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Prologues and epilogues seem so simple. They come before the first chapter and after the last chapter of a book, right? But maybe there’s more to it than that. When is a prologue really chapter one? When is chapter one really a prologue? What is … read more »
A good protagonist is active. They get out and do things to move the plot forward. But making a protagonist active is often more difficult than it sounds. Sometimes you get caught up in the “refuse the call” phase of the hero’s journey and don’t … read more »
We all want to write what we’re passionate about, but sometimes that’s not as simple as it sounds. What happens when an author discovers halfway through a story that they’re more interested in a side character than the protagonist? What’s a writer to do when … read more »
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 »
We talk a lot about character competence, and one of our listeners had to remind us that we’d never really explained what that means. So this week, we explain ourselves. We talk about what competence means, why it’s important, and how competent various characters should … read more »
My main characters are part of secret government unit that goes after supernatural threats to America. Should I start the story with the new members being training? Or should I start with them being assigned to the unit and have flashbacks to the training to show how they’ve become friends, etc.? Read more »
Novelty is many things. It is a starship’s fusion plume against a starry night. It is primal forests disappearing into the mysts. It is an engraved silver wand that works wondrous magic. Novelty is critical to storytelling, especially spec fic storytelling, and it’s our topic this … read more »
If you’ve ever put down a story because you didn’t care what happened, there’s a good chance it was suffering from poor character likability. That’s our topic for this week, and we are joined once again by our excellent guest host Sarah. What is likability? … read more »
What’s this? Rhys has returned and they wish to discuss storytelling in video games? Then that’s what we’re going to do this week. We cover the general best practices that apply across all mediums, and the specific factors that only apply to video games. Have … read more »
Most storytellers know that the climax should be more exciting than the rest of the story. However, many don’t know that climaxes need a critical turning point. Neglecting this turning point is one of the most common mistakes that writers make, and without it, endings … read more »