By Jodi ClarkIf you’ve ever sat in a theatre or read a book and yawned every time the villain appeared on the scene,...
Characters Articles
A Recipe for Evil: Six Ingredients for Creating a Sympathetic Villain
By Chelsea HindleEvery reader has that villain they like just a bit too much.From Zuko, and Loki, to Frankenstein’s...
What Anakin Skywalker Can Teach Us About Writing Fallen Heroes
By Sandrina de KlerkYou may love them, you may hate them. Fallen heroes. Perhaps you love reading them, but...
True Courage
“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s the courage that counts.” While this...
The Bildungsroman: What It Is and How to Write One
By Josiah DeGraafThe transition from childhood to adulthood is an important transition that everyone has to make....
8 Common Cliches of Coming-of-Age Stories
By Hope AnnThere is a theme which abounds across a number of genres. One in which young men are torn from their farms...
How to Do a Character Archetype Well in Four Easy Steps
By Josiah DeGraafCharacter archetypes. Most of us know common examples of...
Foil Characters: What They Are and How to Use Them
By Josiah DeGraafSo, if you’ve been following my articles for a while, you may have noticed that I talk a lot about...
Why Minor Characters Should Be Flat Characters
By Josiah DeGraafFour years ago, I was beginning a rewrite of A Darkened Light, which was my second full-length novel...
Hard Love: How Shedding Romance Can Highlight Love
Stories follow a familiar pattern because it works. When it comes to character...
The Challenge of Love: Writing Love
Why does love in so many books or movies get relegated to the narrow confines of romance? Yes, romance is...
How To Create An Intriguing Character
By Mark KamibayaNote: I refer to characters and readers as masculine. However, these principles can also be applied to...