The Curly Quill

Creating Characters- Part 2

January 24, 2020February 13, 2020 Writing 101

In the first part of this series, we discussed how to choose the best characters for your story, and the larger swathes of character creation: strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Today we’ll discuss how to dig

Cover Design 101- Cover Analysis

January 10, 2020February 13, 2020 Cover Design 101

(Photo by Edar from Pixabay) As promised, this week I’m going to go through the research process I outlined for you. If you haven't yet read my post on cover design research, go here

A discussion of non-linear narratives, and how and when to use them

Little Women: Non-Chronological Narrative

December 27, 2019January 28, 2020 Learning from Films

The newest adaptation of Little Women surprised me by finding a new way to present the classic story without changing the plot itself… much. Rather than tell the story in chronological order as the book

Cover Design 101: Research

December 20, 2019January 9, 2020 Cover Design 101 Cover Art, Cover Design, Fonts, Research, Self-Publishing

(Photo by Sharon McCutcheon from Pexels) Self publishing wasn’t always a viable option for new writers outside of vanity presses. But with the rise of ebooks and online marketplaces like Amazon, it is becoming more

Creating Characters- Part 1

December 13, 2019January 9, 2020 Writing 101 45 Master Characters, Antagonist, Archetypes, Armageddon, C.S. Lewis, Cast Away, Character, Character Foils, Dramatica Theory, Goals, Hero, Hero's Journey, Liar Liar, Macbeth, Main Character, Oedipus the King, Pride and Prejudice, Protagonist, Secondary characters, Sherlock Holmes, Strengths, The Fault in Our Stars, The Hunger Games, The Karate Kid, The Notebook, The Perfect Storm, The Shawshank Redemption, Til We Have Faces, Villain, Weaknesses

(Photo by Irene Lasus from Pexels) Characters are the backbone of any story. The simple fact is, no matter how exciting the plot, if your characters aren’t compelling, the reader won’t care. Why should they

Doctor Sleep: The Key to a Powerful Sequel

December 6, 2019January 10, 2020 Learning from Films, Learning from the Masters Antagonist, Books of Bayern, Character Arcs, Doctor Sleep, Fan Service, Genre, Grief, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Mary Robinette Kowal, Movies, Protagonist, PTSD, Sequel, Shannon Hale, Stakes, Stephen King, The Glamourist Histories, The Shining

Hey everyone! This is the first of a new series based on current movies. Each entry will begin with a spoiler-free review of a movie that is still in theaters, so you can decide if

How Questions Could Be the Key to Finding Your Story

November 29, 2019January 9, 2020 Writing 101 Brainstorm, Character and Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card, Questions, Story ideas

(Photo by ozzymosis from Pixabay) If you’re anything like me, you probably have tons of story ideas scribbled on scraps of paper. They came to you while watching TV, walking down the street, or going

The Shawshank Redemption

November 22, 2019January 5, 2020 Learning from the Masters 1st Act, 1st Pinch Point, 1st Plot Point, 2nd Act, 2nd Pinch Point, 2nd Plot Point, 3rd Act, 4th Act, Climax, Hollywood Formula, Hook, Inciting Incident, Midpoint, Mirroring, Rule of Three, Stephen King, Structure, The Shawshank Redemption, Three-Act Structure

The Shawshank Redemption is a stunning movie. Set almost entirely within the dank walls of a state prison with corrupt guards, foul-mouthed convicts, and even less savory aspects of prison life, it manages to be

Story Structure

November 15, 2019January 9, 2020 Writing 101 1st Act, 1st Pinch Point, 1st Plot Point, 2nd Act, 2nd Pinch Point, 2nd Plot Point, 3rd Act, 4th Act, 7 Plot Points, Climax, Harry Potter, Hollywood Formula, Inciting Incident, J.K. Rowling, MICE, Midpoint, Resolution, Structure, The Hunger Games, Three-Act Structure

(Photo by Wokandapix from Pixabay) If you read my last post and identified yourself as a pantser, you may think the topic of story structure doesn’t apply to you. But it does. It is what

On Plotting and Pantsing

November 8, 2019January 9, 2020 Writing 101 Dramatica Theory, Harry Potter, Hero's Journey, J.K. Rowling, Nine Box Method, Pantsing, Plotting, Plotting Methods, Snowflake Method, Stephen King, Three-Act Structure, Zero Draft

(Top photo by Pexels from Pixabay Bottom photo by snicky2290 from Pixabay) There are two kinds of people in this world… How often have you heard that? As people, we like to categorize,