Category: character
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Villains: Why Not Just Plain Evil?
As I started writing my Beowulf retelling back in October, I had a question about one of my antagonists. “Can’t he just be a plain, evil villain? Like, he was never a good guy just always evil? Just be an evil being?” And I decided: Why not? Now, I have other antagonists, those of whom…
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My Thoughts On the Chosen One Trope
I lot of articles have been written on the chosen one trope. Your average Joe is actually a hero, or the one destined to take down the evil overlord, etc. I don’t have much to add to the consensus of WRITE CHOSEN ONES BETTER. But there is one thing I have to say, and it all…
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5 Ways to Add Spice to a Scene
Is a scene in your novel tasting flavorless? Does it just turn to ash in your mouth? You might need more seasoning or you might be a cursed pirate (in which case, go find some lost Aztec gold). Besides the usual ingredients (salt, pepper, garlic powder), you might find that you need some different spices…
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Thought on How You Write that Motivation to Get Your Protagonist Out the Door.
Motivation. This is the driving force in any good story. The protagonist has to be motivated to do the THING. If the protagonist isn’t motivated, they won’t do the THING. Or if they do the THING but aren’t motivated, the story won’t make a lick of sense. There are plenty of ways to give your…
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If You Don’t Believe in Your Book, No one Will. (I swear I’m not trying to sound like a cat poster.)
(Header Photo by Inês Pimentel on Unsplash) (I’m also not trying to sound like Galadriel.) For those of us writing fiction (which I think most of us here???), we are writing just that. Fiction. Fake stuff. Make believe. Unicorns and dragons and hob goblins. And everybody knows it. Readers pick up your book and think, “This is a novel.…
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Don’t Have Excess Characters
Make sure you don’t have characters that are wasting everybody’s time and oxygen. What I mean is – sometimes characters are put in because they feel necessary. Such as: Your MC: People have friends, right? Let’s give them a friend. At school: There are always bullies, right? Here’s a bully. At home: They have neighbors,…
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How Much Backstory is Too Much?
Backstory. The story before the story. Every character has it – but how much do you need of it? There are TONS of stuff on developing characters backgrounds….I am to divide character backstory into two schools of thought: What the readers needs What the writer needs We’ll start with what the Reader needs. ONLY WHAT’S…
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The REAL question: 1st Person or 3rd?
(I GOT A NEW iPHONE GUYS!!! ) Ignore the above. It’s completely irrelevant. So. 1st Person or 3rd??? I tend to write in 3rd person myself (not omniscient though.) Though sometimes I’ll write 1st. But usually I’ll write so deep into 3rd person that I’ll forget which I’m writing and accidentally start writing in 1st….…
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Christmas Hiatus and 6 Writing Resolutions for the New Year
HEY WHAT’S UP EVERYONE I’M BACK. DID YA MISS ME?? I hope so. I apologize for the unannounced hiatus (though I don’t apologize for the hiatus. It was Christmas and that’s just what happens during the holidays). I think there are still comments I haven’t replied to yet….(Is it too late? So sorry guys.) BUT…
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When you read the first draft
You write the infamous word THE END. Your first draft is done. Maybe it took a year. Maybe you knocked it out in a week. Either way, it’s a great feeling to see your work finished TIME TO PARTY!!!!! Well – there’s one, tiny, tiny thing. You still have to edit. *sighs heavily and crawls…
Bernadette Benda 