Category Archives: Character Development

Writing: Keeping Character Confrontation Results Realistic

If you don’t prove your character deserves to win, no amount of writing technique is going to get your readers to suspend disbelief and buy into your story. Picture a baseball field. Imagine that Roger Clemons has taken the mound. … Continue reading

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Writing: Character Reactions Can Make Or Break Suspension of Disbelief

Character reactions to and use of your make-believe elements can make or break your reader’s suspension of disbelief. I’m a huge Yankees fan. During baseball season—especially the final few weeks and the playoffs—I do whatever it takes to keep track … Continue reading

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Writing Technique: Creating Believable Worlds, Characters & Creatures

Even your make-believe worlds, characters, and creatures should still contain believable elements. Use what you know about human nature, history, economics, government, and science to make your world feel real. Movies are full of ostentatious stunts and explosions that most … Continue reading

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Writing Technique: Creating a Believable Setting

Creating a believable setting can help your readers suspend their disbelief and accept the make-believe elements in your story. Author Lakin Konieczny (read her blog here) left a great comment on one of my blog posts, explaining how she creates … Continue reading

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The Magic of a Good Story

Making Make-Believe Believable: A story’s true magic has nothing to do with fantasy elements. Don’t neglect the essence of storytelling simply because you write speculative fiction. First and foremost, it’s important to understand why people read fiction. Readers want to … Continue reading

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Writing Villains: Lessons from Bane and The Dark Knight Rises

A writer’s work is never finished. Ideas, inspirations, to-do lists, and drafts flood our thoughts and our time. The act of writing should not stop when we turn off our computers. We can draw inspiration and instruction on writing from … Continue reading

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