How to Break Storytelling Rules
While all rules can be broken, breaking them successfully takes a robust knowledge of storytelling principles.
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Episode 115: Surprise Villains
Which one of the hosts will turn out to be evil this week?
Five Bad Tropes to Drop
Five popular storytelling ideas that you'd be better off ignoring.
Five Underused Settings in Spec Fic
Five places for your story to boldly go that few have gone to before.
Six Steps to a Subversive Surprise
How your twist can make the leap from oddly confusing to pleasantly surprising.
Six Subversive Heroes for Stand Out Stories
Six characters who haven't gotten their time in the spotlight—and whom you could give it to.
Lessons From the Bad Writing of The Mortal Instruments
Clunky dialogue and a lack of context bog down this spooky opening.
Establishing and Transitioning Atmosphere
How to make your story's feeling and setting believable—including when you change it.
Five Tricks to Invigorate Your Ending
How your story's climax can pack the biggest dramatic punch possible.
Six Reasons You Should Read Discworld
Why you should check out this fantastical turtle-borne series.
Why Breaking Stereotypes Makes Stronger Characters
Why characters breaking social conventions improve the stories they star in.
A Perspiring Writer