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When we talk about plot twists, we tend to only really discuss those twists that come at the ends of their stories. Such twists are great, they’re one of the most effective ways to bring your story to a genuine climax, but they’re not the only way to go. Plenty of stories twist within their first third, or halfway through, treating a realignment of assumptions not as the point the story builds to, …
[Read more...] about 6 Daring Plot Twists To Try In Your Writing – Part 1
Unless you hold an advanced degree in human psychology, understanding the intricacies of characters who don’t think like you can be tricky business. In previous articles, we’ve taken deep dives into a few powerful personality tests to enrich the character development process. Today, I’d like to offer a glimpse at a selection of other tests that can take your characters to the next level and …
[Read more...] about These Popular Personality Tests Could Revolutionize Your Writing
We’ve talked before about using personality tests to add depth and complexity to characters. While such tests may not be definitive psychological measures, they’re sincere examinations of how people think and behave, which can make them valuable tools for writers. Well, today we’re going to be looking at another new addition to your tool belt – the StrengthsFinder. The StrengthsFinder can …
[Read more...] about Want Stronger Characters? Try The StrengthsFinder
Donald E. Westlake is perhaps the definitive writer’s writer, having published more than one hundred books under various names, including Curt Clark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt, Edwin West, Judson Jack Carmichael and – most famously – Richard Stark. Why so many names? Partly because Westlake showed admirable brand management by choosing different names when writing in different genres, and partly …
[Read more...] about 7 Ways Donald E. Westlake (And Richard Stark) Can Help You Improve Your Writing
Sometimes, even when something has existed for hundreds of years, it takes another culture to accurately identify it and give it a name. Such is the case for the ‘tsundere’ character – a personality type that we all recognize but which the English language hasn’t quite succeeded in capturing. Now, learning a new literary term is always fun, but identifying a character type that can be found …
[Read more...] about How Do You Write A Great Tsundere Character?
If you’ve been following our blog closely (and if not, why not?), you’ll remember our recent post on using the Myers-Briggs personality types to build your characters and influence the decisions they make in your plot. Now, that’s all well and good, but Myers-Briggs is just one of dozens of personality tests designed to sort people into different groups or types. Far, far older than Myers-Briggs …
[Read more...] about How Blood, Phlegm, and Bile Can Produce Compelling Characters
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