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April 20, 2017

People Don’t Listen: 7 Dialogue Tropes to Give Them Away

People don’t listen. You know it. I know it. We’ve probably even heard it but didn’t realize because we weren’t listening. And since we’re so familiar with people who don’t listen, using that idea in our stories adds a lot of realism. That makes these 7 dialogue tropes really handy for giving them away. So handy, in fact, that I’m...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 7
March 9, 2017

What Is DISC and Why Should I Use It for Characterization

If there’s one thing people like to do, it’s categorize types of people. Myers-Briggs, a Jung Typology Test, combinations of the two, other variations – there are tons of options. So the short answer to “What is DISC?” is that it’s another of those personality tests. Why should I use it for characterization? It’s simple. No, seriously, it’s simple – DISC...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Videos Comments: 0
February 21, 2017

Bureaucratic Red Tape as a Plot Device: Can Your Protagonist Get Through?

Bureaucracy, if you’ll excuse my French (why is it French?), is an inescapable facet of real life, and is, therefore, handy for realism. After having my own bewildering struggle with bureaucratic red tape recently (I’ll tell you about it in a minute), it occurred to me that nothing beats bureaucratic red tape as a plot device – at least not for frustration and...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting Comments: 0
February 16, 2017

3 Types of Appeals as Writing Prompts

What on earth is an appeal? Isn’t that something you do when a trial goes the wrong way? (Kind of, but no). The 3 types of appeals I’m talking about are rhetorical techniques. If you’re unfamiliar with the term rhetoric, think of it as the art of persuasion whether in speech or writing. To use these appeals as writing prompts (or even...
Categories Characterization Exercises/Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Plotting Exercises/Writing Prompts Comments: 2
December 6, 2016

How Crimes Change over Time

If you read “Crime, Punishment, & Worldbuilding,” then you already know my thoughts on how useful it is to think about legal systems when it comes to realistic worldbuilding. I also briefly mentioned that crimes change over time, but in your story, that really only matters in one of three cases: 1. the story is set in a period of unrest (A.K.A. social change), 2....
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0
November 24, 2016

A Happy Thanksgiving Writing Prompt

If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, you probably aren’t used to people asking you what you’re thankful for every single November. If you do celebrate Thanksgiving, you’re probably sick of it. But if you step outside the holiday mentality (and put the mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and Black Friday ads down for a moment), I’m sure you can see how turning that...
Categories Characterization Exercises/Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Holiday & Seasonal/Writing Prompts Comment: 1