I always write from the same perspective – human, and in the first person. In my novel, I have shape shifters. One of the pieces of feedback I had was to explore further what being in another form would feel like to all the senses. Hence this weeks writespiration was born. I thought I would keep it narrow, hence the restriction to insects, but hey, there are millions of species…
Here’s mine: [Read more…] about Writespiration #39
Some villains are just plain nuts, right? Wrong.
Whether or not mental health disorders should or shouldn’t be used to create sinister villains isn’t up for debate. They are used, whether anyone likes it or not, and frequently used too. Let me be clear; I am not suggesting people or characters with mental health issues are all villains or antagonists. What I am saying is that some of the great villains in literary and film history have these disorders. What’s unfortunate is that most of the time they’re used in a clichéd or subtly discriminatory way.
Understanding these disorders and their sometimes comorbid nature allows us to create more authentic villains. I want to tread carefully here; I think it’s important to respect mental health and the sufferers and to remove the myths and misonomers surrounding them.
There are some important lessons we can learn from these illnesses which can help us to bring authenticity to our characters. Having an awareness of these disorders can give you insight, genuine reactions, and understanding of what the source of their conflict can be – which gives you more plot and more depth to your characters. [Read more…] about The 6 Most Sinister Villain Personalities – Crafting Villains #4
When I saw this image on pinterest I didn’t even have to think twice. I pinned it immediately. Why? Because I thought it was terrifying. I have a bit of a morbid fascination with anything that makes me feel uncomfortable or scared or awkward. This photo sent ripples of chills down my back. I scrunched up my face and peered closer even though I was a bit scared the puppet might jump out of my phone at me! It also happened to get a lot of repins, I figured if it was popular on pinterest, it might also be a worthy inspiration. I hope you like it… or if not, I hope it terrifies you! :p
Here’s mine: [Read more…] about Writespiration #38
Do you ever need just five more minutes in your day? Maybe you want to edit another post, or write a short, or a piece of flash for a competition. But you just don’t seem to have enough time. I’m writing this post, because I always need more time. I’m pretty good at being efficient. But I could be better. I know I could squeeze another half hour out my day. But how when I’m a busy worker bee, mother, wife, friend, chef, cleaner…. Etc etc?! [Read more…] about 10 Life Hacks For The Efficient Writer
If you find yourself inspired, jot a poem, a few words, a sentence or even story, in fact, anything that comes to you, and I will post it with next weeks Writespiration.
Heres Mine: [Read more…] about Writespiration #37
We all love to hate bad guys, and you gave me some fantastic additions to my villain list last week, (thank you). But what I love more than hating a bad guy, is a bad guy that makes me love with them before I hate them. It makes the hate so much more intense because the author cheated me, and I hate thinking of myself as gullible, so if they did get to me, then that makes them superbad in my eyes!
I’ve been thinking about my own antagonists/villains in my WIP, and what I can do to develop them and make them more hateable because they’re loveable.
Your villain needs a redeeming quality or positive trait. [Read more…] about 6 Simple Steps to Superbad Villains
