by Nanci | Nov 18, 2024 | Character, Plot, Podcast
Cause and effect is one of the staples of a cohesive plot. Every cause leads to an effect. It’s often described as a chain reaction: one event leads to another and another. But when we think of cause and effect solely in what happens, we’re missing a big...
by Nanci | Nov 11, 2024 | Character, Podcast
How do you build character into the structure of your story? What’s the story beneath the plot? What character secrets are driving your story forward? You never want to rely on plot structures alone. There’s the story underneath that’s driving the...
by Nanci | Oct 28, 2024 | Character, Podcast
How do you write beyond the stock, archetypical villain? How do you make him or her more intriguing and believable? How do you write a fascinating villain? How do you surprise us? In this episode, I’m sharing 3 ways to make your villain complex and...
by Nanci | Oct 14, 2024 | Character, Podcast
First-person is one of the trickiest character perspectives to master. In many ways, it’s more challenging than third-person narration. Third-person has its challenges too, but writing in first- person comes with a unique set of challenges and limitations. In...
by Nanci | Oct 7, 2024 | Character, Podcast
When reading a story, the reader’s brain actively simulates the experience of the characters. The reader becomes so absorbed in the story, they experience it as though it’s true. They believe in it. But before a reader can have that experience, you have to...
by Nanci | Sep 30, 2024 | Character, Podcast
What is an anti-hero and why do they fascinate us? How do they keep us invested in their plight scene by scene? Even as they do immoral, criminal, or deplorable things? I’m a big fan of antiheroes because we can’t have a neutral reaction to them. So in...
