March Newsletter You can give us feedback via the contact form on our website. (If you reply to this email, we might not see it.) Have a wonderful month! | |
Q&A, Writing By Chris Winkle on 03/01/21 I guess this is a noob Q, but what IS a scene? And how do you know when it ends? – Taliah Hi Taliah, Newbie question or not, I’m sure some other people are wondering too! So a scene is a section of film/narration/whatever that’s […] Read in browser »
Storytelling, Magic, Social Justice By Oren Ashkenazi on 02/27/21 The oppressed mages trope is a personal bugbear of mine, as longtime readers of this site can no doubt attest. The trope is incredibly popular, even though it makes no sense. As with most popular things that don't make sense, people come up with all […] Read in browser »
Storytelling, Writing, Lessons From Bad Writing By Chris Winkle on 02/26/21 Originally published in a 1970 fanzine, The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis is known as the worst story ever written. The Eye of Argon readings are a favorite at conventions, where readers compete to read the story without laughing. Since it’s already been torn […] Read in browser »
Q&A By Oren Ashkenazi on 02/22/21 Hi, I’m Josem from Spain. I am and write in Spanish but found your site a trove of information for any aspiring writer in any language. That said, my apologies if my English is a little rusty. My question is about setting, or rather the […] Read in browser »
Analysis, Villains By Oren Ashkenazi on 02/20/21 Captain Kirk's adventures would be a snoozefest if the Klingons just rolled over for him. No one would care about T'Challa taking back his throne unless Killmonger could match him blow for blow. Batman's investigations would be pointless if the Joker just turned himself in.1 What's […] Read in browser »
Roleplaying, Worldbuilding, D&D, Disability, Social Justice By Fay Onyx on 02/19/21 People create monsters that reflect the fears of their society, including fears about disability. Because of this, ableism has been incorporated into our depictions of monsters. In some cases, disability is used to make monsters seem dangerous, unsettling, or unpredictable. Other times, it's used to […] Read in browser »
Q&A, Storytelling, Disability By Fay Onyx on 02/15/21 The monster villain of my story uses music to hypnotize and kill victims. My protagonist is deaf and loves music, but he’s immune to the hypnotic tune because he can’t hear it. How do I depict this respectfully? – Anon Anon, Thanks for the question! […] Read in browser »
Writing, Movies By Oren Ashkenazi on 02/13/21 While the foundational rules of storytelling are the same no matter what medium you're using, the story's format still has an impact. Books and films are noticeably different, if the whole moving-picture situation wasn't enough of a clue. Nevertheless, a lot of new writers first […] Read in browser »
Storytelling, Characters, Likability By Chris Winkle on 02/12/21 Character likability is generally created through three characteristics: sympathy, novelty, and selflessness. For a main character, I recommend aiming for at least two out of three, so not every protagonist needs to be selfless. However, selfish behavior counts against a character and can make audiences […] Read in browser »
Q&A By Oren Ashkenazi on 02/08/21 Hi! How are you? I have a character who starts out knowing very little about magic (as they just got theirs), but by the end of the story, I want them to be one of the best magic users in the story (even though they’re […] Read in browser »
Storytelling, Plot, Travel By Kellie Doherty on 02/06/21 As a reader and writer of fantasy, I've found the travel aspect can be… tedious. Either it's pages and pages of scenery with characters walking, walking, walking, or it's one quick scene where nothing happens. If your story includes travel, try these tips for making […] Read in browser »
Storytelling, Characters, Likability, Romance By Chris Winkle on 02/05/21 Nothing evokes emotion by default. Every bit of triumph or heartache has to be built up by the storyteller. So if you’re wondering why your big emotional scenes aren’t emotional to your audience, it could be because you’ve invested too little in the elements that […] Read in browser »
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