Talking Stock

A good character is a three-dimensional character, right? They have to be relateable. With wants and fears that make sense. And a bit of a history. And a flaw or two to keep them “human”. And a wound to try and overcome. And maybe even a contradiction within ...

Emotional Charges and Diminishing Returns

Many writing methodologies suggest mapping out the emotional change of each scene. The scene either starts positive, and goes to either negative or “extra positive”, or starts negative and goes to positive or “extra negative” by the end of the scene.

So if a lovelorn ...

Marco still lives at home with his mother, but that does not stop him from entering a world of adventure complete with larger than life creatures. Along his journey, he comes across a fighting Lion named Leo and a really aggressive chicken. It almost makes sense that he never leaves ...

We had a big snowfall two weeks ago, and I was out driving the city in it (I have a part time delivery job).

My car and I held up pretty well in it, and that was satisfying. As the news warned people to stay off the roads, I was ...

I was not anticipating the long lines and large crowds for Black Friday this year, but my shopping haul from this past weekend was delightfully fruitful. I decided it was time for a “Treat. Yo. Self.” spending spree (Tom Haverford-style from Parks and Recreation).

I played a lot of video ...

I came across a little blurb the other day about Mary Sues, and fanfiction, and how the writer of a fanfiction is basically writing a fantasy, inserting themselves as the character at the center of attention, immaculate, glittering and perfect. Basically everything you want to smack into a different galaxy ...

In my newspost last week about the “No Hugging, No Learning” mantra, I mentioned that I was basing a throwaway character – a loveable misanthrope – on a real-life friend of mine. It’s something I’m tempted to do fairly frequently; I spend most of my time in an academic environment ...

Jonathin Quackup has had a very adventurous life! There's battles, war, journeys, fierce warriors, hidden destinies, and even fishing! The creatures of Planet Weralt are humanoid animals, they live in a series of rival, warring communities. This is the story of how the legend of the great adventurer
Jonathin ...

I found myself at a crossroads two weeks ago where I felt that my mind and my heart were in two separate places. I would carry on the same routine for months, following the motions of getting to work, performing a mundane task, and then driving home with heavy eyelids ...

Recently I wrote a throwaway character for my comic based on a real-life friend of mine. In short, he’s a loveable misanthrope. And because he’s based on a real human being, I felt like I owed the character something: he won’t grow, or change, or become a ...