Andrew Michael Miller's Thought Backlog
Writer and working Agile professional. Author of Pancho's Fall.
As a writer, you have stories to tell, but maybe you're not quite sure how to begin to get all that information in your head onto the page. This is where structure is important, and the best way to determine what your story structure should look like is by understanding the four different types of stories: milieu, idea, character and event. By deciding what kind of story you're telling, you should have a much clearer idea of how to tell it.
One of the most effective and beloved ways to develop characters in storytelling comes in the form of the redemption arc. Suddenly, a switch gets flipped in an antagonist's mind, bringing them over to the side of the good guys just in the nick of time. Audiences eat it up every time, so much so that many people claim the redeemed character as their favorite. But why does the redemption arc resonate so well with people, and what are the best ways to include it in your work of fiction?
So, you're deep into your writing process. Maybe you have a completed early draft of your story and there's just something off about some of the characters that you can't figure out. You figure out that some of them just seem like they're in the story because you want them to be, not because they really should be there. They do the things you want them to do, but maybe it's uninspiring and they just don't seem like real people when all is said and done. Why does this happen and how do you fix it? Here are some things to think about that might help elevate your character writing to the next level.
Prior to the Inferno of Caelon in 938 A4 that permanently destroyed much of the lush forests that covered the land, the concept of poaching was not a major offense throughout the land. While specific sections of the forests near each keep were off-limits for commoners, poaching on the land was not considered a critical issue that required punishment. The Inferno changed all of that for centuries to come.
Often times, we use the word plot when discussing stories, but the term is not always used correctly. All stories have plots - that's what makes them stories and not just character studies or events in the life of characters. Plots carry the story from beginning to middle to end, hopefully in a satisfactory way. But what about subplots? How do we describe subplots and what role do they play in stories? Here's a handy guide for you to consider.