The Cost of Deciding
When a character makes a decision in fiction the consequences can land at plot level; Ripley tells Hicks to wait for her as she arms up and goes back to […]
Author: nickmac
Why Stories are Critical to the Human Condition
I wanted to drop this quick for folks. There’s an impression by many, that stories are superfluous to life. Afterall it’s “entertainment,” it’s not really necessary. If you’re in that […]
How to Write Characters Your Readers Will Obsess Over
I’ve talked about creating compelling characters, I’ve talked about creating complex characters, about character dynamics, character arcs, and everything else to develop solid characters in your story. Today it’s time […]
Narrative Catalysts and Non Sequiturs
The visual nature of comics tend to keep this problem in check, it is far more common in long prose, however I still come across it in scripts now and […]
Developing Mystery through Secrets
In my Developing Mystery article (part of the Genre Guide) I break down a handful of points on developing proper Mystery. I’m going to leave the clinical definition of Mystery […]
Avoid Flat Scenes Don’t Forget the Wrestlers
Characters drive most scenes in a narrative. If they don’t execute at the top of their game, the scene suffers… possibly even falls apart. Luckily, no matter what genre you’re […]
The Subtext of Action
It’s a simple concept, one you learned way back in grade school; Actions Speak Louder Than Words. It’s a big part of why talking head scenes suck. Because talking head […]
Engaging the Reader through Consequences
Over in the Story To Script article on writing the Ultimate Fight Scene, I talk a bit about the importance of consequences. In fact, this is something I’ve discussed in […]
The Dark Side of Writing Violence
One of the few actual rules of writing is; the longer you stay with something, the more emphasis you put on that something. This is actually a critical concept when […]
Work in Layers – TIP
A sculptor doesn’t sit down, take a chunk of marble, and BOOM knock out a perfect statue. They work in stages, getting the rough form… then bringing out this detail… […]