Nov
05
2008
Occasionally, an author will breathlessly offer some revelation about a character’s origin. (Luke and Leia are siblings! Sylar is actually a Petrelli! That mysterious old man is actually a god!) Secret origin stories are rarely effective. If you’re doing a secret origin, here are the biggest potential concerns. If you can avoid these, I think the secret has promise.
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Nov
01
2008
OK. We’re writing a rough draft of Superhero Nation for National Novel Writing Month. If you’d like to beta-review our novel synopsis, we’d really appreciate that. If you’ve already left an email or comment asking to be a beta-reviewer, we have also e-mailed this synopsis to you.
If you’re not sure what to write about, here are a few sample questions that may help you do a beta-review.
- What do you think about the characters? How might we make them more interesting, likable and/or dramatic?
- Is the plot coherent? How might we make it smoother?
- What are some ways we could draw the plot out without making it feel padded?
UPDATE: I’ve made a diagram showing plot-links between the characters.