Stories That Matter
Throughout this site (and my books) I detail many of the structural and mechanical elements that deliver genuine story. As I wrap edits on my cyberpunk novel, I found myself […]
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Character Profiles
Recently came across someone having trouble finding the boundaries when creating character profiles. They were working on a superhero story and weren’t sure how specific they should get with the […]
5 Tips for Writing Female Protagonists
Writing female characters is no different than writing male characters. In fact, writing a character of any physical characteristic, or external trait–such as profession, economic wealth, etc. is no different […]
Dramatic Narrative Emphasis
A simple yet powerful concept to understand in writing is, what I call, Dramatic Narrative Emphasis. It’s most obvious to recognize when it comes to Master Theme, but really applies […]
Works in the Movies NOT in Comics Part Two
From what I understand this is a page from a Jean Grey issue by Marvel… I don’t know the context, I believe it precedes a romantic encounter between two main […]
Surprise and Foreshadowing
Surprise is the lifeblood of story. In Maximizing your Turns, I talk a bit about foreshadowing your turns—actually foreshadowing the opposite of your turns to make them more dramatic. But […]
Streamline your Outline
Between the basic outline and advanced outline articles, I give a bunch of solid tips in approaching outlines. But, since there’s always more to learn, here’s three more when building […]
Fix your Flashbacks
Building Flashbacks into a story is like setting high explosive charges–effective when used properly, potentially disastrous in inexperienced hands. When I see a script from a new writer that contains […]
Dual Name Characters
So you’ve got a character that has two identities… easy peasy. Let’s start with the basic example: Your character’s name is Fletch. FLETCH Do you think it’s a real gun? […]
More on Master Theme
If you’re not running a Master Theme in your comic, your story will never reach it’s full potential. Period. End of story. While it’s easy to understand the concept of […]