Jamais Jochim
Bio
I'm the guy who knows every last fact about Spider-man and if I don't I'll track it down. I love bad movies, enjoy table-top gaming, and probably would drive you crazy if you weren't ready for it.
Stories (246)
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Exposing Your Characters
Nudity is one of those weird things where you seem to either have too much or too little of it. As writers, we need to debate its use as it has plenty of meanings that we may not be ready for; the use of nudity in the wrong situation may give a scene an unusual flavor. However, its proper use can add deeper meaning to the scene as well as increase its immersion value. Nudity can be all sorts of fun to include, but its use does need to be debated.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
Building Characters
Lots of writers have problems when it comes to building characters. They either build characters that end up being too powerful for their setting, that don't fit into the world, or just have the wrong number of dimensions (either two flat or have too much going on). They need a system to help them not only decide where their characters fit in and possibly help them do some world-building on the side.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
Five Problems With Being a Writer (and How to Solve Them!)
Being a writer means that you have a lot of neuroses. Making it fun is when you need to overcome those neuroses in order to get something on the page. With that in mind, here are some of the more basic problems writers face and how to overcome them.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
A Suggestion For Comic Book Scripts
One of the problems with writing comic book scripts is that there seems to be no consensus on how to write a comic book script. While Marvel and DC seem to have a template, they don't seem to put it out. Worse, writers have been told that they should use whatever method appeals to them; this has resulted in a range of formats from movie scripts to just throwing prose at the illustrator and letting them figure it out. These make it hard for the illustrator to figure out what the writer wants; miscommunication is always a bad thing.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
Building Villains
The villain needs to bring one thing to the story: Conflict. While it's fine for the hero to have an interior conflict, you need some sort of external conflict, the conflict that provides the punishment should the hero fail to resolve the interior issue. A villain who doesn't provide conflict is a weak villain and needs to be better well-defined.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
How I Outline
Everyone has their own way of outlining. This stands to reason as everyone's process is different; everyone thinks differently and learns how to do things differently. Thus, it should be no surprise that everyone has a different process for doing something. My outline process is based in large part on my interest in movies; I tend to break things down intuitively in terms of the three-act structure as well as beats. Even the number of scenes I use is based on movie scripts.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
How to Develoop B-Plots
Most writers have no problem with A-plots. Even pantsers have no problems with their main plots; they may wander, but they have a pretty good idea of where they are going. However, it's the B-plots, the secondary threads, that most writers have a problem with. The problem is pretty simple: They just aren't as pretty as the longer and more convoluted main plots. Some writers even forget that B-plots serve a pretty useful purpose. It is thus pretty important to include some secondary plots in your story.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
Creating Your Very Own Multiple Personality Disorder
[First off, let's be very clear: This has little to do with the actual psychological disorder as currently recognized beyond the name. My sincerest apologies for any offense from those actually suffering from said disorder, but I needed a way to explain the situation succinctly, and unfortunately this was the easiest. However, as shall be readily apparent there are enough similarities to warrant its use.]
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
How Simple Can a Villain Be?
The antagonist of a story is arguably the most important character. Few characters help define the theme as well as the antagonist, and an antagonist that doesn't challenge the protagonist is just weak; there is little wonder why so much care goes into defining the antagonist. However, sometimes you want to use a simple antagonist; sometimes using a well-developed villain just doesn't work; sometimes you want to have a villain that's just an elemental force of nature rather than something that has been fully developed. There are some issues that you need to consider.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
Dealing With Writer's Block
Every writer has to deal with writer's block at some time. This is that moment when you just can't focus on the story when you've run out of steam, when you look at the screen and nothing appears on it; these moments are the ones that every writer dreads. While there are many causes, there are some simple ways to deal with them and get back to writing.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
Building a Magic System, Part II
Why You Need a Master You may not need someone to gain your powers, but you need someone to help you get better at using them. You can be a student or an apprentice, or even have a spirit guide; you just need someone to show you how to use your abilities. While there are some really great themes attached to this (membership, corruption, nostalgia), the important part from your perspective is that it gives you a way to explain your magic system or just develop some sort of teacher/student relationship; it can even be used to seduce the mage down a particular path. In essence, it's a great way to deal with some exposition and/or develop the character, as well as possibly throw some conflict into the situation.
By Jamais Jochim11 months ago in Writers
