Archive for November, 2008

Nov 05 2008

Why Secret Origins Are Usually Awful

We provide advice about how to write novels, comic books and graphic novels. Most of my content applies to fiction-writing in general, but we also provide articles specifically about superhero stories.

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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105 responses so far

Nov 02 2008

Webcomic #22: Orange is the New Black?

Published by under Comedy,Webcomic

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Nov 01 2008

Superhero Nation: Novel Synopsis

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.

20 responses so far

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