Continuing from last week’s post on creating good characters, I will now give a look at how best to portray those characters who are often far more interesting: the baddies. For the most part, the same rules apply to making good bad guys as making good good guys: show rather than tell, make his/her problemContinue reading “The Worst of the Worst: Making Believable Antagonists”
Category Archives: writing
The Best of the Best: Making Believable Protagonists
While not all protagonists are good, it’s true, they are nevertheless an essential ingredient to any story (with a few abstract exceptions). It might seem easy to make a lead character who is generally likeable, and for some it is. But for others, creating a character out of thin air who is both interesting andContinue reading “The Best of the Best: Making Believable Protagonists”
Plans for February
January was a very busy month, if majorly disappointing in some ways. Nevertheless, I managed to make some progress on several fronts. There was a good deal of revising and reworking passages for my main series, as well as for the second installment of the Sauragia series that I hope to release this summer. Additionally,Continue reading “Plans for February”
Copyrights and Intellectual Property Theft
It’s a problem. It happens every day. Sometimes professionals are the culprits, but sometimes they are ordinary, otherwise law-abiding citizens who use some variation of “but everybody does it” to excuse what is quite simply a crime. If you don’t like moral lectures, then I suggest you skip this post, but personally I’d be muchContinue reading “Copyrights and Intellectual Property Theft”
Plans for January
December was a very full and fulfilling month, all told. Though I did not quite get around to everything I’d hoped, all the main goals were met and then some. I reviewed the sequel to Sauragia earlier this month (some changes need to be made, but still planning to publish this summer), as well asContinue reading “Plans for January”
Making Fantasies Real: The Art of Plausibility
One of the biggest enticements to write fiction is the ability to express ourselves through vivid use of imagination. We can do, say, and create virtually any reality we want on the page simply through a few pencil or keystrokes. Nowhere is this truer than in science-fiction and fantasy, where we are given virtually aContinue reading “Making Fantasies Real: The Art of Plausibility”
The Dilemma of Pen Names
Just about every author considers adopting a pen name at some point in his or her career. Some do it as a matter of course–especially when they wish to remain anonymous. Others cannot imagine why they would want to detach themselves from something they worked so hard on. As I have sometimes wondered whether orContinue reading “The Dilemma of Pen Names”
Reading Between the Lines: Sending a Message to Readers
Everybody’s got a point to make. That’s how it often seems, anyway. From movies to television, ads to periodicals, there’s almost always some kind of takeaway message. Some are subtle: others much less so. Thus, it is only natural that books should follow the same pattern. Authors have their ideals and opinions too, after all,Continue reading “Reading Between the Lines: Sending a Message to Readers”
Plans for October
September was a quiet, but largely successful month. It saw progress on my current anthology, major improvements to my digital store, and other writing and reading accomplishments. This month will finally see the release of my first novel, which has been on pre-order since mid-August (the 22nd is the last day to receive the 25%Continue reading “Plans for October”
10 Ways to Improve Your Writing
There’s all kinds of advice out there you could offer to someone who’s looking to get better at writing. Foremost among these are, of course, write and read as much as possible. But these are rather vague suggestions at best, and there are a number of other things you can do as well. So, hereContinue reading “10 Ways to Improve Your Writing”