If you’ve ever studied any form of visual art, such as photography, you know that light and shadow are equally important to making a well-balanced image.…
Plots unfold. Events take place. Readers expect things to happen in a book, but the real reason they turn the page is to learn more about…
A love story is one of the classic tales, right up there with a hero’s journey or a mystery. If the love story is a genre…
Last week, I presented a webinar for an online science fiction and fantasy writers conference. My topic was character development, and I had fun exploring the…
So you want to try your hand at writing an epic. Good for you! This task isn’t for the faint-hearted. It takes strength, stamina, and courage–all…
Mapping out your character arcs in advance will create compelling characters. Maybe you’re in the early stages of planning or you’re already underway. Either way, what…
Luke Skywalker, Bilbo Baggins, Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen. Heroes are the characters we look up to and admire. We elevate these individuals because they have found…
I’m about to begin a new novel featuring an antihero for a protagonist. In my previous science fiction series, the heroes were truly heroic. They were…
This post is designed to be a cliff-note-friendly, brush-up on how to get your hero moving regardless of whether they battle an adulterous husband or a…
There are superheroes, classical heroes, everyday heroes, and heroes in training. Everywhere you go, and every time you read, you find more of them. They’re easy…