Image by Tithi Luadthong on Shutterstock Can Two Guys With Guns Really Solve Your Plot Problems? This famous writing adage can cause as many problems as it solves. April 20, 2024April 18, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi in Commentary, Writing
Q&A: What Are the Implications of Tardis Tech? Submitted by Friend Yoshi, answered by Oren Ashkenazi April 22, 2024April 18, 2024 in Worldbuilding
Episode 480: Curiosity in Fiction A podcast? How mysterious! April 21, 2024April 22, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, Bunny, and Emma Riley
How to Make Unhappiness Into Effective Stakes A discontented protagonist needs to be sympathetic instead of whiny. April 19, 2024April 25, 2024 by Chris Winkle in Storytelling
Q&A: How Can I Build an Overarching RPG Plot? Submitted by Prince Infidel, answered by Oren Ashkenazi April 15, 2024April 11, 2024 in Roleplaying
Episode 479: Spotting Bad Writing Advice Does it sound too good to be true? Probably fine. April 14, 2024April 11, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, Bunny, and Rugdel
Six Tips for Constructing a Heroic Sacrifice When heroes suffer a loss on purpose, audience scrutiny is high. April 13, 2024April 11, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi in Storytelling
Why Michael Moorcock Despises Tolkien and C.S. Lewis In his essay, Epic Pooh, Moorcock mocks his fellow authors for incoherent reasons. April 12, 2024April 18, 2024 by Chris Winkle in Commentary
Q&A: Does This Premise Run Afoul of Oppressed Mages? Submitted by Josh, answered by Oren Ashkenazi April 8, 2024April 4, 2024 in Worldbuilding
Episode 478: Weird Weapons USB Arrows are a step too far! April 7, 2024April 10, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, Bunny, and Steven
How the Bobiverse Turned Excitement Into Boredom The ingredients for tension are all laid out and then just left there. April 6, 2024April 4, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi in Analysis
Finding Your Story’s Throughline What is your story about? That sounds simple, but it can be tricky in practice. April 5, 2024April 11, 2024 by Chris Winkle in Storytelling
Q&A: Which Stories Should We Critique? Submitted by Dave, answered by Oren Ashkenazi April 1, 2024March 28, 2024 in Meta
Episode 477: Giving Protagonists a Way to Contribute Many hands make light plotting. March 31, 2024March 31, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, Bunny, and Adam Wik
Why Nothing Good Ever Happens in an Interlude Common or not, these interruptions are best avoided. March 30, 2024March 28, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi in Storytelling, Writing
How to Write Barbs and Banter That Aren’t Mean When teasing goes wrong, it can alienate readers. March 29, 2024April 4, 2024 by Chris Winkle in Storytelling
Q&A: What Would You Do With the Romulus Supernova? Submitted by Star of Hope, answered by Oren Ashkenazi March 25, 2024March 21, 2024 in Analysis
Episode 476: When Multiple Viewpoints Actually Work Sometimes (not most times) two perspectives are better than one. March 24, 2024March 21, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi, Chris Winkle, Bunny, and Svea Phillips
Stephen King’s Fairy Tale Shows the Dangers of Lazy Retellings Fantasy references are tossed haphazardly into the story without rhyme or reason. March 23, 2024March 21, 2024 by Oren Ashkenazi in Analysis
Explaining Your Hero’s Secret Parentage So, your hero is the lost heir to Magicland. How does that work? March 22, 2024March 27, 2024 by Chris Winkle in Inspiration, Storytelling
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