“The Bourne Ultimatum” is a perfect film for analyzing and applying to writing, because it has many traits that are unique to this film series, one of the reasons it is widely known and well regarded as an action film.
Tag: characters
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Writing, Sci-Fi, and Speculation
Ever since I decided to become a writer and publish a book, my stories have been all about breaking the fourth wall. No matter who the characters are, what the genre is, or what the story is about, the plot is centered on a main character who is seemingly trapped in reality. Leo from Netherworld is given…
Realism and Antirealism in Writing
As a writer, I draw upon realism to create antirealistic worlds. As a reader, I have to accept truth on different terms when I immerse myself in a book and believe in the fantastical world the story is about. Versimilitude is the appearance of being real or true. It’s important when it comes to both…
Writing Main and Secondary Characters
A few days ago, I ran a poll on Twitter, asking fellow readers and writers what kind of characters make up the majority of their favorite characters. 32% voted “Protagonists/MCs,” 15% voted “Antagonists,” and 53% voted “Secondary characters.”
Preparing to Kill Your Darlings: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself
Well, it’s time to kill a character, you say. Wait! Stop! First, identify your reasons. If you’re killing simply because you’re frantic for some impact or looking for a way to get your readers to respond to your story emotionally (just ’cause you do, usually doesn’t mean they will), or if you’ve hit writer’s block…
Psychology, People, and Personalities in Writing
Psychology has always been a fascinating subject of study and scrutiny for me. Only last week I identified the source of frustration I constantly felt about people: I just want to understand them. What goes in each of their little minds that causes them to do, say, act, feel? What thoughts and emotions and beliefs…
7 Tips on Creating a Complex Antagonist
When I first developed my story for Netherworld, I just created a villain simply so that my protagonist had some evil to fight against. But when I started questioning my villain’s motives, I realized that to have a full story, it is crucial to develop the villain because that’s the crux of the problems that create…
11 Tips for Character Development
Your plot is ready to go. You have a protagonist, an antagonist, a secondary character, an old mentor, a love interest, a traitor, an opposed parent, a jealous sibling, and an intelligent talking horse named Phillip. Hopefully, by the time you sit down to start writing the first chapter of your first draft, you have a…
20 Questions to Ask Your Plot and Characters
Writerly tags are, believe it or not, one of the biggest things that make me think about my WIP more in depth. Most of the tags I’ve participated in (the Six Question Character Challenge being my absolute favorite) made me ask questions of my plot and characters that I’d never even thought to ask. For…
Write Like Your Characters Really Exist
My NaNoWriMo story (which is going unexpectedly well, thanks for asking) is about a writer who ditches a novel he has been working on for several years. His characters approach him in reality with the purpose of encouraging to finish his novel in order to complete their story. Because without their story, the characters, who…
Why I Write – A Story Creator’s Testimony
Sometimes people will ask me why I write. It’s a good question to ask yourself and it’s helpful to understand why you write, not just so you can tell people why, but also as self-motivation and reassurance in your skill and abilities.
Potential in the Prequels: Appreciating the Hated Star Wars Episodes I-III
In the Star Wars fandom, there are not many who like Episodes I, II, and III as much as the older trilogy and even the new Force Awakens. I find that there are two main reasons for why this is so: 1) The expectations were high and 2) They were poorly done, from the writing…
MBTI Blog Challenge: How to Write an ISFP
Last week I was tagged by Hannah Heath at her blog on the post MBTI Blog Challenge: How to Write an INFJ. The point of this challenge is to describe your personality type so that other writers can understand that type better and apply it to their characters. Cool idea, right? Thanks for the challenge,…
Inspiration: Using Images as Writing Prompts
“Actions speak louder than words.” I’m sure we’ve all heard that phrase before. However, today I’m going to switch some words out to get: “Pictures speak louder than words.” As writers, anything can pique our curiosity, spark some inspiration, and get our minds whirring. Our observations don’t only cause us to think, “Oh, that’s odd…
Writing Tips: Naming Your Characters – A Guest Post by Hannah Heath
Hannah Heath is a writer, reader, blogger, and a great friend of mine, and I have the privilege of having her write a guest post for this blog! She’s an expert at writing and this post will be her take on naming characters for stories. Her blog is Hannah Heath – Writer, so don’t forget…
TEA WITH TUMNUS 