I love Disney history. The story of a small start-up animation studio that changed the world with its storytelling is not only inspiring, but also fascinating. It’s crazy to think that once-upon-a-time, the mega corporation that we know as Disney was a small animation studio with big plans and not enough money to fund them….
We’ve talked a lot about romantic relationships in the past. How to write good ones, how to write different troupes, etc. But not all relationships are romantic ones, and they certainly shouldn’t be that way in stories. Having a myriad of relationships in your story is a great way to show how different each of…
Let’s be honest: Readers are smart. And, more often than not, they can sense when a plot point is on its way. The tried-and-true plot structure that has done so much good for creating consistently well-written stories can also be a huge detriment to plot twists. Whether or not you’re great at disguising your plot…
It’s pretty hard to find an original idea in today’s modern fiction works. Everything in theaters is either a sequel, a rework, or a play off of nostalgia. Even a few books have been turning to classic cliches instead of creating a premise of their own. On this blog, we love to use fictional examples…
Everyone knows what makes an exciting story: throwing impossibly difficult hurdles at your protagonists! Some plot structures consist of nothing more than watching characters struggle with increasingly difficult challenges. And this can create some very interesting character moments! But although it’s fascinating to watch your characters grapple with challenges while balanced atop high stakes, that…
The ‘girlboss’ trope has grown increasingly popular in many books and films. She’s usually a headstrong, young, fighter woman that beats up a group of guys in order to save the day, and she’s meant to be a positive role-model for girls all around the world. However, these kinds of characters don’t often successfully do…
Characters are the core of every story. Recently, I read a book that reminded me just how much value well-written characters add to a book. Although the plot was cringy, the ending was predictable, and the author couldn’t help patting his protagonist on the back (over and over again), I enjoyed the book for its…
Anti-heroes. The characters that are too bad to be good, but too good to be fully bad. Some people like to overuse the troupe, while others…avoid them altogether. Why? Well, some would argue it’s because they’re too complicated. But, if you’re the latter group of writers here, you should know that, while anti-heroes can be…
I love when all the pieces of the puzzle seem to fall into place in the last few minutes of a movie. An off-hand comment about an arbitrary topic turns out to be the missing piece of a broken world (The Map of Tiny Perfect Things), or a humorous line by a cartoon character turns…
Romance is hard to read sometimes. And it’s not because you don’t like the characters in the romance. (Actually, you might really like the two people involved.) But when they’re acting romantic…something just doesn’t hit right. You don’t feel like the characters belong together and every ‘romantic’ scene comes across as forced or cheesy. We’ve…