You’ve gone through the arduous process of fleshing out your world, the themes and the lore and you’re standing back looking at your shining new playground; but there is a blight standing right in the centre that you can no longer ignore. You hate your characters. Maybe it ...

When you hate your characters!
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Aug. 31, 2018Getting Back on the Proverbial Horse
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Aug. 3, 2018
I have fallen off the comic horse quite a few times now and, no doubt, I will be bucked off a few more times yet. I have tried six comics and so far only two are looking like they’ll ever get finished. I have one finished novel, (which no ...
What's in a theme
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, July 6, 2018
A narrative theme is, in essence, the meaning behind your story. It also serves to tell your audience what your story is about. Establishing it’s core early on enables you to keep it grounded and focused as you begin to unfold your characters and plots.
Despite a longer piece ...
When your muse skips town
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, June 1, 2018
Inspiration is quite the rush. The mind is set alight with seemingly limitless possibilities and, in that moment, you want to experience them all. For a creator, inspiration is the high that we pursue. But eventually our creative significant other packs up their stuff and quietly disappears into the night ...
A Stream of Consciousness
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, April 27, 2018
Welcome to a stream of consciousness.
There are times, more than we might like to admit, when we encounter the chasm of blank thought that is writer’s block. So often in fact, that there are countless books, articles and videos on how to get around it; to spark your ...
These Boots Were Made For Walking
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, April 13, 2018
So for the last few posts I’ve been meaning to go back and finish off an idea that I had begun to explain, albeit poorly, but, as you can see, I have not. I know that there is more I could do with it; more I could delve into ...
Burnout
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, March 16, 2018
I want to take a quick break for a second to talk about something creators go through but often don’t talk about. It is hard to see it coming and even harder still to lift yourself out of once you are there. This post is about addressing creative burnout ...
The Turn
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 23, 2017
There are few scenes more dramatic, more alluring and more riveting than the moment when the one of the main characters of a story makes the Turn: the moment where they change their convictions- for better or worse.
If properly prepared, the Turn is an extremely cathartic and exciting moment ...
The Chosen One’s Origin
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 2, 2017
One of the most prevalent motifs in fantasy, science fiction/ space operas and similar folklore style genres is that of the Chosen One- the one character (99% the main character/protagonist) that is destined to save the world from the big bad- the evil sorcerer, the overlord, the empire, the ...