A character arc refers to the internal growth of a character due to the plot. It’s how a character’s worldview changes as she endures struggles and overcomes obstacles. These arcs often revolve around the book’s theme, and they portray an argument on how life should be lived. Many writers talk Read more…
In a fast-paced world full of instant gratification where “being busy” is the new norm, books should be a dying hobby. Why read the book when someone made it a two-hour movie? The answer is simple: interiority, access to characters’ thoughts and feelings. Books invite readers into someone else’s mind Read more…
The last three weeks I have gone over the three major areas of worldbuilding: physical, culture, and power. For my last post in this series, I want to introduce you to a tool that makes it less daunting and easier to bring it all together into one story. As I Read more…
This week in my worldbuilding series I want to focus on developing power systems. Every society runs on power, and there are numerous ways to gain it. Money, popularity, or even a certain job title can get you power. In science fiction stories, advanced technology is a source of power. Read more…
This week we are going to discuss worldbuilding cultures. This is the biggest part of worldbuilding in my opinion. Everything that happens in the world stems from the people’s culture. It’s the how and why they do things that makes the story exciting, and creating the culture before you write Read more…
Today’s post is the start of a four-part series on worldbuilding for science fiction and fantasy books. If you write in a different genre, you may still find this information helpful in your brainstorming. You won’t have to invent all of the things I’m going to talk about, but you Read more…
You have a shiny new idea for a book, but how do you make that idea into a story? Most people start with whatever excites them most. If you like worldbuilding, then you may start with a setting idea. Or maybe you want to tell a certain person’s story, or Read more…
When people talk about putting conflict in a story, they often discuss how to create it or intensify it. Hardly anyone addresses how to resolve it. I think most people just assume there is one option: the character overcomes it. Life isn’t that simple, and I don’t think stories should Read more…
Every story is about overcoming obstacles in your protagonist’s way to her goal. There should be numerous obstacles to face throughout the book, and you’ll need various types to make it seem more realistic. If the only issue the protagonist has is her love life, then the story will grow Read more…
The last character detail I’m going to cover this round for Character Under A Microscope is manipulation. That’s right, I just went there. Every person, regardless of how good he is, manipulates other people to get what he wants. It’s part of being alive. Even animals do it. Why does Read more…