Plenty has been said about giving characters flaws - we've talked about it around the site, on the Quackcast and out loud, to ourselves, on the bus and in the park.
Characters gotta have flaws!
But something I've thought about more lately, in the years well after starting my ...

Gimme Strength
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 19, 2020Evolving Tools of the Trade
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Nov. 16, 2020
The chances are high that creating comics was something worthwhile after reading the daily newspaper “funnies” section; or reading a few panels of the Sunday comics after it had been used as gift wrap for a birthday present; or it could have been as simple as reading a printed comic ...
The Highway to Hell
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 14, 2020
Unless they are an old-timey Disney villain or similarly classic cartoon villain, nobody wants to be evil or bad starting off. Nobody's ambition is to be the villain in their own story. (note I say ‘villain’ and not ‘antagonist’)
Everyone is out to be the hero.
So why aren ...
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 504 - Decompression
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Nov. 10, 2020 LISTEN on our new player!
Listen on Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/adarunkduck-quackcast
Or TuneinRadio - https://tunein.com/podcasts/Books–Literature/Drunkduck-Quackcast-p1150194/
For our Patreon video I decided to dress as the WW2 Captain America (from the movie, Captain American the First Avenger). That and the very de-compressed nature ...
The building blocks of world building
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, Nov. 6, 2020
World building is a cornerstone of any story. From your neighbourhood slice-of-life to an out-of-this world space opera the world in which the characters inhabit draws the reader and keeps them invested in the character’s struggles. Here are some questions to consider when constructing your new universe.
What is ...
Uncompressed Storytelling
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 5, 2020
stretchin' out them stories!
I think I first heard the phrase “uncompressed storytelling” via the great John Byrne, comic artist and writer, and man of very strong opinions. He was criticizing some other writer or comic series (I don't remember which one) about hinting at stories that wouldn't ...
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 ...
Happy Halloween! How's your Memento Mori?
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 31, 2020
Halloween, aka Eve of All Saints, is a Day of the Dead.
Days of the Dead exist in nearly every culture. There's the famous Dia de Muertos from Mexico, but there are also less known ones.
For example, in Greece we got “Soul Saturdays” which are basically two Saturdays ...