A distinctive, compelling character is a central part of most good stories, and therefore it’s a difficult goal to achieve for us writers. As a result, we as authors spend a lot of time worrying about how to make our
When I write a story, I sometimes realize that my plot requires a new character. This secondary character,1 therefore, is created as a facilitator of plot (including character arc); he gets the protagonist from point A to point B, or
We’ve all heard the adage, “Show, don’t tell.” It’s practically the first thing any creative writing course teaches, after the formatting requirements, and I’ve made a pun off it myself. It’s sound advice, but like all short-form bits, it’s not
If ChatGPT wrote a novel, would it be art? In order to answer that question, let’s refer to the definition of art I provided last time, as well as our knowledge of how ChatGPT (and other text/ image generators) actually
This poem provides important background for the story.1 “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you….’” ~ The Preacher The sea rose around me in silent suspension, the roar of its stillness too vast to hear, its
If you want to find out what it feels like to be unpopular online, AI art (and whether it’s art) is your fast track to the top.1 Of course, the real firestorm is around image generating AIs, but the same
G.K. Chesterton’s poem Lepanto opens thus: “White founts falling in the courts of the sun, And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run; There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared; It stirs
How do we get readers to engage with our stories? It’s a perpetual question in writing, because the plain truth is this: every minute a reader spends on your story is purest charity. He could abandon it after the first
Title by translator C. Potter. Before this sword a thousand men have died; Before these eyes a thousand thousands have found their end. Yet here I stand, and You are too mighty for me; Here I kneel, and You overcome
In metal trust, you sons of men, In weapons trust, warriors of blood, For what else lives that men can love? I’ve seen men kill and die like sheep, I trust no man- I’ve tasted their love. Savages who gnaw