Hello writers! This week for Being a Better Writer we’re talking about a common misconception many have concerning stories, antagonists, and villains. Hit the jump, because understanding the difference is key to keeping our stories and characters nuanced.
This week on Being a Better Writer we once again return to the subject of writing villain protagonists! How does a villain protagonist ending differ from a regular one, and what considerations and adjustments will we need to make to our writing to deliver a satisfying payoff?
Welcome back readers! By now, unless something has gone desperately wrong, I’m well away from my desk, and this post was actually written back in April! So you’re getting this via the scheduler (which is also why some external links like Patreon or the Facebook page won’t have it until later). Me? I’m presumably experiencing … Continue reading Being a Better Writer: Considerations for a Villain Protagonist
Hello readers, and welcome to another installment of Being a Better Writer. Today’s installment is one that I’ve been waiting on for a while, as it’s been near the very bottom of Topic List #19. In fact, it is the second to last post from this list! There’s only one more to go after this, … Continue reading Being a Better Writer: Delivering a Villain and Making Them Truly Scary
Well readers, I made a mistake. Not a massive one, but a mistake nonetheless. Kind of a relieving one, too, since I’d been waiting for this shoe to drop for a while now (I had to screw up with one of these posts eventually). But I did screw up. Monday’s Being a Better Writer post? The … Continue reading BaBW: Sympathetic Villains Follow-Up
URGENT: READ THIS FOLLOW-UP IF YOU READ THIS POST! It clarifies a few important things. … are a mistaken understanding. Okay, that’s a strong statement as a lead-in for today’s post, but it has merit! Welcome back to Being a Better Writer, the weekly writing guide post where we discuss, well, writing topics of all kind. … Continue reading Being a Better Writer: Sympathetic Villains
This post was originally written and posted December 8th, 2014, and has been touched up and reposted here for archival purposes. Villains. Let’s be honest with one another. We love villains. Even when we despise them. Darth Vader’s labored breathing is iconic. Dolores Umbrage’s fascination with kittens an understood attempt at sinister camouflage. The Joker’s fashion … Continue reading Being a Better Writer: Developing Villains
This post was originally written and posted June 9th, 2014, and has been touched up and reposted here for archival purposes. Advance Warning: today’s post is going to involve copious amounts of spoilers from everything from games to movies to books. Most of them will be fairly obvious and over a year in age, but … Continue reading Being a Better Writer: I, Villain
Merry Christmas, writers! This week’s Being a Better Writer is not a new installment, but rather a revisit of some old classics. Since, you know, it’s Christmas and I am most definitely on my break. Which after getting Starforge out on time, I’m going to enjoy. Now, before I dive into things, I do want … Continue reading Classic Being a Better Writer: Most Popular Edition
This week on Being a Better Writer, we talk about overpowered and underpowered antagonists! Why this particular topic, and what counts as “overpowered” anyway? Hit the jump, and find out why these considerations can improve your writing!
Unusual Things 