13.12: Q&A on Heroes, Villains, and Main Characters
Writing Excuses25 Maalis 2018

13.12: Q&A on Heroes, Villains, and Main Characters

Your Cast: Brandon, Valynne, Dan, Howard

You had questions about heroes, villains, and main characters. We have answers! Here are the questions:

* How do you make planned power increases not seem like an ass-pull¹?
* What do you do when your villain is more interesting/engaging than your hero?
* How do you know when a character is unnecessary and needs to be removed from the story, or killed off in the story?
* What tricks do you use when you want the reader to mistakenly believe a character is a hero, rather than a villain?
* Which is more fun for you: creating a villain, or creating a hero?
* How many side characters can you reasonably juggle in a novel?
* What are the drawbacks to making your villain a POV character?
* If your villain doesn't show up until late in the story, how do you make their eventual appearance seem justified?
* How do you get readers to like a character who is a jerk?

Liner Footnotes
¹ We hadn't seen "ass-pull," the a nouning² of the idiom "pull it out of your ass³" as a noun before.
² Bill Watterson gave us the verb form of the word "noun" indirectly in the final panel of this strip.
³ For those unfamiliar with the extraction-from-orifice idiom, it means "make it up on the spot," with a negative connotation, suggesting that the reader can TELL that this was invented in a hurry. Our Sponsors: * Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great deal: https://MasterClass.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(1005)

21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable

21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable

A great twist shouldn’t just surprise us—it should make us rethink everything that came before. This week, our hosts explore reader expectations, misdirection, and hiding clues in plain sight. We look...

6 Syys 23min

21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu

21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu

This week, our hosts explore kishōtenketsu, an Asian story structure that appears under different names in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Unlike the Western three-act structure, it isn’t built arou...

30 Elo 21min

21.34: Knowing the Distance

21.34: Knowing the Distance

How close is your reader to the story? Should they be closer? Today, our hosts get nerdy about narrative distance: the space between reader, narrator, character, and world. We talk POV, sensory detail...

23 Elo 23min

21.33: When To Shift Gears

21.33: When To Shift Gears

A story doesn’t always need the same tools from beginning to end. In this episode, we talk about recognizing when it’s time to shift gears—and how to make those changes feel intentional rather than ab...

16 Elo 22min

21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints

21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints

There never seems to be enough time to write—but is time really the problem? Our hosts explore the reality of working within limited hours, changing life circumstances, and competing priorities. We sh...

9 Elo 27min

21.31: Deconstructing Save the Cat

21.31: Deconstructing Save the Cat

Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder was published in 2005 and is widely popular because it offers a reliable, repeatable storytelling framework. Today we are ...

2 Elo 27min

21.30: Chapter Breaks Soon

21.30: Chapter Breaks Soon

A lot of times people want to know what the "ideal length" is for a chapter. But chapters can range from one sentence, to a single scene, all the way up to Terry Pratchett who doesn't use chapters at ...

26 Heinä 27min

21.29: How to Make a Scene

21.29: How to Make a Scene

What makes a scene feel like a scene? This week, we unpack one of storytelling's most basic building blocks. Our hosts explore where scenes begin and end, how they differ from beats, and why framing a...

19 Heinä 28min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
vallattomat
psykopodiaa-podcast
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
lakicast
rss-rahamania
rss-sami-miettinen-neuvottelija
rss-oivalluksia-rahasta-elamasta
hyva-paha-johtaminen
rss-karon-grilli
rss-pinnan-alle
leadcast
rss-olen-yrittaja
rss-yritys-ja-erehdys
pomojen-suusta
rss-startup-ministerio
oppimisen-psykologia
rss-matkalla-johtajaksi-saija-aikas-petra-eratuli-powered-by-kauppakamari