Whether it be planned from the beginning, or a sudden decision, some characters just have to go. As a creator, one should endeavour to do it for the right reasons. Shuffling off this mortal coil may be a catalysing event for the plot, a much needed kick for the protagonist ...

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What is the most definitive version of your character? Where does it pop up in your comic? What part of your work most defines your main character ...

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 ...

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What is the worth of human life in your stories?
This isn't something people often consider, we just tend to have a fairly accurate guess based ...

Now that's a little TOO scary!

Horror is perfect for metaphor and allegory. In fact, a horror story is often allegorical by default, what with its bizarre landscapes and freaky beasties.

Here are some categories of horror and some thoughts on what they symbolize:

Reality Bites


psycho killer! Qu ...

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 ...

The Holy Man or Woman may be within the clergy, but that isn't necessarily the case.

They are simply the person that has found enlightenment, or self actualization, depending on how secular your story (and your approach) is.

They are the character that doesn't have all the answers ...

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This Quackcast is about the impermanence of online services and the lie that services are provided for fee and providers have no responsibility to the creators and ...

Pixar has had one of the most dedicated story teams in the business. Here are the Pixar rules of storytelling. I find them to be powerful and sensible! If you haven't seen this list before (I hadn't), here they are!


1. You admire a character for trying more ...

A core principle of the works of horror mangaka Junji Ito, is the mundane and everyday only backwards. This concept is perfect for short stories as there is no need, or time, to explore lengthy explanations for the uncanny. Events are as they appear which renders them all the more ...