5 Reasons Why We Love Lannisters (and Other Morally Gray Characters)
A look at why morally gray characters are so compelling, using the Lannisters of Westeros as my primary examples. Beware: Spoilers abound!
Writing 'The Other'
When does writing about The Other stop being an exercise in understanding and become something exploitative?
5 Realty Listings That Could Be Your Character’s New Home
Sometimes, a house can read like a main character in itself.
Storyville: Making Relationships Feel Real in Your Fiction
Some tips on how to make your fictional relationship feel real.
8 Ways to Make Your Characters More Relatable
Relatability in your characters will help your work strike a chord with readers. This article explores ways that you can make your heroes, villains, and other characters more relatable.
Ursula K. Le Guin, Master of Realism
Ursula K. Le Guin is best known for her sci-fi and fantasy, but part of what makes her work so remarkable is the deeply realistic way it handles the nuanced intersections of character and culture.
An Abundance of Robin Hoods: How Social Bandits Defy Time and Culture
Whenever a source of authority grows too powerful and begins to usurp the common people, Robin Hood-like characters start to appear in film and literature.
Storyville: Writing a Novel Without Plotting it Out
Tips on how to write a novel without plotting it out.
Better With Age: Giving Elderly Characters the Spotlight
Every living person on the planet has experienced childhood, but the same can’t be said for old age. Older characters have more history, so creating such a person takes considerable imagination.
Storyville: Writing About Taboo Subjects
When writing about taboo subjects, be careful how you do it.
Forget Heroes and Villains, There is Only Point-of-View
You want to make your characters realistic? Think of everybody as the protagonist.
Take Your Characters Out to Lunch: 5 Development Exercises
Like going on a date, character exercises are part of the process of getting to know another person better (in this case, an imaginary person).
Slipping Into Someone Else's Skin
Great characters aren't just words: they're living, breathing people, as real as you or me. But where do they come from? How does one birth a character with depth and soul?
Storyville: Death in Fiction
In:
American Psycho, Character, Death, Jack Ketchum, John Steinbeck, Narrator, Plot, Storyville, Theme
Death in fiction — who, what, when, where and why.
The Archetypes of Hayao Miyazaki
Revered Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has announced his retirement, but not before years of contribution to the art of storytelling.
Storyville: Putting Your Life in Your Fiction
Some helpful tips for working your life into your fiction.
Storyville: Kill Your Darlings—How 'Game of Thrones' Can Change Your Writing
We can learn some valuable lessons about plotting, characters, and expectations from watching (or reading) 'Game of Thrones.'
Storyville: Three Essential Books On Writing
In:
Character, Craft, Dialogue, Jeff VanderMeer, Plot, Stephen King, Storyville, Structure, Theme, Voice
Three essential books on writing by Stephen King, Donald Maas and Jeff VanderMeer.
Overcoming Object Love: How to Write Female Leads Who Are People
"Object love" is a painfully common writing disease that leads us to write two-dimensional women who are more object than person. This article explores how you can overcome the sickness.
Want To Be A Better Writer? Take Acting Classes
From basic games to complex script analysis, actors have a thing or two to teach writers.
Storyville: Dissecting "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
In:
Character, Joyce Carol Oates, Literary Devices, Plot, POV, Research, Setting, Short Stories, Storyville, Structure
One of the most talked about, published and taught stories, I dissect "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates.
How Precocious is Too Precocious? Writing Smart but Believable Kids
There’s a fine line that authors tread when writing from a child's perspective. A balance must be found between a voice that is unrealistically adult, and one that is too naive to be engaging.
Storyville: Fiction As Film—Writing Scenes That Are Visual
How can your fiction be as visual and engrossing as a film? Here are some suggestions.
