We’ve all seen the classic story. A brave individual is tasked to go on a quest that will determine the fate of the world. They have to pack supplies, maybe a weapon or two, and a few friends for support. Said friends (the people we writers call a side character) follow them wherever they go,…
I think all of us can agree: the Marvel Cinematic Universe has declined recently. With every new movie (or TV series), the MCU seems to get worse and worse. The characters are no longer loveable, every topic discussed is incredibly preachy, and it doesn’t feel like the writers have a direction anymore. Marvel fans have…
All of us want to write those loveable yet quirky side characters like Sokka from The Last Airbender and Marcy from Amphibia. They add something so fresh and humorous to the story that they become impossible to replace. Yet there are some characters out there who just come off as a little too quirky. They…
There are so many stories out there that fail to resonate. Every inch of these kind of stories are shallow and meaningless and give no lasting impact. These stories tend to be annoying, forgettable, or just plain horrible. Every writer wants to make a story that sticks with the reader for years to come. No…
A lot of us know that the Hunger Games movie franchise was a huge success. It received millions of dollars in profit and thousands of adoring fans that still love the series to this day. Yet, if you ask any fan, they will undoubtedly tell you that the book was better. Which makes sense, since…
Some character deaths hit harder than others. There have been hundreds of dramatic death scenes, some which have caused readers all over the world to curl into a ball and cry, or maybe just stare at a wall for a few hours feeling sad. These are the types of deaths every author wants to write…
Drastically changed relationships, similar to the enemies-to-lovers troupe, are extremely difficult to keep smooth. As we talked about in my Cruel Prince article human relationships are complicated and hard to get right. One of the most complex relationships, and the one we’ll be discussing today, are friends-to enemies bond. In one scene, your characters could…
Orphans are possibly one of the most overused tropes in fiction. There are probably hundreds, maybe thousands, of fictional children without parents because the author didn’t want to add extra characters. And, as a writer, I totally get it! Parents are just easier to push out of the picture so the child protagonist can do…
‘Yeah, I saw that coming,’ Is not something a writer wants to hear. You’ve just revealed your shocking plot-twist and… no one is surprised. The reader saw it coming the whole time, rendering your plot-twist unmeaningful and bland. Your ‘big’ moment doesn’t feel that big. In short, your story was predictable. Predictability can completely destroy…
Many people over the course of history have attempted to write about the complexity that is human relationships, and, let’s face it, more often than not, the authors tend to flop when it comes to romance. Specifically, enemies to lovers. Whenever I read a novel or watch a movie in this genre, I always roll…