Every villain has a plot; some nefarious scheme structured to undermine the hero, law and order, even the world itself. The villain’s plot is vital to the structure of the villain him/herself as it is the physical representation of their inner motives. Being that the villain’s plot is so critical to both the villain and...
Not many people tend to think of films as an ideal place to pick up great writing tips. Even less consider “kids movies” to be a valuable source of information on story craft. The fact is however, there is no better place to learn about “show don’t tell” then a well-crafted film aimed at a...
The backstory. For a villain, this can be thought of as “why they do what they do.” It is that peek into the past that allows the audience to learn about the roots of the nefarious ne’er-do-well. The backstory could span from last week to the villain’s childhood depending on exactly what the writer intends...
Some would say that in order to have an exceptional hero, one needs to have an exceptional villain. The villain is that character who represents the complete antithesis of the protagonist, the one who not only opposes, but actively seeks to thwart the hero. Because the role of the villain in fiction is so complex,...
Anyone who has driven a car knows that a clunky sound in the engine is bad news. There are any number of problems this could be attributed to, but the bottom line is that we as humans are sensitive to rhythm. When we don’t feel proper rhythm, or worse yet, we hear a “clunk”, we...
Hi everyone! Here is an article I recently wrote an article for the website Live Write Thrive. If you would like to read the full article, check out the link at the bottom. Have a great day! Humor is one of the most diverse tools in the writer’s toolbox, making it unfortunate that so few...
Hi all! So recently I composed an article for The Procrastiwriter.com on how to write a great closing line. Here is a little snippet. If you want to read the full article, I will provide a link down below. Thanks for stopping by! “He loved Big Brother.” George Orwell—1984 Possibly the most famous closing line...
The narrator: that unseen, often nameless character who somehow knows everything that’s happening and what everyone is thinking. Unless you’re writing from first person perspective, in which case the narrator is one of your characters, the narrator is that omnipresent “being”, who exists only to narrate the events transpiring in the story. One...
When you write a work of fiction, you create an entirely different world. Your reader, a total stranger to this “new world” requires a guide. That is where point of view, or POV comes into play. What are you going to allow your reader to “see”? What will you allow them to “hear”? What will...
The opening line has often been called the “pitch”. It is the point at which you need to sell your story. I personally do not agree. You are not selling with the opening line. You’re buying. You’re buying time with your reader. If an opening line is compelling enough, the reader will continue on to...
