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Category: Characterization, Plot, & Setting

October 24, 2015

Schrödinger’s Setting

You’ve probably all heard of Schrödinger’s cat, a thought experiment that has become a widespread internet meme. To summarize, the cat is simultaneously considered alive and dead until someone can be bothered to open the box. Now, about Schrödinger’s setting. I’m sure you all know what the setting is. ALL: [In a monotone chorus] Where and when the story takes place. Technically,...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 2
October 22, 2015

A Litmus Test for Characterization: Tom Hiddleston’s Fan Letter to Joss Whedon

Has anyone seen the fan letter to Joss Whedon from Tom Hiddleston about the script of The Avengers? To summarize, Hiddleston gushes a bit and thanks Whedon for writing him a character who has so many layers (“Tom Hiddleston’s fan letter to Joss Whedon is the most adorable thing ever”). Anyone who has spent time with actors will find this...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Theatre & Film Comments: 0
October 21, 2015

10 Puns From Films: From Serious To Silly

            EM: Hello, I’m Em T. Wytte, and I love puns.             ALL: Hi, Em. Puns don’t get the best rap nowadays (personally, I blame groaners for this); however, for all that it isn’t “cool” to like puns, they are everywhere. They’re in movies, they’re on tv, they’re in advertisements, they’re in memes, and they’re in books. They’re a huge...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Theatre & Film Comment: 1
October 14, 2015

A Little Allusion Never Hurt Anybody

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve mentioned allusions a couple times (“A Book Review: Lynne Truss’ Eats, Shoots & Leaves” and “I’m Going To Be Doing This All Day“), but I never really explained what they were (sorry!). An allusion is basically a reference to something else. It could be a reference to a famous work of literature, a...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comment: 1
October 13, 2015

Personality Tests: An Exercise in Characterization

Want to test how well you know your character? Russ’s comment on Deathwalker 3.6 made me think of a great characterization exercise: Take a personality test from your character’s perspective. Answer the questions the way your character would and see whether the results agree with how you think of your character (or at least, if they agree as much as you...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Creative Process/General Thoughts & Updates/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0
October 7, 2015

I Must Be Doing Something Right: “Pixar’s Rules of Storytelling” by Readers+Writers Journal

As a writer, I often find that I am a strange combination of extreme arrogance and utter insecurity. One minute, I’m supremely confident in what I’ve written: the next, I’m supremely confident that it’s crap. That’s why it’s very reassuring to find out that a resource I admire agrees with what I’ve written (or, more likely, has said the same thing without ever...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/General Thoughts & Updates/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0
September 23, 2015

Don’t Forget the Everyday

When you’re focused on the big picture of the plot, it’s easy to forget that the character has a normal life that’s been put aside for this adventure – little things that have to happen every day for life to go on. When the author ignores everyday life completely, however, the story gets a bit surreal and less believable. I...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Creative Process/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0