by
Oren Ashkenazi
Any advice for doing a person vs situation story, such as Gravity or The Martian, where there is no actual villain, and the character or characters have to survive their current situation? Thank you -Dave L
by
Oren Ashkenazi and Chris Winkle
What happens in a story is one thing, but what does the story feel like? Some character deaths are gruesome, while some are slapstick comedy. That’s weird, right? This week we’re exploring how and why stories create their overall feeling, made up of things like … read more »
by
Chris Winkle
It’s hard enough to make simple conflicts exciting, and not all conflicts should be simple. You might have lots of protagonists who need important roles, or you may simply want your conflict to be longer and meatier. Either way, once you add too many elements, … read more »
by
Oren Ashkenazi
Hi again. So I’ve done all the worldbuilding, I have the plot and know where I want my story to go, but how do I start it? I started with the first chapter but it was boring. I want to show the reader that my … read more »
by
Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle and Wes Matlock
Sometimes, you just need to up your power level so you can master the ultimate technique and open yourself to the universe, which means it’s training time. Training is a common feature of spec fic, and it can be a lot of fun. It can … read more »
by
Oren Ashkenazi
Throughlines are the conflict that ties your story together from beginning to end. The throughline is a story’s core, and if it isn’t working, chances are that very little else is. Unfortunately, a weak or missing throughline is easily the most common problem my content … read more »
by
Chris Winkle
When I first wrote this guide to character arcs in 2014, I got one important thing right: character arcs are not ethereal unicorns; they follow the same principles as other plot arcs. However, at the time I didn’t know that much about plotting. Plus, great … read more »
by
Oren Ashkenazi
Hey Mythcreants, I’ve been working on a novel for some time – 13 months and 17 days, to be precise, and after many long nights staring at my computer, I’m finally getting in the final stages of the writing. And I realized that in my … read more »
by
Chris Winkle
Because of the #metoo movement and the current moral panic over “cancel culture,” some are wondering if the public is capable of forgiveness. This is often phrased like a rhetorical question, but it has an answer. A skilled storyteller can take a character that’s done … read more »
by
Chris Winkle
Mysteries are great fun, but even a murder case doesn’t create much tension by default. If someone’s dead, the worst has already happened to them, and getting justice isn’t typically urgent. Plus, whatever the villain wants to accomplish by the murder is usually unknown in … read more »
Any advice for doing a person vs situation story, such as Gravity or The Martian, where there is no actual villain, and the character or characters have to survive their current situation? Thank you -Dave L 
What happens in a story is one thing, but what does the story feel like? Some character deaths are gruesome, while some are slapstick comedy. That’s weird, right? This week we’re exploring how and why stories create their overall feeling, made up of things like … read more » 
It’s hard enough to make simple conflicts exciting, and not all conflicts should be simple. You might have lots of protagonists who need important roles, or you may simply want your conflict to be longer and meatier. Either way, once you add too many elements, … read more » 
Throughlines are the conflict that ties your story together from beginning to end. The throughline is a story’s core, and if it isn’t working, chances are that very little else is. Unfortunately, a weak or missing throughline is easily the most common problem my content … read more » 
When I first wrote this guide to character arcs in 2014, I got one important thing right: character arcs are not ethereal unicorns; they follow the same principles as other plot arcs. However, at the time I didn’t know that much about plotting. Plus, great … read more » 
Because of the #metoo movement and the current moral panic over “cancel culture,” some are wondering if the public is capable of forgiveness. This is often phrased like a rhetorical question, but it has an answer. A skilled storyteller can take a character that’s done … read more » 
Mysteries are great fun, but even a murder case doesn’t create much tension by default. If someone’s dead, the worst has already happened to them, and getting justice isn’t typically urgent. Plus, whatever the villain wants to accomplish by the murder is usually unknown in … read more » 
