It goes without saying that this past year has been a clusterfunk and a half. However despite all the upheaval, societal change, devastation and the final encroachment of light at the end of this exhaustingly long tunnel there has been much time to do the art things. As the months ...
The steady march of progress
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, March 26, 2021Hang on! It's a cliffhanger!
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, March 19, 2021
As webcomics are uploaded periodically, be that in pages, chapters or episodes, it’s imperative that we use all the tricks in the book to keep them coming back. One sure fire way to keep your readers coming back for more is by exploiting the cliffhanger device.
A cliffhanger is ...
Handling info dumps
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Feb. 19, 2021
Exposition is information that the author wants the reader to know before they move on in the plot. It is delivered in one chunk, in the form of a conversation, a diary or an explanation from the view of the narrator. Despite its bad reputation, there is a place for ...
The Unlikable Good Guy
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 23, 2021
Some characters are the heroes.
Some characters are the villains.
And some characters are just punchable. But not actually bad, or even antagonists- though sometimes they can be towards specific characters rather than the general plot goals.
Every time this type of character opens their mouth to say something, our ...
When Nothing Is Normal
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 9, 2021
Usually when building a character, we go for their general personality in terms of traits, the routine/general behavior they would display, the routine/general things that would interest them and so on.
If you are writing a slice of life story, or a sitcom style series, or anything that ...
QUACKCAST 511 - TENSION
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Dec. 29, 2020 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/
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Blame Mr Banes for this one, he's also the man responsible for the great cover art! Haha, he originally ...
When characters don't follow the plan
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Nov. 13, 2020
I’ve been revisiting a fantasy novel that I had fallen in love with as a teenager, The Axis Trilogy. As I was reading it I remembered what the author had said about the character Faraday and her intentions for her fate. She commented in an interview, “She was never ...
QUACKCAST 503 - Changing attitudes
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Nov. 3, 2020 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/
An old man tries to explain modern culture to an even older man…
Attitudes change! Things don't stay the same, culture moves on and when we ...
The Work of the Mentor
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 17, 2020
Might as well get it out of the way: if you're a mentor in a story, chances are you're going on a boatride over the river Styx at some point.
When a mentor dies it's often the signal that the main character, the one being mentored, is ...