Emotions are the bridge that connects the writer to the reader. In her excellent book, 52 Dates for Writers, Claire Wingfield points out that fiction really needs authentic emotions. That’s not just for your characters – that’s also for your readers. Instalment 7 of 52 Dates for Writers revolves around problem-solving for you as a writer. […]
52 dates for writers
3 easy ways to use transport in your fiction
Transport may seem like a necessary evil to get you from A to B. But have you ever used it as a plot point? A character quirk? Or a means of world building? You can use one, or all three, to round out your fiction in a more unexpected way! This post was inspired by […]
What do interesting houses say about your characters?
Houses can be an absolutely central part of any story. Hell, they even form a sub-genre of their own through the haunted house story! But are houses just the locations through which your characters move? Are they nothing more than sets? Or can you actually use houses as part of your character design? Can houses […]
Can death play a positive role in your storytelling?
Think of Death for a moment. Did you picture a tall guy in a hood with a scythe? Or Neil Gaiman’s funky Siouxsie Sioux character from The Sandman? Or was it a more sombre abstract notion of pain and loss? Death can be, and is, all of these things, and much more. But it can […]
Should you boost the roles of minor characters?
Most people watch the guitarist or the singer at a live gig. The drummer, and often the bassist, get a lot less love. They’re a lot like the minor characters in your stories. They’re important to the plot, but not the stars of the show. This is post 3 in my series based on the serialisation […]
Is food important to your character design?
Food is an important part of human activity. You might be breaking bread with a former enemy, enjoying a meal with old friends, or scrabbling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. But how much focus do you actually put on food when you’re designing your characters? Food can be a tremendous way to improve your […]
