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Step By StepFollow StoryWeaver's path of 200 interactive Story Cards from concept to completion of your novel or screenplay.
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Author Archives: Melanie Anne Phillips
The Four Throughines in To Kill A Mockingbird
There are four throughlines that must be explored in every story for it to feel to readers or audience that the underlying issues have been fully explored and the message fully supported. Throughline 1: The Objective Story The Objective Story is … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Objective and Subjective Characters, Story Structure
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Your Influence Character is the Heart of Your Story
What is an Influence Character? It is the one who has an opposite philosophy, morality, or personal code to that of the Main Character. Over the course of a story, the Influence Character continually pressures the Main Character’s core beliefs, … Continue reading
Posted in Building Characters
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Characters: Cogs in the Machine?
From a structural standpoint, characters are just cogs in the machine. They have a job to do in the story as a protagonist, antagonist or any one of the functional roles that must be filled for the story to make … Continue reading
Posted in Building Characters
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SECRETS if the Protagonist…
The Protagonist is one of the most misunderstood characters in a story’s structure. It is often assumed that this character is a typical “Hero” who is a good guy, the central character in the story, and the Main Character (the … Continue reading
Posted in Characters
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Protagonist & Antagonist – Who ARE These Guys?
The protagonist and antagonist may not be who you think they are. For one thing, a protagonist is not necessarily the hero of a story. Structurally speaking, the protagonist is the one who shakes up the status quo – that’s … Continue reading
Posted in Archetypes
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Get Into Your Characters’ Heads
One of the most powerful opportunities of the novel format is the ability to describe what a character is thinking. In movies or stage plays (with exceptions) you must show what the character is thinking through action and/or dialog. But … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Novel Writing, Story Development
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Letting Go of Characters
Over the course of the story, your reader/audience has come to know your characters and to feel for them. The story doesn’t end when your characters and their relationships reach a climax. Rather, the reader/audience will want to know the … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Creative Writing, Story Development
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Excuses, Excuses…
When a child comes up with a false reason for some small transgression, we know he is just making an excuse to avoid punishment or to side-step a negative emotional response. Adults continue to make excuses; they just do it … Continue reading
Posted in Story Development
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Characters: The Attributes of Age
Some writers tend to create characters that are more or less the same age as themselves. Other writers populate their stories with characters of all ages but have them all act as if they are the same age as the … Continue reading
Posted in Creative Writing
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The Hero Breaks Down
Groucho Marx once said, “You’re headed for a nervous breakdown. Why don’t you pull yourself to pieces?” That, in fact, is what we’re going to do to our hero. Now many writers focus on a Hero and a Villain as … Continue reading
Posted in Story Structure
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