A sleepy western frontier town is explosively awakened to the presence of a dastardly apparition… John Henry Hunter is a wanted outlaw, cad, and a magician of the dark arts, able to conjure fiery destruction at will. Vane Black is trying to hunt him down with a small arsenal of ...
The Crime Genre
Banes at 12:00AM, Dec. 17, 2020
Many of the conversations online that concern “genre fiction” generally mean sci/fi, fantasy and horror. This stuff is distinguished from “mainstream” genres like contemporary dramas and comedies, and period pieces that are…well, dramas and comedies. it also doesn't include big genres like romance and psychological thrillers.
The ...
The Significance of Names (Part 2)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 28, 2020
When constructing your world, be it in fantasy or within a realistic/historical/existing place, the names you pick are very important.
They are important for suspension of disbelief and immersion: how consistent the names are, how congruent with what reality the audience reasonably comes to expect within the framework ...
Figments in Fiction
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 26, 2020
I've never seen this movie, but does he have a bevy of dead girlfriends?
always seemed like an odd concept for a lighthearted romantic comedy. “Matthew
and Jennifer! Learning the power of love! Piles of dead bodies!”
Talking to the Dead - Sort of
How many times have you had ...
Gimme Strength
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 19, 2020
Plenty has been said about giving characters flaws - we've talked about it around the site, on the Quackcast and out loud, to ourselves, on the bus and in the park.
Characters gotta have flaws!
But something I've thought about more lately, in the years well after starting my ...
The building blocks of world building
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Nov. 6, 2020
World building is a cornerstone of any story. From your neighbourhood slice-of-life to an out-of-this world space opera the world in which the characters inhabit draws the reader and keeps them invested in the character’s struggles. Here are some questions to consider when constructing your new universe.
What is ...
Character Design Brainstorming: The Monster Among Us
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 10, 2020
We live in a world of routine, predictability, and pedestrian problems. (2020 doesn't count. Much.)
Magic doesn't really seem to exist in our world.
Or does it?
Perhaps we live above a very thin surface, like floating on a tranquil lake, and just underneath it there are ghouls ...
Character Design Brainstorming: The Witch
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 19, 2020
The witch is different than a sorceress, though their affinity with magic and their powers often can overlap: the sorceress carries status; the witch carries fear.
It's not that the sorceress is not potentially feared or the witch is not potentially respected- it's that the core of their ...
Character Design Brainstorming: The Sorceress
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 5, 2020
The Sorceress is a powerful figure in fiction, just like the Priest/Priestess/Clergy.
In works where magic or God are present and in direct communion with the characters, both can perform miracles, or otherwise astounding feats beyond normal mortal limits.
In works where there is no magic or God ...