Articles & Essays & Other Nifty Things
Characterization & Character Development
Writing Children Right
A piece on the unrealistic behavior of children in fiction versus their actual behavior.
Is your character an egomobile?
Think of a short Mary Sue litmus test without the scoring system.
Wonder-Baby Syndrome - Or, How To Make Your Audience Hate Your Character's Crotchfruit
Title is self-explanitory.
How To Write Better Villains
A collection of tips on writing villains.
Character Development Questions
Questions to help you develop your characters.
List of Fairytale Tropes and Cliches
Gleaned from like a kerjillion different fairytales.
Character Names
"I Need Help Naming My Character!" - What To Do When You Don't Know What To Name Your Character
Some tips and advice on naming characters.
On Creating Fantasy Alphabets
Just some tips and brain-stretchers I wrote on creating fantasy alphabets.
Names of THE FUTURE!!!
A quick look at what kinds of names people might have in the future.
Responsible & Socially-Conscious Writing
7 Offensive Mistakes Well-Intentioned Writers Make
And some of them are made by highly-respected writers!
7 MORE Offensive Mistakes Well-Intentioned Writers Make
There seems to be no end to them.
Why It's Never "Just Fiction"
Can you let an offensive or bad story off the hook story because it's "just" fiction? The evidence says no.
Things in Speculative Fiction That Would Be Unforgiveably Offensive If Only Everyone Was Human
Just what it says on the tin.
Other
Human Psychology and its Effect on Myths, Legends, and Superstition
A well-developed world needs myths and legends. Here I explore a bit on how they might be born.
Things We're Not Likely To See On The Screen
If my observations of Hollywood and TV are correct, we're not going to be seeing these anytime soon in any great quantities.
6 Christmas Special Tropes That Need to DIE
Seriously, STOP IT WITH THESE TROPES.
Things They Keep Putting Into Peter Pan Adaptations That Weren't in the Book
Proof that people pay more attention to Walt Disney than J.M. Barrie.
Tropes Used in Successful Fantasy & Speculative Fictions That Inspire Creativity in Fans
The things in stories that get peoples' creative juices flowing.
Why Stories About Dragons SUCK
A short rant that many an aspiring fantasy writer should read.
Common Fairy Tale Myths Debunked
No, this ain't the old "they were all really horrible and bloody until Disney got them!" If you actually believe that, you need to read this.
Brief Thoughts
A collection of thoughts and musings too short to put on their own pages.