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Tag Archives: villain
Two Effective Types of Antagonists
There are as many kinds of antagonists as there are stories, but from what I’ve observed, there are two types which are particularly effective. The first type is a sympathetic antagonist. The word ‘sympathetic’ can mean several different things, but … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged antagonists, characters, game of thrones, heinous, justified, once upon a time, suspense, sympathetic, villain
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MacGuffin Plotting
A MacGuffin is an item that becomes the central focus of the plot—despite the fact that it doesn’t really matter what it actually is. It has become a staple feature of blockbuster films, even though some call it lazy plotting—but … Continue reading
How to Develop Themes
If you’ve ever taken an English class, you have probably talked a lot about “theme.” Some teachers call it a one-word topic, like “love” or “individuality”; some call it a phrase or message, like “love conquers all” or “crime doesn’t … Continue reading
Making Your Heroes Proactive
I wrote yesterday about how to start developing the motivation for your hero to stop the villain. Often, this is because the villain is doing evil things, and so the hero rises to stop them. However, sometimes your villain isn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged goal, hero, motivation, plan, Plot, proactive, Story, villain
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Making Strides
The first step for any writer-to-be is to find the idea. Depending on the desired length and complexity of the project at hand, that can be its own epic struggle. But whether it hits you like a lightning bolt or … Continue reading
Posted in My Writing
Tagged Development, Ideas, motivation, plotting, Story, villain
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Finding the Hero
Note: When I say “hero,” I mean the protagonist of any gender. Because I’ve decided I want a single protagonist (whether or not I go with a single POV), I have to develop a character that is at the center … Continue reading
Developing Ideas: The Devil’s in the Details
Last time, I wrote about finding your villain. If you’re writing the kind of story that is mostly driven by the villain’s actions (as a lot of “plot” stories are), coming up with the villain is probably the first step … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged developing ideas, motivation, planning, Plot, round two, villain
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Developing Ideas: Finding The Villain (Part Two)
[A continuation of this post.] First, I look to the world and any potential conflict there. Is there some major clash between groups in your world, based on race or class or gender or species or some other cultural element? … Continue reading
Developing Ideas: Finding the Villain (Part One)
Sometimes a story seems to suggest its own plot. If your main character is imprisoned, it’s probably a natural extension of events to have them try to escape. And then, when they do, they have to hide out from the … Continue reading
J. Sevick 