I recently rewatched Age of Ultron for the first time since it was released in 2015. For all the hate it has gotten, I expected to find a villain with no motivation or interest, a lack of a theme, or at least some serious deviation from the protagonists’ character arcs or personality. But I found…
Have you ever been writing a character of the opposite gender and suddenly felt doubtful? What if your character isn’t realistic? What if they’re doing something a person in their gender would never do? What if someone reads your story and becomes offended? These are valid worries. Writing characters in the opposite gender can be…
We talked about character choices in an article last year, and they seem to be stressed a fair amount in other writing blogs, books, and communities as well. But from a writer’s perspective, they can seem pretty pointless. When you’re in complete control of a plot, the side characters, and even the very world itself,…
Stories are powerful. They can make someone cry, repent, laugh, and even skip for joy. So it’s a shame when a story doesn’t reach its full potential and neglects to make their reader feel anything. Even stories that have loveable characters and a varied plotline, or even have a strong, wholesome theme, can still fail…
Earlier this month we looked at circular storytelling, and how it elevates simple stories far above their predictable plots to create memorable tales that stick with readers and viewers. Disney utilized this technique especially throughout the Disney Renaissance, a series of highly successful animated movies that quickly became well-loved classics. From The Little Mermaid to…
A while ago, I wrote an article on positive anti-heroes that explored how some characters can start out in a morally gray area, but eventually transition to becoming a force for good. However, I also mentioned in that article that there’s another kind of anti-hero: the negative kind. Rather than taking a turn for the…
Simple stories can come across as a little boring, especially to the writer. I mean, who wants to write just a simple, straightforward story with a few characters that fill very distinct, straight-forward roles? There is less opportunity for plot holes and complications, to be sure, but in a world full of stories with mind-bending…
Last week we looked at Agent Carter, and how that show absolutely nailed dealing with a character who faces discrimination. But that’s only one side of the coin. Necessarily, a character who faces discrimination must be discriminated against by someone, right? And writing characters who discriminate can be hard. Too many writers fall into the…
There’s been a lot of storytelling about characters who face discrimination lately. Some of this is a good thing. In a lot of ways, it shows a culture that is willing to recognize humanity’s capacity for evil, and the often needless and violent reactions that come when different kinds of people end up “othered.” Good…
For the past few weeks, Mara and I have been writing about complexity. Especially when it comes to plot, it’s a useful tool that can elevate almost any story, but what if you don’t want to have a complex plot? What if you’re looking to tell a much simpler story, for a much younger audience?…