Minte Stara
Bio
Small writer and artist who spends a lot of their time stuck in books, the past, and probably a library.
Currently I'm working on my debut novel What's Normal Here, a historical/fantasy romance.
Stories (38/0)
Sin in Melville's Pierre
The mention of sin is a constant, underlying, and hidden snake in Herman Melville's Pierre. Sin is the idea that Pierre is courting when he sits down with a member of the church to eat. The discussion of sin is not directly addressed, but throughout the dinner ghost of it hangs over the table. Melville uses this ghost to show the reader what to expect from the rest of the novel and what might be lurking within Pierre's subconscious, ready to arise. The scene with the clergyman, Mr. Falsgrove, Pierre's mother, Mr. Glendinning, and Pierre is a way for Melville to show Pierre's silent sin of love toward his half-sister through purity and serpent imagery.
By Minte Stara3 months ago in FYI
Carrot Queen
A strange legacy to leave behind me in Rostock, Germany is that I like carrots. I was invited to my friend's family house when I was making my brief week and a half visit to Germany after my study abroad program in Prague. In this case, I was very politely asked what sort of food I would like and, unable to think of much, I simply answered 'carrots.'
By Minte Stara7 months ago in Wander
Trying when You Expect to Fail
It's almost 11 PM on a constant countdown to June 25th. I've spent the day exposing myself to two languages without much break in between and feel disheartened. On the 25th, I enter a country I have never been to before and start learning a language that frankly scares me. It's the unknown and the fear of difficult situations rolled up into a bundle and that's terrifying.
By Minte Stara10 months ago in Motivation
Hooded Crows are Real and other Discoveries of an American
To say that me and my friend in Germany have been planning what to do while I'm in Potsdam for a week and a half would be a quiet understatement. Instead, she's spent several mornings (my middle of the nights) walking around her neighborhood, with her phone showing the various sights and sounds around her.
By Minte Stara11 months ago in Wander
Lucky Charms for Rent
Our story starts on a day like any other. Only I'm buying Lucky Charms to pay for my rent in Germany. Come June 25th, I wont be in the United States anymore. From the beginning, I wanted to document what my travels would look like. The sprawling nature of what it would take to study abroad escaped me.
By Minte Stara11 months ago in Wander
The 'Evilest Wizard' is a Better Minion
If anyone recognizes the name John Dee, it's likely for one of two reasons. Either they read the Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel by Michael Scott or they've played a video game with an evil wizard/necromancer/alchemist. There is rarely a middle ground. (Middle ground could potentially include another book or maybe even a movie, but those are unicorns and I refuse to believe those people exists.)
By Minte Staraabout a year ago in FYI
In the Defense of Walking Simulators
You're potentially familiar with the genre of games named 'Walking Simulators.' If you're not, then it may be slightly tricky to define them. The more basic definition is that they are a genre of game that does what it says on the tin. You can walk around in some virtual setting and that's it. Some expansions might have some form of quest or otherwise, but the basic form is that you are walking and that you are playing a simulation.
By Minte Staraabout a year ago in Gamers
