Antiheroes: Breaking Stereotypes
“I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them” – Sherlock Holmes, in the TV series Sherlock. In the realm of storytelling, heroes and villains often occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. But there is a captivating alternative: the antihero. Take Han Solo…Read More
The Grail Quest: A Journey of Self-discovery
“The most extraordinary journey is the one you take to find yourself!” – Mehmet Murat ildan. The Essence of a Grail Quest Grail quests have been popular in literature for centuries. These stories often involve knights or heroes embarking on a quest to find the Holy Grail, but they are about much more than epic…Read More
Are Prologues Necessary?
“What is past is prologue.” – William Shakespeare What is a Prologue? Authors and filmmakers use prologues as introductions to a story. Prologues focus on events that occurred prior to the main narrative to provide background and context. J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, and George R. R. Martin all wrote…Read More
Creation Myths and World Building
“In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded.” – Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies. I have written how myths aren’t simply stories, but an attempt to explain why the world is the way it is. And since all cultures share a quest to understand where they came from, it’s no surprise that many have forged…Read More
Mythmaking
“I love playing with myths. A lot of it has to do with that they’re the basic places stories come from. They’re the clay that you make the bricks out of.” – Neil Gaiman Role of Mythmaking Mythmaking bears witness to the human spirit’s quest for knowledge. From the dawn of intelligence, humanity sought to…Read More
World Building
“World building has two parts. One is the actual creation. The other is bringing the world into your story. Everything you create should not be in your story.” – Patrick Rothfuss In my blog post about the suspension of disbelief, I describe how writers of speculative fiction must persuade readers to let go of reality…Read More
Imagery in Story Dialogue
“The original quality in any man of imagination is imagery.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton Evolution of Imagery Storytelling began with visual stories such as rock art and cave paintings. Later, oral and written traditions emerged with the progress of language. Today, language plays a vital role in storytelling. It can be plain and succinct,…Read More
Liminal Characters
“Then I shan’t be exactly a human?” Peter asked. “No.” “Nor exactly a bird?” “No.” “What shall I be?” “You will be a Betwixt-and-Between,” Solomon said. — J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens Betwixt-and-between It’s December, the season of midwinter. Christmas is just round the corner, and soon we will stand on the…Read More
Orphan Heroes in Fiction
An orphaned calf licks its own back – Kenyan Proverb When I began plotting my Grail-quest novel, Graëlfire, my main protagonist, Lena Dubois, was a young university student whose parents worked overseas. This was fine for the character arc I’d invented, but as I progressed with my plotting, I gave Lena a secret identity unknown…Read More
Holy Grail Fiction
“The journey is the treasure.” – Lloyd Alexander Myths have been recurring elements in storytelling down the ages, and none more so than the Holy Grail. It has fascinated writers for centuries and is a popular theme in TV series and movies. You only have to look at the success of films the Grail…Read More
