Conventions of the Action Genre
Writing a fantasy series, there’s no way I can ignore the conventions of the Action genre. A solid action piece […]
Plotting
Posts on plotting a story
Every Story Asks Questions
Not the obvious ‘how does it end?’ but something more basic; every story asks questions. ‘What’s is about?’ isn’t really
The Trouble with Prequels
Amazon’s Rings of Power demonstrates the trouble with prequels like no other. When the outcomes and consequences don’t matter, how
The ‘All-is-Lost’ Story Beat
The ‘all-is-lost’ story beat is obligatory in just about every story structure from the Hero’s Journey to Save the Cat.
Rings of Power: Three Hours of Setup
I don’t generally review film and TV here, but I have a problem with Amazon’s Rings of Power: Three Hours
The Art of the Long Con
Posting a short story to my writers’ group this week, I’m exploring the art of the Long Con in Selling
Anticipation mingled with Uncertainty
“Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty.” So said British playwright William Archer back in the Edwardian era. A definition that
Six Essential Questions For Writing
Emmy-winning screenwriter, script doctor, and writing coach Glen Gers sums up twenty-five years experience with his six essential questions for
Troubles, Decisions and Consequences
Worry not, no personal woes here; we’re plotting troubles, decisions and consequences in fiction. Another guest lecturer on Sanderson’s BYU
Random Nouns Writers’ Prompt
My writers group over on DDW’s Discourse served up a Random Nouns Writers’ Prompt entitled The Jar of Nouns.