Reposted: Prologues vs. Flashbacks (Backstory Techniques, Pt. 1 of 3)

Check out this piece by K.M. Weiland, readers! Prologues vs. Flashbacks (Backstory Techniques, Pt. 1 of 3) If you want to rev up a group of passionate writers, just bring up the topic of backstory. As much as we love our stories, we often love our backstories even more. If plot offers a what and a how, backstory…

Various Forms of Conflict, Part 3: Man vs. Man

Thus far we have discussed conflict’s meaning and how to use it in a tale, as well as two branches of conflict – Man vs. Society and Man vs. Self. We then took a brief intermission to discuss the importance of these two types of conflict, in part because I became tired and needed a…

Reposted – Psychology: Interrogating your characters

I'm afraid Holy Week and Easter knocked me out, readers. Check out this piece from Mad Genius' Club (or read my latest newsletter) while I try to write more posts for you. Ms. Myers' piece is more than worth the read! Psychology: Interrogating your characters [— Karen Myers —] I was raised by wolves. No, really. Nice wolves,…

Reposted: Writing Realistic Romance

I'm taking a brief break this Monday, readers, as last week wiped me out. In addition to this article, please consider the pieces here, here, here, and here as well. Hopefully I'll be back next week with my own Vocational Vivications. Until then, check out this Story Embers article: WRITING REALISTIC ROMANCE December 31, 2018…

Reposted: Cast and Character

Take a look at this excellent piece from Cedar Sanderson over at the Mad Genius' Club, readers! Cast and Character I’d asked in the spiky book club server what topics they’d like to see me touch on in posts, and the first response was to ask about fleshing out supporting characters. Which is a good…

Further Reflections on “Boys Don’t Cry”

I stumbled across this video by author David V. Stewart not long ago. The video was very good, but also somewhat startling, as it echoed my own article “Big Boys Don’t Cry! – A Look at Male Vulnerability in Fiction.” I did not watch the video before writing that piece, yet Mr. Stewart and I…

Strong Women in Sci-Fi – A List

I promised Foxfier a thank-you post and today I deliver it. Allow me to list some science fiction stories, including several which precede the New Millennium, readers! This list should be a good launch point for anyone interested in finding more fiction with strong female characters in the narrative. We are losing our memory of…

Reposted: Conflict + Choices = Character Agency

A thought-provoking article from Ms. K.M. Weiland, readers: Conflict + Choices = Character Agency Note From KMW: Character agency is a hot topic these days, but truly it was always an important topic for writers. Why? Because a character (particularly a protagonist) with no agency is a character who isn’t likely to be very interesting. More…

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…

Nice Guys Finish Last? Depends on One’s Definition of “Nice”

We have discussed Nice Girls, but what about Nice Guys? The standard response to that is: “Yeah, well, you know where Nice Guys finish – last.” Depending on the definition of “nice” in use, this can be quite true. But as with Nice Girls, Nice Guys do not all follow the perceived pattern of “nice”…