Writing Craft Using clichés in fiction Reading Time: 4 minutes “I encourage students to pursue an idea far enough so they can see what the clichés and stereotypes are. Only […] Scott Stoops 1 month agoOctober 21, 2022Post a Comment
Writing Craft Using a deep point of view. Reading Time: 3 minutes “Who says he’s seeing this place the way we’re seeing it? Humans see what they want to see. You’re very […] Scott Stoops 2 months agoOctober 14, 2022Post a Comment
Characters Writing Craft Let your characters fail. Reading Time: 6 minutes “Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them–in order that […] Scott Stoops 2 months agoOctober 9, 2022Post a Comment
Characters Writing Craft Why you should hide your villain Reading Time: 4 minutes “Nobody is a villain in their own story. We’re all the heroes of our own stories.” George R. R. Martin […] Scott Stoops 2 months agoSeptember 30, 2022Post a Comment
Stories Are there only 36 stories? Reading Time: 2 minutes “We tend to prefer stories that fit into the molds which are familiar, and reject narratives that do not align […] Scott Stoops 2 months agoSeptember 30, 2022Post a Comment
Characters Writing Craft What makes for a good villain? Reading Time: 4 minutes “A villain must be a thing of power, handled with delicacy and grace. He must be wicked enough to excite […] Scott Stoops 2 months agoSeptember 30, 20221 Comment
Characters Writing Craft Why you should have flaws in characters Reading Time: 4 minutes “Flaws would not only bring death but, far worse, humiliation.” ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride We spend millions of dollars per […] Scott Stoops 3 months agoSeptember 30, 20223 Comments
Writer's Corner How true is fiction? Reading Time: 5 minutes “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” Albert Camus If Albert Camus is right, that fiction is […] Scott Stoops 3 months agoSeptember 1, 2022Post a Comment
Writing Craft An Anthropomorphic House Reading Time: 3 minutes Write about this topic “Beacons of Hope.” That was the challenge for this past month’s writing prompt. Given the kinds […] Scott Stoops 3 months agoSeptember 30, 2022Post a Comment
Writing Craft What’s your point of view? Reading Time: 4 minutes “I did some reading the other day,” my friend Albert told me. “What does Point of View mean?” Emboldened by […] Scott Stoops 4 months agoSeptember 30, 20221 Comment
