Deep point of view (POV) is hard, It’s one of those things that, when you have the Right Story and the Right Character, it will come out pretty naturally. But when you don’t have the Right Story or the Right character, you can expect forced emotions, forced character interactions, and just about forced everything. But sometimes, even […]
Last night I was in the highest of spirits as my husband and I made way to the movie theater. Alice in Wonderland had arrived, and best of all, they were showing it in English! My spirits quickly plummeted, hit the ground in disappointment, and then got flattened with boredom and fury. The newest Alice […]
To add a final comment to yesterday’s post, readers want a protagonist who does things, not a protagonist who has things done to her. This is an important point — not just for Twilight, but for all stories. If the damsel-in-distress is the main character, she’d better turn into a damsel-in-shining-armor pretty fast. Typically, people […]
Today is the day Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. As such, the film Pearl Harbor was playing on TV over the weekend. We watched. Big mistake. The film is beyond horrible, but there are some great lessons to be learned from it–-lessons that are cross-denominational for film and writing. Here are a few:
Lately, I’ve been following a Korean soap opera called “Heaven’s Fate” or (in Korean) 왕꽃 선녀님. It’s melodramatic, borderline absurd, and highly entertaining. Interestingly enough, I’ve managed to see some writing tactics in action–aspects in storytelling that apply both to written fiction and TV drama. Here’s what I’ve learned: Conflict, conflict, conflict! If it’s easy […]
I thought I’d briefly discuss the importance character plays in terms of plot. This is something my first manuscript really lacks, and I’m determined to get it right the second time through. Essentially, the plot should force the MC to act, but the actions he/she chooses are dictated by who the character is and what […]
A friend recently asked, “What’s your novel about?” Good question. I’ve been putting off the logline post, but no longer. I shall grace you with it today. What’s a logline? It’s supposed to be that catchy sentence that makes you want to read the book/watch the movie/play the game. For novels, it’s typically a one-sentence-description […]