mythcreantsblog

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It would be really nice if we could skip to the end of the MCU backlash, because we’ve reached the stage where whenever a character says something self aware, a bunch of people act like they’ve been personally wronged.

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Characters love to dramatically say “I tried to warn you” when in fact they did warn whoever they’re talking to, that person just ignored the warning. This inaccuracy cannot stand, and furthermore-

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Writers and fish out of water: name a more iconic duo. You can’t, because writers absolutely love this trope, and it’s not hard to see why. When a hero is out of their element, it puts them in a uniquely vulnerable position, raising sympathy and tension. Such stories can also be more immersive and less confusing, since readers learn about the world alongside the main character.

It’s not all sunshine and easy tension though. When the hero is a fish out of water, writers often have trouble justifying why this character should be the one solving the big problems. And while authors have more excuses to explain their world, boring info dumps are an ever-present danger. Fortunately, I have a few tips to avoid these issues and make sure we can all enjoy our fish out of water together, like a family.

#inspiration #storytelling

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Ultimate power move is to write a story that’s completely serious, plays every trope straight, but the protagonist is named John R.A. Savvy

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We all know how suspicious a writer’s search history is, but have you ever considered the poor editor who has to google the stuff a writer was too afraid to look up?

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Writers are expected to deliver stories in specific size categories, but judging the size of a story before it’s written is like predicting the weather. It’s not impossible, but even with careful measurement and lots of experience, it’s never entirely reliable. However, the right signals can give some idea of how big a story will be. The more we observe these signals, the faster we’ll get the hang of it.

#Writing #The Writing Process

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In 1978, Michael Moorcock released a famous essay known as Epic Pooh. In it, he mocks Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, Richard Adams and other famous fantasy authors by comparing their work to Winnie-the-Pooh. Moorcock even updated the essay in 2008, suggesting his mind has not changed.

But while Moorcock’s criticisms are harsh, he doesn’t make it easy to understand his reasoning. This is convenient for the fans who use Epic Pooh in support of whatever bold opinion they want to express.

#Commentary #Outside Advice

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Would you give me your take on whether my worldbuilding idea runs afoul of Oppressed Mages? Is it reasonable or just a bunch of red flags? I really don’t want to add to a problematic trope but also I’m fond of this super dark “let’s use experiments and manipulation to create loyal super troopers” thing

#Worldbuilding #Magic #Q&A

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Swords? How droll. Guns? Completely unfashionable. Aren’t there any weird weapons out there to satisfy our thirst for novelty? You know what we’re talking about: the kind of completely bizarre contraption that’s as much a danger to the wielder as to the enemy. Fortunately, there are actually quite a few of those in both fiction and real life!

#Podcast #Worldbuilding #History

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Low tension is a sadly common problem in stories at all skill levels. Writers either don’t know how to include tense elements or don’t understand the importance of doing so, creating a boring novel. What’s less common is for a story to have all the tools necessary to create tension, but not use them. 

Good thing we have Dennis Taylor’s We Are Legion (We are Bob) and For We Are Many, the first two books of the Bobiverse series, to show how that can happen. This story starts out super exciting, and then, without warning, all tension collapses. This happens despite a bunch of problems that should have been super tense, so what’s going on?  

#Analysis #Space #Tension

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Stories need a throughline – an important plot arc that encompasses the whole story. It helps us identify where the story starts, where it ends, and which events belong in the middle. Without that, the story will putter aimlessly until it wanders off or stops at an arbitrary point.

We can’t do much plotting until we know what our throughline is. But the more complex our stories are, the tougher it can be to identify whether we have a throughline and, if so, whether that throughline needs work.

#Storytelling #Plot #Throughline

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In most cases, a story’s success and popularity matter more than where it’s published for the purposes of critique. Stories like Worm and The Wandering Inn are both available online for free, but they’re also wildly popular and have huge reach. That makes them fair game to critique as far as we’re concerned. 

#Q&A #Meta #Editing

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Tension comes from problems that the characters have to solve, and if a character is important, they should contribute to solving the problem in question. But how will they contribute, exactly? This question can be difficult to answer, especially if you have a bunch of characters with different power levels on team good. Fortunately, we’ve got a few suggestions for you!

#Podcast #Storytelling #Characters

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If you listen to our podcast, you’ve probably heard me say, “nothing good ever happens in an interlude.” I say this with varying levels of exasperation depending on how bad the last interlude I encountered was. But surely I’m exaggerating, right? I can’t actually be condemning such a common literary device, so this must be the part where I redefine the term, allowing me to technically keep my provocative title without actually standing by it. 

Not this time! I genuinely believe that interludes are always a bad idea for storytellers, and I’m happy to tell you why. 

#Storytelling #Writing #Throughline

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Character banter isn’t the only way to build chemistry, but it’s both effective and entertaining. But banter frequently employs playful barbs, especially when it’s between characters who don’t get along. Without care, such teasing can cross the line into mean-spirited put-downs, damaging audience investment in your characters.

This can be especially tricky in writing, because readers interpret the tone of voice from a character’s words. We don’t have actors to make cruel lines come off as loving gibes. So let’s look at how to write banter that’s fun instead of just mean.

#Storytelling #Dialogue #Romance & Relationships

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My answer might be a bit of a downer, but here it is: I can imagine plenty of interesting stories to build around Romulus’s star going supernova, but I cannot think of anything that would fit within the 2009 movie’s constraints. 

#Q&A #Analysis #Star Trek

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It’s well known that Mythcreants hates it when novels employ multiple viewpoints, but what if we didn’t? In a handful of specific situations, that is. Don’t want to get too wild here. This week, we’re discussing when additional POVs are actually good for your story, and why that’s the case. We discuss political drama, fraught relationships, groundbreaking cinema, and also whether readers need to know which floor everyone is on.

#Podcast #Storytelling #Multiple POVs