by Hope Ann | Aug 8, 2016 | Characters, Plot
Clichés abound in movies and books. The dashing prince rescuing the helpless princess. The mentor dying and his student going on to save the world. The villain dressed in a long black cape with a pet snake on a staff. In an effort to create fresh stories, writers –...
by Hope Ann | Jul 25, 2016 | Articles, Characters, Theme
“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s the courage that counts.” While this quote from John Wooden might not be literally accurate in every instance, there is a good amount of truth in it. In writing, and in life too, one success won’t establish your...
by Hope Ann | Feb 10, 2016 | Articles, Characters, Theme
Why does love in so many books or movies get relegated to the narrow confines of romance? Yes, romance is love, though much of what is portrayed nowadays is a very shallow love at best. But there is so much more to love than a love triangle or tangled romance. Love...
by Hope Ann | Oct 30, 2015 | Articles, Ethics
By Hope AnnHow graphic should one be when writing a battle scene?When forming a beating or torture scene?When describing the dark rituals of some fantasy druid?These, and hundreds of related queries are valid questions. And yet, to answer inquiry with inquiry, there’s...
by Hope Ann | Oct 2, 2015 | Articles, World Building
I’ve created three fantasy worlds in the past four years. Designing worlds, writing legends, holding the first printed copy of your book…it carries a thrill of creation. Of bringing to light something which didn’t exist before. For those on one end of the spectrum,...
