Ever wonder why so many characters have sidekicks? It’s not so much that the character couldn’t do whatever actions the sidekick takes in the story. It’s that the audience needs to understand the underlying motivations behind the character’s actions, and a sidekick is an easy way to get the protag to vocalize her reasoning. One […]
Does every story need a villain? There is a big difference between a villain and an antagonist. A villain wants to impart physical or emotional pain to your story’s protagonist. An antagonist is simply at odds with your protag. Which means a villain is by definition an antagonist – but only some antagonists are villains. […]
No matter what your genre, maintaining tension is key to keeping readers engaged. Too often, I read work where there is something lacking in a scene, and the writer is trying to fix it by resorting to exaggerated emotions (shouts and slaps when the dialogue itself would be impact enough) rough language (that doesn’t match […]
As a language learner, things can get a little overwhelming at times. Having a conversation one-on-one in a second language can be hard enough, but being dropped into an on-going conversation takes everything to the next level. I still remember the first time I got into a car with a group of people who wanted […]
I’ve been binge-watching past episodes of Master Chef. In one challenge from a few seasons ago, the contestants were supposed to make a dozen doughnuts. Some of them went a bit nuts with it – one contestant did twelve different flavors. Some of them came up with elaborate fillings – but when the judges went […]
When you watch a gymnast doing a parallel bars routine, it is easy to get caught up in the grace and the power – coupled with an I-could-never-do-that kind of awe. Nothing ruins that experience – or the gymnast’s score – faster than failing to stick the landing. A double hop – or worse, falling […]
When I start talking about literary devices in my writing classes, the discussion inevitably comes around to whether or not the authors of various works were using them intentionally – or if these literary effects came about by accident. I believe that it is a combination of both: often I don’t see that something has […]
In real life, we resist change. But our characters get pushed to change by the plot. Some characters embrace change, and are more than ready to undertake a hero’s journey. Typically, though, protagonists don’t like change – especially difficult, painful change — any more than you do. But you have to ignore their protests and […]
We have Bud Humble as our guest speaker for Saturday Night Write on March 16, 2019. So I thought I’d invite him to stop by the blog. He will be discussing The Benefits of Hands-On Research. So here’s what I asked Bud: Hi Bud! Hey Amber! Thank you for chatting with me today! It’s my […]
Part of worldbuilding – whether you are writing an epic Sci-Fi story or a quiet romance – comes down to designing people. Everyone is shaped by their surroundings, be they a small town in Montana or the confines of a space station. Clothing, customs, economic structures – all of these were designed by people for […]
