There aren't many survivors left unscathed in this post apocalyptic world, you have to make friends where you can find them. With that in mind, Devil befriends Sister when he saves her from being attacked by a violent man. Sister is a friendly robot that seems to only want ...

I like mentor characters.

This is not just me of course; the mentor and protagonist relationship is powerful. Some of the best moments in many stories are the first encounter with the mentor, the training and sense of discovery for the protagonist, and the eventual loss of the mentor character ...

Last time we talked about motivation in people, and its relationship to behavior. And I must say you all had great comments I feel deserve to be addressed, so instead of a four-part tour to the world of what makes people tick, I will add a fifth part where I ...

The year is 1899 in Mali and Zayna, a slave girl, is being escorted across the Sahara by three men on her way to her new home. Along the way, she encounters a Mystic named Musa for the first time as she witnesses him successfully win a fight against her ...

Coincidental premonition-filled dreams surrounding a magical key, strange writings that look like ruins, and the disappearance of several people in a town clouded in mystery. The Caraways are a family of siblings who encounter weird happenings and seek to solve problems around Eldritch New England. They uncover a trail of ...

You’ve got your amazing idea down for a story but how do you begin? You want to make your first chapter amazing! This is where you need to lay down some concrete foundations to get your audience main character and why they care about what is happening to them ...

Shinji Desmedi is a shy, introverted student unlike his very social sister and loving father. He has a difficult time looking up once he lets his gaze down at school. One day he is approached by a girl who misreads his inability to engage in a conversation as a rejection ...

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This Quackcast expands on my newspost from Friday about forgotten abilities causing plot holes, but now bunny Banes and Lady Tantz wade in to lend their genius ...

It is Halloween night and a crescent moon is up in the sky. A fuzzy faced loner in a hoodie named Kurt is running through the street until he enters a bar to get a drink. Everyone is dressed up in fantastic costumes, so it is easy for someone out ...

CATHARSIS
from the Best of Banes Collection


A writing instructor once gave me brief advice on how to write a story, structurally speaking. It was 1/4 Act One setup, 1/2 Act Two complications and rising stakes (I think), and about 1/4 An Act Three “cathartic ending”.

I ...