Michael Stanton

@overcomer That’s a great answer! I know for myself, I’m never fully motivated to write a story until I know what sort of theme I’m hoping to tackle with the story, so I’m right there with you on that!

Haha, great to hear how much you’re learning from the course, Kate! And yes, I can be a bit of an organizational freak, so I did try to bring some of that into the course. 😉

And putting yourself into your character’s backstory is absolutely huge. That’s probably one of the main techniques I end up using since most of my characters have undergone…[Read more]

@Aysia-Serene ha, yes. There’s so much to be said on that subject it’d take whole books. 😛

Perhaps another important difference is that in 2/3 examples you picked, the MC was /not/ the winner of the love triangle, so instead of just being a gushy ending of success, the MC actually has to face hardship and work through it to become a better…

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@Aysia-Serene ha, yes. There’s so much to be said on that subject it’d take whole books. 😛

Perhaps another important difference is that in 2/3 examples you picked, the MC was /not/ the winner of the love triangle, so instead of just being a gushy ending of success, the MC actually has to face hardship and work through it to become a better…

[Read more]

Oooh; I like this topic. Lots of great points, Kate. I totally agree. Perhaps another important difference is that in 2/3 examples you picked, the MC was /not/ the winner of the love triangle, so instead of just being a gushy ending of success, the MC actually has to face hardship and work through it to become a better person. But yeah. Really…[Read more]

@Christi-Eaton YES. I can’t think of any examples right off the top of my head, but girls that lead both guys on are incredibly annoying. That’s a whole different set of problems right there. 😛

Definitely agree with you there. It doesn’t necessarily have to be main (Faramir and Eowyn) but it has to have its place in the story and serve some…[Read more]

@Daeus exactly. I have no problem with that at all. Great point. It’s when the character is supposed to be likeable but only has that one goal that I start to lose it.

@Daeus *shocked eyes* What, you— you love TCoMC??? Wow, I… who would have ever guessed?!
Hey, rambling’s great. By all means. Ramble away.

Oh, I didn’t answer the question did I. 😛 Hm. Um… living and watching and thinking? Basically? *grins* Personally, my imagination is a huge help. If I can put myself through their backstory and figure out who they are because of it, I’m good.

AAAAHHHHH!!!!! I LOVE THIS COURSE!!!!!
*stuffs herself in the closet and muffles screaming in the nearest pillow*
I don’t even know where to start. Just… I guess I can sorta sum it up by saying I am completely mind-blown by how extensive and detailed this course is. Not only that, but also ORGANIZED IN A COHERENT MANNER. With examples and…[Read more]

AAAAHHHHH!!!!! I LOVE THIS COURSE!!!!!
*stuffs herself in the closet and muffles screaming in the nearest pillow*
I don’t even know where to start. Just… I guess I can sorta sum it up by saying I am completely mind-blown by how extensive and detailed this course is. Not only that, but also ORGANIZED IN A COHERENT MANNER. With examples and…[Read more]

@audrey-caylin Yeah, I think it pretty much comes in the job description that authors need to enjoy putting themselves in their characters’ shoes. 😉 People watching is a great way of analyzing how people react in different situations. And I’m going to take a bet that @kate-flournoy is going to be joining you in the Myers-Briggs boat of delving…[Read more]

@Ethryndal That sounds like a great theme with a lot of potential! Sounds like your book is on the right track there, and I love that message. Thrilled to hear how impactful the lesson was for you as well!

@dragon-snapper ^What Daeus said. Another thing to mention is that a lot of stories with multiple themes will distinguish between major themes (which the story focuses on) and minor themes (which are present but aren’t the focus so much). Depending on what you define as a minor theme, most stories arguably have a fair number of minor themes. My…[Read more]

@faithdk Glad to hear your excitement! Definitely understand the school constraint; we’ll be opening the course up again sometime toward the summer, so maybe you’ll be able to join us then. 🙂

@leumeister Haha; no worries about the confusion! And yes, when we have the proper tech skills, we will definitely try to implement this. Feel free to keep shooting us any additional ideas you have for site improvements. 🙂

@leumeister Thanks for the feedback! Like Daeus said, are you saying that it will delay your post for several hours, or just that when you’re posting during the day, it’s in the middle of the night for people in the US?

The time zone is currently linked to our web server’s timezone, which is EST. I love the idea of giving users the option to…[Read more]

@Aratrea that’s true. I guess that just goes to show how important perspective is.

@kate-flournoy I personally don’t see a huge distinction between personal and universal themes since it seems to me like several themes, like love or mercy, could really fit into either category depending on what kind of story it is. I really like your point about how much of a difference POV makes to a story’s theme, though. I wonder if this ties…[Read more]