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Chris is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mythcreants. On the side she also designs, codes, and writes stories. When she manages to escape from chronic workaholism, she likes to drink tea, wear funny hats, pet kitties, and crush her enemies at the game table.
In the film version of The Return of the King, Gollum falls into the lava and slowly sinks. But as it turns out, lava is much too heavy for people to sink into. Gollum should have remained on the surface and burst into flame instead. A science columnist made a point of this inaccuracy. Read more »
If you’ve watched the first of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, part two won’t surprise you. While it has more action than the first, it has the same strengths – and weaknesses. If you’re looking for a powerful and gripping story you’ll be disappointed. But if … read more »
People argue that critics shouldn’t complain about the realism of fictional stories, either because it’s hypocritical to critique just one thing, or because fictional stories don’t need to be realistic. It’s not real — so what if it’s technically incorrect? Read more »
Mur Lafferty joins Oren, Mike, and Chris to talk about classic creatures. They revisit the long history of werewolves, vampires and zombies, share their favorite depictions of monsters in stories, and question whether it’s better to use existing creatures or make up new ones. Read more »
Games of Thrones is dark; Disney’s Cinderella is not. Few would disagree, and many could choose confidently between them without knowing more. That’s why it’s practical to make recommendations based on how dark a story is. It’s easy to gauge, and many people have a … read more »
You’ve turned in your 50,000 words, watched the congratulatory video, and taken a great sigh of relief. You may now rest on your laurels, content that you have defeated the blank page. Haha. NaNoWriMo may be over, but your work is not. Read more »
Oren, Mike and Chris discuss the difficulty in recreating popular storytelling tropes like main characters, mentors, and prophecies in roleplaying. They highlight TV shows with tropes that make them feel like tabletop campaigns, and swap stories about how resourceful and willful players can be. Read more »
Storytellers want to have their cake and eat it too, even if the cake is absolute perfection, and the eating is relatable flaws. The inevitable result of trying to have it both ways is a character that defies human nature. These characters have traits that … read more »
The beginning of your story can do many things, but one is more important than any other: capturing the reader’s interest. If they don’t keep reading, any other purpose – setting the tone, hinting at central themes, or whatever else – becomes pointless. As a … read more »
Oren, Mike and Chris philosophize on the origins and meaning of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction genres. They discuss stories that cross genres, and sow confusion about the definition of “punk” and “orthogonal.” Read more »