Setting Up the Bar

I want to run through an exercise for something I’m not particularly versed in. Though that statement gives me an easy out, as I often sit on the writer scale’s far discovery end I don’t put much thought to new environments when I’m building on the preexisting characters. Locations and places have always been barebones … Continue reading Setting Up the Bar

Vignettes and the Baton Pass

When my writings turn exploratory or freewheeling, my favorite story structure is the vignette. Unhindered by ongoing plot bloat, naturally disposed to changes in tempo and pacing, the vignette is a neat little tool for when you want to write a varied, shifting story featuring a pantheon of characters and their different perspectives. Every input … Continue reading Vignettes and the Baton Pass

What Lies Under that Mountain?

The pale morning sun brushed Gregory’s cheek as he pulled his blanket over his plump face. After a minute’s battle with the brightness he shielded his eyes as best he could and looked out over a full panorama of Tipharia. His home was lost between the many roofs, trees, and swathed pastel blur under the … Continue reading What Lies Under that Mountain?

Writing Characters After a Character Arc

A good character arc is handled with the same deference as nitroglycerine. On paper it’s a simple combination of basic ingredients but in a writer’s unsteady hand they can destroy everything around them. Hopefully you have a plan or sufficient experience to execute a character arc combined with a great deal of effort to craft … Continue reading Writing Characters After a Character Arc