A Thistle in the Wind

In case you missed it, I just wrapped up my June reading list, and a common denominator in the four great books I read this month was subtext. Seriously, when done right, subtext in writing can be an incredibly powerful tool to make your story seem more alive. If you have no idea what I’m talking about (and that’s totally fine), think of it this way. Have you ever read a story where characters feel very, very realistic? Where their true feelings and motivations just seemed to simmer beneath the surface? Well, that’s subtext.  And if you use it correctly, it can do wonders. So, without wasting any time, let’s…

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been talking about writing anti-heroes and villains (if you haven’t checked those blogs out, I highly recommend it). So, this week I thought it would only make sense to talk a bit about morally grey characters. Characters who aren’t evil or rebellious on purpose—but still make you uneasy. Or at the very least, question if they’re making the right decision, or make you ask yourself: would I have done anything different? Think Victoria Neuman from The Boys, or Zuko during the Ba Sing Se arc in Avatar: The Last Airbender. We’re talking about characters who have the potential to be right, do the…

Last week, I wrote a blog on writing anti-heroes, so naturally, this week’s blog had to be on writing villains. Villains are interesting, to say the least. I personally like them, especially if they’re written well, or played by Benedict Cumberbatch.  Side Note: Did you SEE him in Star Trek? It’s been over a decade and god, he was good. But my affinity to Benedict Cumberbatch aside, villains can be fun to write—if you write them correctly. I guess the real challenge with writing villains is just how easy it is to make them cartoony. And this isn’t an uncommon problem or anything. Sometimes, I have a really good hero…

I don’t know about you, but I do love myself a nicely written anti-hero. Seriously. I spent my teens fangirling over Loki and Sherlock. Yes, I am that person. No, I didn’t end up developing  a weirdly parasocial relationship with Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch.  I kind of grew out of it. But it did help me when I started dating in college. Of course, don’t tell that to my mother. As far as she’s concerned, I spent every waking hour pouring over my mechanical engineering coursework, and the only reason I didn’t pick up the phone that one week in May in 2019 is because I was studying for…

Let’s be honest, characters are the beating heart of any story. In fact, writers spend a lot of hours developing their personalities, their motivations, their desires and so on. And that’s great; you should probably know what your characters’ roles will be in your story. But once you’ve figured that out, the crucial next step is to introduce your characters in a way that captivates your audience. From the very first encounter. It doesn’t have to be fantastical. It just needs to be right. Because here’s the thing: just as in real life, first impressions are everything in fiction.  A strong character introduction will not only hook readers but also…