What are the qualities of a “good” book? Everyone has different aspects they enjoy when they’re reading, whether it’s humor, worldbuilding, or a tricksy plot. And no novel can (or should!) try to please everyone, that’s just a recipe for a mess! But there are core components of storytelling we should strive for that are […]
This week I’m guest posting over at Fiction University! I’m talking about why and how to include mental health issues in our fiction, a topic I think is extremely important. So hop on over to Fiction University when you have three minutes, both to take a look at my post (yay!) and also to check […]
Every villain needs a motive, because here’s the secret: from their perspective they’re not the villain. They have reasons for doing what they’re doing. We can’t just have vague “evil villains” being bad just for the sake of giving our heroes someone to fight. Often a villain’s motivations can be remarkably similar to our heroes, […]
In our stories, our characters can’t always get along. Even friends can’t always agree. Why? Well let me ask you this- do you always get along with everyone? Really? Really? Not only do we all have bad days, moments of stress, and grumpy mornings- we’re also all human. We have different ideas, worldviews, plans, and […]
There’s lots of talk about love this time of year and so today we’re looking at 5 different types of love in stories. That’s right, because love doesn’t come one-size-fits-all greeting-card type format. There are a million different ways to give, receive, experience, and feel love. All of these experiences and expressions of love can […]
Character arc is the change a character makes throughout a story. Maybe they change for the better (we hope!) and overcome demons from their past. Maybe they refuse to succumb to temptations and grow stronger in their beliefs. Or maybe they instead change for the worst and become even more ruthless, selfish, cruel, evil, etc. […]