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.
Mike, Oren and Chris talk about what makes fairy tales unique and how they have changed over time. They look at recent reincarnations in comics, book, and movies, evaluating whether recent changes have improved or harmed the timeless stories. Read more »
A cliché is usually defined as “an overused phrase or expression.” How much use is overuse? 42. While this is wonderfully objective, it neither clarifies which phrases people are referring to, nor explains what’s wrong with using them often. Read more »
Creating a spec fic character isn’t always like creating characters in other genres. One of the unique challenges we face is preventing our characters from becoming too powerful – and dealing with them when they do. But what exactly is too powerful? Read more »
Mike, Oren, and Chris explore how science fiction is used to comment on contemporary issues. From dystopian novels to Vietnam War analogies, they share the stories that brought their message home, and deconstruct those that missed their mark. Read more »
I spent Labor Day weekend at PAX Prime attending some great panels with really smart people. I wanted to share my favorite quotes on gaming, storytelling, sexism, romance and more! Read more »
Many storytellers enjoy looking through the lens of more than one character. In speculative fiction, multiple viewpoint characters are often used to show different places in the world, or illustrate a conflict that is epic in scale. Unless the story involves a device that is … read more »
It’s the chicken and the egg question of spec fic: should you make a world and then plot your story in it, or should you create the story and then build the world it’s in? Most storytellers answer this question by beginning with the part … read more »
Stereotypes are deeply embedded in our culture. They permeate every aspect of our communication with one another: journalism, lyrics, movies, casual conversation… you name it. It doesn’t take long before they wiggle their way into our minds, and from there they sneak into our stories. Read more »
Inserting extra fluff scenes is a very common mistake for new writers. Useless scenes destroy a story’s pacing, turning a page-turner into a plodding pony. Luckily, they’re also easy to recognize; you just have to know what to look for. Read more »
As a kid I spent a lot of time lying in bed, in the dark, waiting for the mysterious process some call “falling asleep” to take over. To make the time go faster, I invented stories. As a kid my stories were just fantasies about being beautiful, and kicking ass, and getting the guy. Read more »
