by Brandon Miller | Aug 25, 2017 | Articles, Characters, Plot, Theme
What do character, theme, and tension have in common? They are all results of genuine internal conflict in a story. What is internal conflict? As opposed to external conflict which involves characters battling antagonists, internal conflict ensues when a character...
by kingdompen | Aug 21, 2017 | Articles, Plot
Your character wants something. But someone else in his world, perhaps a friend or a random stranger, wants the opposite. These incompatible goals define them as the protagonist and antagonist. They both can’t succeed, so when their desires clash, behold! You have the...
by kingdompen | Jul 3, 2017 | Articles, Characters, Theme
Character arcs are bothersome. Let me clarify: creating character arcs is bothersome. Character arcs in and of themselves are terrific; they aid with theme, character development, and the execution of vital plot points. Yet, they require effort to pull off correctly....
by kingdompen | Jun 9, 2017 | Articles, Theme
As much as I appreciate saying “you” instead of “thou,” I can’t help feeling that modern English has lost some of the richness our language once possessed. The word awful is a prime example. Today we use it to mean “bad” or “disgusting,” but its original...
by kingdompen | Jun 4, 2017 | Articles, Characters
By Naomi Jackson It’s happened to every writer. You push through thousands of words like butter, and then a pivotal character suddenly dries up. The voices in your head stop talking. You’re stranded without a plot or character arc, because it’s...
