Thursday, 13 August 2020

Dune, Grimdark, and Character Death

August 2020

The end of summer is nigh, at least that’s what they tell us. What’s for certain is that our Analysis posts are at full throttle, with articles on Dune, Eragon’s sequel, and the Wheel of Time. But don’t worry; if you’re looking for something a little broader, we also have posts on character likability and common problems with grimdark tales. We’ve even got a piece about stories who killed the wrong character, in case you’re still as upset about your fave getting offed as we are. Enjoy!

Worldbuilding

Building Arrakis: How Herbert Sabotaged His Own Ideas

July 11th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Storytelling

Seven Common Reasons Protagonists Are Unlikable

July 10th, 2020 by Chris Winkle

A red dragon from the cover art of Eldest

Writing

Lessons From the Terrible Writing of Eragon’s Sequel

July 3rd, 2020 by Chris Winkle

Storytelling

Why Storytellers Fail at Grimdark and How to Fix It

July 17th, 2020 by Chris Winkle

An Endgame poster showing Hawkeye and Black Widow side by side.

Analysis

Five Stories That Killed the Wrong Character

July 4th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Analysis

Six Sexist Themes From the Early Wheel of Time Books

July 25th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Podcast

282 – Middlegame

July 5th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Wes Matlock

Q&A

Are Smart Phones in the Future Realistic?

July 13th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Sunday, 12 July 2020

Underused Tropes, Signature Weapons, and Weak Motivations

July 2020

The equinox may be past, but summer certainly is not. Though the days are warm, we remain indoors to better defeat the plague with only the internet to turn to for entertainment. Luckily that includes a hit from one of our fabulous guest bloggers: Three Genre-Defining Books With Underutilized tropes. Mira Singer looks at several often-emulated classics and asks what qualities they have that we’ve let fall by the way side. Along with that, we have articles on everything from romance jokes to cool weapons. We hope they brighten your day.

Analysis

Three Genre-Defining Books With Underutilized Tropes

June 5th, 2020 by Mira Singer

Commentary

If Stories Treated Straight Couples Like They Treat Queer Couples

June 19th, 2020 by Chris Winkle

Elsa shooting beams of ice into a tornado around her.

Analysis

Five Over-Burdened Stories and How to Fix Them

June 20th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Inspiration

What Does and Doesn’t Make a Signature Weapon Cool

June 13th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Analysis

Six Characters With Poorly Handled Arcs

June 6th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Tony Stark sitting on a couch next to his suit.

Analysis

Five Characters With Weak Motivations and How to Fix Them

June 27th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Podcast

280 – The Ten Thousand Doors of January

June 21st, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Wes Matlock

Q&A

How Do I Create a Platonic Friendship Between Characters?

June 8th, 2020 by Chris Winkle

Monday, 29 June 2020

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Monday, 15 June 2020

Ridiculous Cultures, Tension, and Autism

June 2020

The solstice month is upon us. May we all prepare offerings for the Summer Queen and her court of kindly ones. Surely these fey folk mean us no harm, not when they offer exquisite dishes for the mere cost of walking through a circle of stone.

Ahem. One thing that definitely means you no harm is this month’s round of top Mythcreants posts! It’s an elective bunch, with lessons for RPG players, jokes about fantasy battles, critiques of fictional cultures, a discussion of tension in storytelling, and a look at how autistic characters are coded in fiction. Enjoy!

Roleplaying

Nine Truths for Roleplayers Who Start Writing

May 9th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Worldbuilding

Six Ridiculous Cultures in Speculative Fiction

May 2nd, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Analysis

Five Characters Coded as Autistic

May 8th, 2020 by Juliette Dunn

Inspiration

Seven Musts for Dominating a Fantasy Battle

May 16th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Storytelling

Five Common Reasons Tension Is Missing

May 1st, 2020 by Chris Winkle

American Dirt cover, featuring barbed wire and Mexican style bird art

Commentary

No, “Art” Doesn’t Entitle You to Spread Harmful Messages

May 15th, 2020 by Chris Winkle

Podcast

275 – Star Trek: Picard

May 17th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi and Chris Winkle

Q&A

How Can I Respectfully Subvert the Magical Cure Trope?

May 18th, 2020 by Fay Onyx

Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Worldbuilding, Magic, and the Law

May 2020

The heat of summer is making itself known, and our fans have spoken: this month is all about worldbuilding! We’ve got all kinds of articles to give you a boost when creating new settings, from in-depth examinations of old classics to broad overviews of how legal and magic systems work. We’ve also got a complete break down of everyone’s favorite singalong villain, just be sure to enjoy it somewhere away from any giant hornets!

Giles in a silly wizard hat from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Worldbuilding

Six Magic Systems That Need Stricter Limits

April 18th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Worldbuilding

Building Middle-Earth: What Tolkien Did Right – and Wrong

April 11th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Analysis

Five Contrived Legal Conflicts in Speculative Fiction

April 4th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Deloris and Fred Allen talk in a car in October Faction

Writing

Five Common Dialogue Mistakes and How to Fix Them

April 24th, 2020 by Chris Winkle

Worldbuilding

Building Temeraire: How Novik Included Diversity and Justice in a Historical Setting

April 25th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog cover art

Analysis

A Breakdown of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: Act I

April 3rd, 2020 by Chris Winkle

Podcast

272 – Terminology Wars

April 26th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Wes Matlock

Q&A

Is Relatability Actually Important?

April 13th, 2020 by Oren Ashkenazi

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Describing Women, Overpowered Heroes, and Repetitive Conflict

April 2020

Here’s a care package of Mythcreants articles to keep your spirits up while your fighting COVID-19 on the home front. This month’s posts are all very focused and actionable. We’re not talking about grand theory, we’re giving you targeted advice on how to make your stories better, whether that advice comes in the form of non-degrading description, diagnosing overpowered heroes, or avoiding repetitive conflict. Stay healthy and keep writing!