Banes is taking a short break for the Thursday post, so I'll be filling in for a some unspecified number of posts. How many exactly? Well, how long is a piece of string? How long is the coastline of Britain? That was an academic paper ('How Long Is the ...

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Is there a culture of plutocratic classism in the USA? I'm inspired by Trump's America and how people think that people like Elon Musk and him are above the law because they're rich, while ...

One of the main drivers of story is the principle of CONTRAST.

A character in a traditional story arc begins one way and ends up in a very different state of being - the underdog to the victorious hero, or the innocent, unaware victim to the final survivor, or the selfish ...

Last Week we looked at the “Break Into 2”, the transition between the beginning of a story: The “Before” picture of the Protagonist and their world, and the “Upside Down World” of Act 2.

So, a little later in your average story will come the “Break Into 3”. This leaves ...

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Main characters with main character syndrome? What is main character syndrome? Well the way we're dealing with it here it's normally a snide criticism you level and someone who seems to think the world revolves ...

always someone breakinnn' into twooooo…

AN important part of a story is the good old “Break into Act 2”.

It's not the easiest story structure moment to recognize, but it's one of the early ones I thought about and tried to notice in movies I watched.

Many people ...

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A standard thing in stories is to have multiple plot lines. In short stories or when you're just starting out as a writer you tend to have a single line, the A plot, but as soon ...

The quaint village of Qebl is reached by sea. It seems a normal enough place, if a bit sleepy. It's a stop on the journey to The Big Top, a place where clowns go to train and get jobs, like an adventurer's guild if you will. Clowns in ...

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It's not the new year yet but this is the final Quackcast of 2024 and it's coming out on New Year's Eve!
In this Quackcast we do a bit of a year in review ...

So it is finished.
This time, this year, these lights we kindle.
As the season gathers comfort and rejuvenation
In a world uncertain, but beautiful, still we kindle.
As the darkness stills and the winds cradle
Dressed upon these lights, these years we kindle.
As the heart wishes what to ...