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 ...

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 ...

While scouting in enemy territory young Haldeina ears a strange sound in the woods and rushes to investigate. What she sees astounds her! She beholds a huge and wonderous beast, part lion, part wolf… obviously mage created. It's badly wounded and near death. Although she fears it she's ...