Writing a character with mental illness can be a very tricky thing. Writers usually go for the extremely rare, exotic and spectacular: multiple personality disorders, extreme manifestations of psychopathy or sociopathy, high functioning autism with that ever alluring ‘savant’ magic going for the character, bombastically spectacular schizophrenia… in many ways ...

Writing Mental Illness (Part 1)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 12, 2019Exposition - Just the tip
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Jan. 11, 2019
In a nutshell, exposition is a big ole mound of information that the author wants the reader to know before they move on in the plot. It often gets a bad rap but that is usually due to it being used incorrectly. There is definitely a place for exposition so ...
15 Years, I Keep On Duckin'
Amelius at 12:13PM, Jan. 6, 2019
Oh what a coincidence, that my newspost day should fall upon the date of my 15th year on this very site! So naturally, on this anniversary, I'd like to open up and reflect on how the Duck has left a major impact on my life and work.
Every year ...
Therefore, But and Because
Banes at 12:00AM, Jan. 3, 2019
But and Therefore
I'm a fan of user-friendly, practical advice on things, especially writing. It's why I dig the Banes Method (it's not my method; it's just named after me).
Anyway, I came upon some dandy advice from Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park ...
Imitation Flavor
Amelius at 10:14AM, Dec. 30, 2018
The first thing you need to know before we get into this discussion is the following: You can't copyright a style. It's true! Copyright protects an artist's expression of an idea, but not the ideas themselves, the technique, or procedure in making that style. Keep that in ...
My Life as an American Hero 2 Reaches 100th Page Milestone!
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Dec. 17, 2018Convergent Creation Part 2
Amelius at 12:21PM, Dec. 16, 2018
Last weekend we discussed that strange phenomenon of independent creation, where there's more than a passing resemblance to another work but it's not a case of plagiarism. Interestingly, not long after I posted that I saw not one but two instances of independent creation being brought up (though ...
Making 3D Comics by Genejoke Part 3 - Settings
Banes at 12:00AM, Dec. 13, 2018
Welcome back to the 3D Comics-making series by Genejoke.
Visit Genejoke here:
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Genejoke/
Part 1:
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/15/making-3d-comics-by-genejoke/
Part 2:
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/nov/28/making-3d-comics-part-2-by-genejoke/
BUILDING SETS
Another huge and time consuming aspect of making ...