Not historically accurate, but Balian’s got a good arc, too. The hero is introduced to us in a relatable fashion. He may be flawed, but his heart or his mind is in the right place for the journey about to take place. It begins when he is presented with a dramatic question. His journey takes… Continue reading Arc Trails
Tag: character
The Curious Case of Randal Graves
On Saturday, I watched both Clerks films, back to back, which I highly recommend for any fan of Kevin Smith. There was something I hadn’t noticed before, but was pointed out to me and I’ve taken some time to consider it. There’s also the fact I wanted to break in my revamped PC with some… Continue reading The Curious Case of Randal Graves
The Reality of Fantasy
Fair warning, would-be writers: if you’re good at what you do, somebody somewhere’s going to want to hurt you. Having finished George RR Martin’s A Storm of Swords last night, more than once I wanted to reach through the pages, grab the man by the beard and give him a couple of shakes for what… Continue reading The Reality of Fantasy
Characters, Corpses & Kittens
As you create your characters, whatever your ultimate purpose in doing so might be, it’s likely they’re going to have an emotional response to something sooner or later. Unless they are coming into contact with our world from an entirely alien, outside perspective (which in and of itself can make for a good story), they’re… Continue reading Characters, Corpses & Kittens
Cultivating Characters
This is related to a post I made a few months ago regarding expository writing but it’s on my mind since my wife and I just finished watching (or rather re-watching) the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’d borrowed the extended editions from my mother, as my copies are elsewhere. Anyway, this if Faramir. In… Continue reading Cultivating Characters
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/gijoe.mp3] Ours was a Transformers house. G.I. Joe wasn’t on anywhere near as much when I was growing up. In retrospect, this might be why my initial impression of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies was a little bit rosier than my overall take has become. So I went into G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra expecting… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Marc Schuster on Characters
This is Marc Schuster. He teaches English. He edits for Philadelphia Stories. He’s also a writer and knows a thing or two about characters, especially since contemporary short stories (which he lectured about at this past weekend’s Writer’s Conference) are driven by characters, rather than plot. His full thoughts and lecture notes are available here,… Continue reading Marc Schuster on Characters
