Process
Why Your Magic Needs Rules
Don't you hate it when you're reading a story about mages and you're trying to figure out why they don't just use magic to get out of a problem? The apprentice has cast a fireball, used telekinesis to grab keys while in a cell, and took advantage of psychometry to get a clue from the killer's hammer, but then has a problem opening a door; while it's a nice nod to Vox Machina, it brings up a lot of questions about how your magic system works.
By Jamais Jochim12 months ago in Writers
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 Jochim12 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 Jochim12 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 Jochim12 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 Jochim12 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 Jochim12 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 Jochim12 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 Jochim12 months ago in Writers
L.K.'s Unofficial Vocal Awards
✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤 You’d think reading a story a day for a year would get repetitive. That’s what I thought when I started the 365 Days of Vocal challenge—expecting it to be a checkbox kind of task, like brushing your teeth or pretending to enjoy small talk at parties. But somewhere between Day 1 and Day 30, it stopped being a routine and became a ritual. Like flipping through records in a dusty shop, not knowing which album you’d take home.
By L.K. Rolan12 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 Jochim12 months ago in Writers
