Writing

  • How to Handle Multiple POVs

    First person and third person limited are the choices of trend nowadays. When you open a book, chances are you’ll either see a narration from one single person’s point of view, with little insight given elsewhere; or the entire narrative told from behind the MC’s eyes. But it’s also possible to handle more than one

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  • “The Courtroom”

    “The Courtroom”

    They didn’t want me here, but tough shit. I’m an adult. And I’m not here for them, anyway—I’m here for Max. The room is packed, with good reason. I linger near the back, concealed by the distraction of the trial. Today, a new defendant sits behind the table. Her eyes are sharp, and her brow

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  • Spider-Man: Far From Home – My Thoughts

    Spider-Man: Far From Home is a failure of a good superhero, Spider-Man, or movie in general. It does no justice to the character of Spider-Man, belittling him and erasing his identity in favor of molding a replacement Tony Stark. It similarly damages and pushes aside the character of Fury solely for an irrelevant twist. The

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  • The Queen Mother of All Tropes

    Tropes can vary wildly—from soft and cuddly interactions like “grumpy x sunshine,” to the infamous “enemies to lovers,” where authors will tout all sorts of disturbed interactions we’re supposed to find “appealing” or “romantic.” MCs can be “cinnamon rolls,” or “unhinged and morally gray.” Romance can be sweet to “dark”—like your favorite brew of coffee.

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  • “The Cane House”

    “The Cane House”

    The Cane house—the stuff of small-town legends. A wreck that had been condemned long before all but the town’s oldest residents had been born. Misguided souls sometimes attempted to arrange a petition to have the site preserved; but they were always mocked out of possibility, and their efforts faded to be recycled when the town

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  • Spider-Man: Homecoming – My Thoughts

    Spider-Man: Homecoming was at best a decently action-packed, surface-level superhero movie; and at worst a soulless and confusing remake that sacrificed the journey of the actual MC to create yet another (rather unnecessary) installment in the Iron Man saga. * * * Disclaimer that these are my opinions, and you’re not an evil person for

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  • Let’s Talk About Villains

    Let’s Talk About Villains

    A good villain doesn’t need the most tragic backstory and sympathetic motivations—they just need to feel like a believable person. But how do you determine if your villain passes the test? * * * What is Evil? Every villain is lemons, obviously. But on a serious note—the main element that separates your villains from the

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  • “The Pen”

    “The Pen”

    He flicked the pen in his hands, as carelessly as if it were just a cheap device purchased at the dollar store. Which it might’ve been. Despite the whispers Joel had heard, the pen had yet to exhibit any special abilities, other than the ability to dispense ink. The neon light of the passing signs

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  • I Try to Remember the Plot of “Harry Potter”

    I’ve long toyed with the idea of an audacious Harry Potter fic, where I attempt to fix all the plot holes and whip the characters into something resembling a consistent shape. Or, at the least, just re-plot all seven books so they make more sense. I haven’t quite gotten around to that yet; but amid

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  • The Four-Element Plot

    The Four-Element Plot

    You’ve all heard of the typical five-act plot structure—exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. And it’s an excellent structure—bare-bones enough to apply to just about any story, while providing enough of a framework to fit your elements inside. But there’s another structure that comes in handy, especially when you’re dealing with a work

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