Author of Hopeful Speculative Fiction
In this introductory post in the new Character series, Vivian and I explain the basics of character, starting with what kinds of characters there are and how that’s determined by their relationship to the central conflict of the story. We touch on idealistic characters and how to handle them as well as the differences between … Read More “Character 101: Getting Started” »
Okay, I know I say below that I love point of view more than anything, but really, dramatic structure tops the list. In this illustrated walkthrough of the main dramatic structures available to people, I explain how almost everything in Western literature is some variation of the 3 Act Structure, talk about how the dramatic … Read More “Writing 101: Dramatic Structure” »
Exposition is a powerful tool in writing, but done poorly, it leads to infodumps and extremely boring writing. In this fun, engaging demonstration of how infodumps can be salvaged, I walk through different steps you can take to avoid and fix infodumps, and what you should do to strengthen your exposition even if you start out … Read More “Writing 101: Exposition” »
One of my absolute favorite aspects of writing is Point of View (POV), and I love teaching it in a variety of ways. On the Stellima blog, I have a detailed and comprehensive explanation of the various options, and I walk through a brief scene involving my cat Lily to demonstrate how the different POVs can change … Read More “Writing 101: Point of View in Writing” »
It can also be quite fun to examine POV through the lens of video games. Several years ago, I compiled lessons that I taught in my classes showing POV through video games. I walk through first and third person in particular, comparing it to various classic games in order to show the benefits of each … Read More “Writing 101: Point of View in Video Games” »
