Josiah DeGraaf

@kate-flournoy Ah–I missed your original comment saying it’s Method #1. I think it depends on how you view it. Now that I think about it a bit more, they probably are both versions of Method #1. From a plot-based standpoint, they’re more Method 2, but from a theme-standpoint they’re likely both Method 1. Which is actually a really nice way of…[Read more]

@jane-maree Something like that could work. You could also try the Lord-of-the-Rings method of making another figure under that villain a more prominent villain for the heroes to have to fight against, a la Saruman or Gollum. There is a place for the overlord character type to remain bland as long as the focus isn’t really on him as a villain.

@hope Ah; okay. He probably does have a bit of a tempting role, then, even if he is more solidly foil than tempter.

@hope Ah; I like that. So they’re not only foils with the main theme, but appear to be opposites with what might be a major or minor theme of power. He sounds the most like a foil to me. He isn’t an ultimate foil with regards to the primary theme, but if he’s an ultimate foil with regards to another theme, he can still function as the best…[Read more]

@kate-flournoy Ah; nice. I like that. Moving characters from extremes to a middle ground is a really good way of implementing Method #2.

Ah; nice. I like that. Moving characters from extremes to a middle ground is a really good way of implementing Method #2.

@jane-maree My recommendation would be to figure out what chain of events will lead the protagonist from the inciting event to the first plot point, and then use those to structure that area. Also possibly use that period to develop your characters more before throwing them out into the fray. K.M. Weiland wrote a post about this several years back…[Read more]

@hope Yep. That’s awesome. I like it a lot.

@jenali Good for finding an outside-of-the-box example. 😉 Haven’t read the book, but the brief description there sounds like it matches the method!

@jane-maree That looks good and makes a lot of sense to me. 🙂 What parts of your story’s structure are you still wrestling with?

@jenali That looks pretty good. My one concern would be that Brigen should be more seriously considering trusting in the Creator at the midpoint, not at the climax. If he only considers and tries to live this out at…[Read more]

@hope Yes–you can certainly have characters who are antagonists at some points and allies at other points.

Good set of characters. Bryce sounds more like a foil to me. He would be a testing ground if part of Ethaniel’s journey required Ethaniel to move Bryce to his side after Bryce learns about his true heritage. Otherwise, he’s probably going…[Read more]

@hope What @daeus said. It also seems like part of the reason Zevlin dies might be the ongoing poetic justice of his initial negative Experiment in Living? If so, that doesn’t violate those principles since repentance after-the-fact doesn’t always resolve us from the consequences of sin. I would point to the peace Zevlin feels in his sacrifice as…[Read more]

@hope Oh; I like that concept. So basically someone who has a mostly negative EiL, but still have some grasp of the right truth?

@audrey-caylin The book is now added to my three-hundred-some book list. 😉

Thanks for the feedback there! That’s great to know. And yes–interpersonal conflict like that is the best.

@jane-maree There’s a lot of stuff to sift through there since it’s more of a story summary than a series of plot-points, but it sounds like you have the basic elements down. I would narrow the 3rd plot point down a bit more to that specific scene where Will runs, though, rather than the whole narrative.

In terms of how these connect to the…[Read more]

@audrey-caylin What Daeus said. You can have non-personal antagonistic forces, but something like that would just be a negative EiL

@kate-flournoy Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I love how Eldred functions as the villain here. That’s fantastic. Would Eldred be the Primary Tempter then, or does he function more as one of the other roles? And then Egann…[Read more]