become a monthly, if not weekly periodical showcasing the work of FictionPressers. Look forward to updates on a monthly basis initially, coinciding with my target story posting/updating date: the 22nd of each month.

Editing History (Last Three Edits: 11/01/2020, 08/10/2020; 08/05/2020)

Document created on 08/02/2011