Writing Roots

Guilt weights heavily on many protagonists in a story. It’s not often an emotion felt by the villain, though it can be the root for a different emotion which they use to fuel their motivation. Overall...

23 Mar 202311min

Whether it’s a lovable but infuriating protagonist or a punchable antagonist, it is quite common to include a character whose defining trait is smugness. In this episode, we take a look at this form o...

20 Mar 202312min

Much like courage, the emotion of vengeance is easily a plot device. It’s common enough in stories and has seen a rise in popularity with the morally gray heroes. If you want to use it in your own sto...

16 Mar 202311min

If you ever write a physical conflict, pain will be a key element to the story. Too many authors forget about injuries or gloss over the reality of what a punch or stab would mean for the character. U...

13 Mar 202311min

While similar, terror and horror are two different ways to represent fear in your story. Knowing when to apply each one is the important part. Most characters will feel some kind of fear during their ...

9 Mar 202311min

Courage is one of the niche emotions that nearly every book will contain regardless of genre, age group or tropes. Protagonists especially will have a moment when they need to be courageous despite th...

6 Mar 202311min

Throughout March, we will be covering a variety of specific emotions, starting with reverence. This is not solely a religious emotion. A character can experience reverence towards many things, from a ...

2 Mar 202312min

In some ways, releasing a book to the world means it’s no longer yours. The world and its characters belong to the audience. However, the responsibilities still belong to you. The post-launch mindset ...

27 Feb 202311min