You have Character A and Character B. You have them in Place at Time. What you don’t have is your plot. You turn to the tried-and-true method: giving your characters a goal. The idea behind pointing your characters towards a goal is to give them a motivation. Character motivation is the reason a character does… Continue reading Why Character Goals Aren’t Driving Your Plot
Category: character
Creating the Antagonist
Every story is about conflict. The struggle between two opposing forces is what drives every story. Often that means that there is some form of antagonist or villain. As the antagonist, it’s easy to forget how to properly build a character, but weak antagonists can hinder your story just as much as a weak protagonist.… Continue reading Creating the Antagonist
Emotional Arcs
In every scene of your story, your characters should want something. What they want can vary wildly and often contradicts what other characters want. This is a part of creating conflict and tension. Today however, we’re talking a little bit about actions and reactions. More specifically, we’re discussing how emotional arcs work in scenes. With… Continue reading Emotional Arcs
The Emotion Wheel
Of the three cornerstones of storytelling, characters have to put up with a lot. Not only do they have to respond and react to the movements of plot, but they do so within the constrains of their setting. Their motives are constantly questioned and everyone almost always wants to know what their goal is. It’s… Continue reading The Emotion Wheel
Exercise: Make it Musical
When it comes to musicals, most people tend to either love them or hate them. Regardless of your thoughts on musicals, you’ve probably heard at least one or two songs from them that get stuck in your head. (I’ll note here that I’ve been bopping along to Rewrite the Stars from The Greatest Showman for… Continue reading Exercise: Make it Musical
The Written Vixen 