One common story formula involves a character receiving a magical gift…or magical ‘curse’…and being forced to deal with the chaos that the magic causes.
In Liar Liar, the slick, dishonest attorney is compelled to only speak the truth.
In Groundhog Day, the main character repeats the same day ...

To Magic and Not To Magic
Banes at 12:00AM, Dec. 9, 2021QUACKCAST 560 - When Fiction Meets Reality
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Dec. 7, 2021 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/
We all know that fiction and reality are separate things, but fiction mirrors reality and we suspend disbelief to ignore the parts that are unrealistic so that ...
A T-1000 December
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Dec. 6, 2021
Photo: “The Future is Not Set” -Kyle Reese quoting John Connor from The Terminator (1984)
A folded document fell on my lap while turning through the pages of a book I had not glanced through in a year. It was a test print for a brand new printer and the ...
The Problem With Kid Dialogue
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 4, 2021
Often when there are children in a cast of characters, especially in sitcoms or certain types of movies, audiences groan because they tend to be immensely annoying. They are a very special type of uncanny valley in the way they are written to talk and react. Usually, we get one ...
When a story feels too much like a story
damehelsing at 12:00AM, Nov. 28, 2021
~Today we have a guest article from Andreas_Helixfinger! Enjoy the read!~
Hey everyone!
It’s you’re one vocal swedish guy on the the Duck Webcomics Andreas Helixfinger. I decided to tune in and do one of these sunday articles after discovering this smaller Youtube channel called TheBurgerkrieg, where the ...
The Lull
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 27, 2021
So you've just written a kick-ass, exciting sequence, and you are already looking forward to the next awesome, kick-ass exciting sequence that is coming right up…
…after the dreaded lull: the scenes in a story that have to take place between the exciting sequences. The scenes where technically plot-wise ...
Strong Female Character?
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 25, 2021
There has been a lot of online discussion in recent years about the idea of “strong female characters” - what makes a good one, a bad one, etc. All the accusations of sexism, either anti-woman or anti-man have gone along with these discussions, in the glorious, exaggerated way people argue online ...