Our Top Ten Articles
Eight Absurdities We Force on Female Characters
Have you ever noticed how many more articles there are about writing female characters than there are about writing male characters? Are women such strange and unusual creatures that we need an ever-growing number of articles to tell us how to write them? Read more »
Five Underused Character Archetypes
Storytellers love character archetypes. They feel ancient and symbolic, and they’re just fun to play with. A while back, we mentioned archetypes we think stories are better without. To banish the rain on our archetype parade, here’s five we want to see more often. Read more »
Three Movies With the Wrong Main Character
Of all the characters in a story, how do creators choose which one is the main one? This question comes up often in writing workshops. Sometimes writers switch around which character is in focus in order to determine who should be framed as the main … read more »
Why “Historical Accuracy” Isn’t a Reason to Exclude Diversity
Whenever an argument starts about some big-name show lacking diversity or having too much bigotry, you can be sure to hear the refrain that it’s all in service of historical accuracy. It might not be pleasant, the argument goes, or agree with modern sensibilities, but … read more »
Six Tips to Make Your Fantasy Setting More Immersive
Fantasy can transport us to worlds where ancient gods walk the land and magic flows through the air. Or it can transport us to grim and gritty worlds where basic survival is a struggle and everything is covered in mud. Either way, a fantasy world should sweep the audience away. Read more »
Seven Unanswered Questions From the Original Star Wars Films
A favorite pastime of internet nerds is to put the new Star Wars films under a microscope and ask questions about anything doesn’t make sense. We ask how the First Order became so powerful after the Empire’s fall, how Maz got a hold of Luke’s … read more »
Five Types of Disastrous Reveals
A great reveal can be sublime. Unfortunately, this has storytellers chasing after the perfect reveal even when their story would be better off without it. Reveals have to be set up just right to work, and some information is too critical to be withheld until … read more »
Six Underdeveloped Love Interests
Storytellers setting out to create a love story face many obstacles, and one of the more serious obstacles is an underdeveloped love interest. This is what you get when the protagonist’s sweetheart doesn’t seem like a complete character in their own right. They might just … read more »
Constructing a Compelling Romance
When done well, romance not only makes stories feel deeper and more meaningful but also gives the audience another reason to turn the page. Unfortunately, it’s easy to jump into writing a romance without thinking it through. And if the romance isn’t setup well, it … read more »
The One Big Thing That Most Manuscripts Lack
I’ll admit it: my title is pretty sensationalist. But I can’t bring enough attention to this issue. When we’re hired to do content editing, 95% of the manuscripts we look at need significant work in this area. Before we look at their work, most writers have … read more »
Most Popular Podcast
157 – Magic Classifications
Where does Evocation end and Abjuration begin? Should a fireball require Prime magic? What even are Charms? This week we’re talking about how different settings classify magic, from novels to RPGs to video games. We discuss the purpose behind dividing magic … Read more »
Most Popular Comic
Why You Shouldn’t Use the Term Mary Sue
The tale of a term that’s gotten out of hand. Read more »
Most Popular Q&A
Where Should I Start My Story?
My main characters are part of secret government unit that goes after supernatural threats. Should I start the story with the new members in training? Or should I start with them being assigned to the unit and have flashbacks to show how they’ve become friends, etc.? Read more »
Thanks for being a part of our year!
No love for RPG articles?
Congrats on another great year
Unfortunately they don’t usually make the top ten unless they make people really mad.
This is the year I found your blog and I’ve been immensely enjoying your content ever since.
Awesome, we’re glad to have you on board!