Today is Easter and originally I was going to write a wholesome message about taking care of yourself (which you should) but then I was like “NAHHHH, let’s talk about characters dying and coming back.”

I know the wonderful Tantz_Aerine wrote an article on it here but I wanted ...

In the beginning, we set up our character
Iin the middle, we get them into trouble
In the end, we get them out of trouble.

Sounds so simple! It's tougher than that to pull off.

The middle of a story in particular, as people have talked about, is often ...

Blake is a goblin, he's also a bit of an entrepreneur! He's just started up a little engineering shop making low quality magical items and brought in his niece Picka to do most of the hard work. He's a little shady, but what do you expect? he ...

Dialogue is a very important element of writing. From novels to webcomics to movies, good dialogue will show things seamlessly, effortlessly, while at the same time they are unsaid.

What I mean to say is that good dialogue will have two levels. One level is going to be the overt ...

It is always a good time when I learn about a fully-fleshed out character with a history, family tree, team affiliation, famous love-interest, and storyline. It is almost more of a mystery when a new character is discovered so late in the game I have to question why their existence ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...