Forms of Conflict, Part 2: Man vs. Self

Last week, we discussed the type of conflict known as Man vs. Society. This time we are talking about the kind of plot known as Man vs. Self. That is, Man versus his own inner weaknesses, flaws, and sins. Foxfier and I discussed this conflict in Crossover Queen’s post here. In the process, Foxfier made …

Love Among Characters – A Reflection

“Considering it, he realized that somehow he never worried about Miriam, and that was wrong. He did not worry about her because she seemed so self-sufficient, so strong. She was like their mother had been, only more so, much more so. But he felt it was wrong to think of a girl that way…It was …

Avengers – Assemble! A Look Back at Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

A friend sent me a video about the Wasp (see below) as she was presented in Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes*, a popular and well-beloved animated series starring Marvel’s team of the same name. I found the video quite interesting not only because it listed several of the reasons why I like Janet van Dyne – …

Big Boys Don’t Cry! – A Look at Male Vulnerability in Fiction

There is a trend – perhaps seen frequently now, perhaps still moving about “on little cat feet,” as the poet says of the fog – that praises how men are crying more in films and TV shows. It may include books as well, but if so, I have yet to see those mentioned. A great …

Writerly Sound Bites, Number 9: Character Progression – When Does “Interesting” and “Realistic” Belie Contempt for an Established Archetype and Personality?

Hermes, messenger of the gods As I mentioned in this Superversive Livestream here, archetypes are the frameworks or skeletons on which one builds a character. They are not the entire character, as Living Anachronism ably explains here, but they give writers the broad design and understanding of the character’s place within a narrative and the …

Reflections on the Modern View of Villains

From Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda.* Although the above quote appears clever and wise, it is in fact circuitous and facile. This does not make it wrong, necessarily, but it does avoid the meaning of the proverb it seeks to replace. While it can be beneficial to approach a delicate point obliquely, it is quite another matter …

Killing Characters, Part 2: The Demise of the Foot Soldier

This article is the second in a three part series dealing with the demise of characters in fiction. Part One may be read here. Following last week’s post on the believability of a character’s demise we come to a seemingly inconsequential point. In fact, this detail has been taken so lightly of late that it has …

The Reality of the Human Soul: How Sci-Fi and Fantasy Prove its Existence

Clone Commander Wolffe and his Wolfpack. One of the items which the Star Wars prequels failed to properly utilize was the Old Republic’s clone troopers. While the writers in the Clone Wars TV series did an admirable job of developing said replicant soldiers as characters, their focus derailed earlier points made by the authors who …

In Memoriam.

Rest in peace, Mr. Lee.

To Curse or Not to Curse – How Often Should Your Heroes Use Foul Language?

Following the lead of last week’s post, we come to this point: how often should the heroes in your fiction use foul language? I am being perfectly serious, readers and future writers. Some of you might have noticed that there are no curse or swear words in my articles here. Generally, this author avoids doing …