Planning Ahead vs The Thrill of Discovery

Banes at 12:00AM, Jan. 30, 2020

A few Newsposts from our contributors have mentioned plotting or planning vs the pantsing or ‘discovery’ approach to writing.

Plotting, which is obviously building some kind of plan or outline, is an approach many writers swear by, at least to some degree. It might be a vague plan, with a ...

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Not What They Seem

Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 14, 2019



edward norton in “primal fear”

One of the things I like in fiction is characters who are not what they seem.

Like all things, this sort of thing can be done well, or badly, or somewhere in between. It can be fascinating and surprising, or cliche and predictable. It can ...





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QUACKCAST 452 - Storytelling styles change!

Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Nov. 12, 2019

LISTEN on our new player!
Listen on Stitcher ​​- https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/drunkduck-quackcast
Or TuneinRadio - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Books–Literature/Drunkduck-Quackcast-p1150194/

Storytelling styles change over time for various reasons: fashion, audience expectations, competition for audience attention due to increased choice and availability of media, technological limitations and abilities ...



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Dynamic characters

Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Oct. 11, 2019



Last week we took a look a static characters and when it might be an appropriate time to use them. But what about dynamic characters? Before we get into the weeds here, let’s first talk about what makes a dynamic character. Dynamic characters are those that develop and change ...

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Sticking the Landing

Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 14, 2019



As it has been seen very painfully lately in TV, the best story, with the most excellent buildup and most powerful cast of characters will just collapse if the ending isn't good enough.

A technically happy ending that isn't good enough is not going to cut it- again ...



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Knowing when to end

Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Aug. 2, 2019



When Stranger Things ended their first season I didn’t feel that there was a need to continue. The character’s had had their arcs come full circle, most loose ends were neatly tied and, despite the ending being left slightly ambiguous, for the most part, it was wrapped up ...

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Subverting expectations ≠ good storytelling

Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, May 17, 2019



When creating a story you begin leading the reader down a path. You know where you’re going, or at least can pretend to know, but the reader does not. But, with some well laid out clues and foreshadowing, they can begin to piece the map together. Now here comes ...

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Salvaging the Antihero and the Art House Hero

Banes at 12:00AM, Jan. 31, 2019



Over the holidays I watched a couple of programs that made me think of “non-traditional heroes”

We've talked about antiheroes multiple times around theduckwebcomics.com of course.

One of the programs was a series called ‘Happy!’ and the other was the movie “Inside Llewyn Davis” by the Coen Brothers ...





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Playing favourites

Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Nov. 30, 2018



I have favourite characters. There, I said it.

Although I would love to think that I love them equally, and on some level there is truth to that, there are a few I continually come back to and just want to get into them more. Now, just because they are ...



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