Storytelling
What’s that feeling inside you? Do you want one thing but also want another thing? Then you might have internal conflict, an important tool in any storytellers kit. External conflicts provide plenty of excitement and motivation, but internal conflicts are how you really get into … read more »
So that moment you’ve been waiting for since the beginning of the book has finally arrived. After 200,000 words, many epic battles, a few hilarious misunderstandings, and several tedious subplots, the two main characters have finally confessed their love for each other. They mutually consent, … read more »
How can I write a story about fighting racism? I want to write a character who’s faced prejudice and hatred from everyone around them and never found a place to live. How can the character learn to combat racism and bigotry and oppression in a … read more »
First there’s a problem, then there’s a turning point, and then… darn it, what comes after the turning point? If everything’s working properly, that’s when it’s time for the resolution, but this is trickier than some writers think. You have to show things resolving, not … read more »
Redemption arcs are an incredibly popular trope in storytelling. From classics like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings to more recent hits like The Legend of Korra and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, we love to watch or read about a bad guy … read more »
You’ve got your basic cast figured out, but the characters are missing something. A little pop, a little sizzle, a certain indefinable quality. Fortunately, it turns out that quality is perfectly definable, and that’s what we’re discussing today. We talk about strategies for making your … read more »
Deciding which character will be the focus of your story is tricky business, and plenty of authors have trouble with it. In the early stages, it’s not always clear which character has the most central position in the plot or who will be most compelling … read more »
A universal rule of storytelling is that the main character’s choices need to matter; that’s agency. However, a main character doesn’t always have to be working on their own goals; that’s proactivity. How do these aspects interact? Can you have a character with agency but … read more »
You thought this was going to be a short blurb explaining the podcast, but actually it’s a meta reference to the episode’s subject. Are your expectations subverted? Probably not, because despite what you might have been told, subversions are hard work. You still need to … read more »
Turning points are essential to crafting conflicts that feel emotionally rewarding to audiences. Unfortunately, they are a “secret” pretty literally, because while they are used in stories everywhere, Mythcreants seems to be the only source giving them more than a cursory mention. That’s probably why … read more »
