The idea of “sin” is a prevalent one in horror stories. In terrifying tales, the monstrous against the human also explores good vs. evil.

There is often a “sin” perpetrated by horror Protagonists. The classic Psycho begins with Marion Crane stealing money from her job. Her intentions are understandable, maybe ...

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Last time we covered tropes we hated! This time we're talking about clichés we actually like. It's quite a bit trickier because clichés are clichés ...

So often, the story doesn't simply have one plot, but many.

There's the A plot, the one that's the main conflict or problem that needs solving. Then there's the B plot, where secondary but still-important issues and problems are being addressed. And often there can even ...

I couldn't find a perfect gif for this article but…. let's be real, that's an excellent cutie to see.


This is a really simple article and it kind of relates to my series about how to handle stepping back from your comic, but instead it’s about ...

Malcolm Gladwell was in an interview, and expressed a theory, or mini-theory. He talked about the show Law and Order and how it works, with almost every episode a comforting victory of the system.

From there, he theorized four types of fictional approaches, calling them the Western, the Eastern, the ...

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In today's cast we're chatting about LOVE stories! This isn't a subject we get into much but it's a huge genre so we ...

How many of you write serious/drama filled stories? Or even characters that truly suffer consequences?

I think it’s often that we, as creators and almost like parents, don’t want our kids/creations to suffer terrible consequences, but I think that’s one of the reasons that makes ...

When I was growing up in the 80s, stories that were marketed as ‘children’s' were occasionally brutal.

Characters got maimed or killed, tortured or traumatized, met with horrid ends in worlds that were anything but rosy. And this was a pattern that wasn't limited to, say, English literature ...

Last week I talked about how you know you should take a break and some simple steps that will hopefully aid you when taking this break.

But, how do you know when it’s time to say goodbye?

That’s a little tougher. Some times you may think it’s ...

Normally in stories there is the hero vs the villain or the protagonist vs the antagonist. As the audience, we generally expect to root for the hero or the protagonist and hope for the villain's or antagonist's comeuppance.

But there come those times when we find ourselves rooting ...