Okay, this is one of my favorite questions: Where is the conflict if the story is really about solving a puzzle? I’ve written a lot about what story is and isn’t, and I’ve always said that the story doesn’t really start … Continue reading
David Sheppard
Yes, we’ve all heard of the Terminator and the Governator. Some writers who’ve actually studied craft (and read Novelsmithing) have even heard of the Thematic Character, which might be termed the Thematinator. Now I want to introduce a new character … Continue reading
If you look up the word “theme” in the Oxford Dictionary of English, it is defined as: “an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature: love and honour are the pivotal themes of the Hornblower … Continue reading
This little essay is about the term used by practically all story theorists, which they call “The Hook.” God in Heaven! I hate that term. And the reason I hate it is that not only is it misleading, but it … Continue reading
You might wonder why so many people love to tell stories. Yes, some of it is to become famous in Hollywood or to be the next Stephen King, but potential authors with motivations disconnected from the writing process itself will … Continue reading
Once we have a story going, we can SEE into it, visualize what is happening, but in the beginning, we can have difficulty imagining a character, a setting, or even a specific event. One of the more effective methods of … Continue reading
Interesting article in the New York Times concerning the Memory Palace technique for improving memory. I left the comment below, and it was selected by their monitors as the only “NYTimes Pick” among all the comments. Just after leaving the … Continue reading
We’ve all read about the late-teens, early-twenties protagonist learning to make their way in the world. It’s a character arc that describes the struggle to transform from someone who isn’t making it to someone of substance. They come into their … Continue reading