@karthmin
active 18 hours, 4 minutes ago
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Three Ways the Unique Strengths of Fantasy Can Heighten Your Story’s Themes 4 days, 23 hours ago
Emma, thank you so much! I’m so glad this was an encour to you. ☺️
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, How Developing Cultural Arts Can Boost Your Story's Worldbuilding 1 week, 2 days ago
Thanks for adding to the discussion here, Chelsea! I think you’re right. Most of the time fantasy cultures are presented almost as monocultures. It’s certainly easy to create one oversimplification per culture – but it makes for less realistic, enjoyable reading.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 week, 2 days ago
Thanks, Selah.
Yep! We authors aren’t just horrible people to our characters for no reason at all. XD
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 week, 2 days ago
You can do it, Bella! Each step of progress you make will snowball and build on itself. Keep writing!
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Three Ways the Unique Strengths of Fantasy Can Heighten Your Story’s Themes 1 week, 2 days ago
Thank you, Eden! I’m encouraged that you were able to understand why you keep coming back to fantasy. It really is a beautiful genre.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Three Ways the Unique Strengths of Fantasy Can Heighten Your Story’s Themes 1 week, 2 days ago
You’re welcome, Jessi! I’m so glad I was able to remind you of the reasons why you love the fantasy genre. 🙂
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post, Three Ways the Unique Strengths of Fantasy Can Heighten Your Story’s Themes 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Have you ever come across a saying that jumped inside your mind, made itself at home, and informed your thinking from that day forward? This happened to me several years ago when I read a quote by Neil Gaiman that […]
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Martin Detwiler started the topic Recent Updates in the forum Events & Guild Maintenance 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Hello Erekdale!
Popping in to make you aware that the organization of Erekdale recently changed! It is hopefully a little more straightforward for you all. We have four sections:
1. This one, where all things contest-related are posted, as well as announcements and other official guild business. Weekly goals and accountability is now under this…[Read more]
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Martin Detwiler replied to the topic Monthly Video Call Update in the forum Events & Guild Maintenance 3 weeks, 5 days ago
@morreafirebird Sorry you couldn’t make it this time. 🙁 Hope your travels were safe.
Next time!
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Martin Detwiler replied to the topic November 2019 Accountability in the forum Events & Guild Maintenance 3 weeks, 5 days ago
– instead of Nano, I told myself I’d finish my current short story by the end of the month; so far, I’ve written nothing in it! So my goal is to write more of that story this week!
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Martin Detwiler replied to the topic Erekdale Book Club! in the forum Erekdale Writing Discussions 3 weeks, 6 days ago
Howl’s Moving Castle! I just watched the movie the other day, and I feel like there’s a LOT more to that story. I’m very interested in reading the book now. It felt like a much bigger story had had it’s wings clipped to fit into the movie length.
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I need to choose a story to read this month! I have been trying to read life books and…[Read more]
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Martin Detwiler replied to the topic Monthly Video Call Update in the forum Events & Guild Maintenance 1 month ago
@sarah-inkdragon Just sent a friend request! I think there’s a link to join in this thread as well.
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Martin Detwiler replied to the topic Monthly Video Call Update in the forum Events & Guild Maintenance 1 month ago
Hey Ereki,
I’ve failed to forewarn about this, but we’re going to shoot for another Erekdale video chat this coming Monday!
If you’d like to be added to the Discord group, please let me know!
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@bree-dawn @tinuviel @tashah-claymore @michael_stanton @caserola @trallion @hope-ann @mlbolangerauthor @lady-frosttongue @sarah-inkdragon @devastate-l…[Read more]
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Martin Detwiler replied to the topic Girl INTJ, Guy INFP–Help! in the forum Characters 1 month ago
Hey! I’m a guy INFP, yes! Tagged a few weeks ago and kept forgetting to reply (other than in my head). I thought there were more of us guyNFPs around (lol dad-joke alert), but maybe not. Anyway, I’d be happy to go through and offer my perspective on the initial questions.
1. How is he likely to act under life-and-death pressure (this time…[Read more]
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 month ago
As I get further into my writing journey, the more I find that I’m leaving true pantsing behind me. But yes. That would be a worthwhile conversation indeed. XD
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 month ago
Thank you, Sarah!
You’re right. It’s not always a bad thing for a plot to be tied closely to a character’s internal motivations. But if we’re stuck there – or if the story we’re telling needs to have a different feel, we need to know how to get back on track. 🙂
I’m glad you liked it, and hope you benefit in the long run!
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 month ago
Glad you enjoyed this article, Buddy! I appreciate your thoughts! As a fellow pantser, I think your analysis is correct. It’s almost like an alarm system – as soon as we get stuck inside a character, we should be on the lookout for what is going wrong in the rest of the story – because there’s probably a reason we’re getting stuck. Funnily enough,…[Read more]
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 month ago
Thank you, Zachary!
I didn’t choose the graphic for this article, but if I had to say, I think it’s a pretty neat image that ties into the title of the article well. 🙂
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post, Four Ways to Pull the Plot Back Out of Your Character’s Head 1 month ago
As writers, we love exploring the internal struggles that shape our characters. During formative moments, emotional turmoil may need to take center stage, as with Thomas in Nadine Brandes’ Fawkes. Usually this s […]
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Ooooh yeah. Good article. Panster troubles equal this. Plot, my greatest enemy.
There’s an interesting complex that happens. And it’s this. One my call it a paradox. But as a panster I can attest to its legitimacy, and maybe others will agree.
When the plots not working, or struggling to come into play, and we delve deeper into the mind and complexity of the character… we’ll often find it’s harder to figure the plot out. As though the plot needs to account for the complexity of the character in ways that make it near impossible (somewhat hyperbolic, but not all the way) to actually complete the plot.
When I get stuck in a character I start to see the lacking depth in the plot and world. This led me to start looking at good plots and what holds them up. And what I saw is how much of the story relies on the world and villain… and their plots. That the main character is more often than not a response to these things. And thus he meets the internal dragon that haunts him. This is speaking generically, of course… but it tends to run true for myself.
Thanks, Martin. 🙂
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Glad you enjoyed this article, Buddy! I appreciate your thoughts! As a fellow pantser, I think your analysis is correct. It’s almost like an alarm system – as soon as we get stuck inside a character, we should be on the lookout for what is going wrong in the rest of the story – because there’s probably a reason we’re getting stuck. Funnily enough, it isn’t always the character that is the root of the problem. Getting stuck in their head just reveals that there’s a problem somewhere else.
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So then… maybe pansters need to talk about how to pull a plot out of thin air.
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As I get further into my writing journey, the more I find that I’m leaving true pantsing behind me. But yes. That would be a worthwhile conversation indeed. XD
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Good article. How do the giant stone busts of presidents tie into it?
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Thank you, Zachary!
I didn’t choose the graphic for this article, but if I had to say, I think it’s a pretty neat image that ties into the title of the article well. 🙂
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Well said as ever, Karthmin. 😉 Pulling the plot back *out* of my character’s heads is often very difficult for me, as I tend to let the internal conflict dictate many of the external choices, resulting in a plot driven essentially by one character’s choices – which isn’t bad, per se, but for my type of story it’s not good. 😉 This was very interesting to read, especially the examples with Lotr that I’d never noticed before.
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Thank you, Sarah!
You’re right. It’s not always a bad thing for a plot to be tied closely to a character’s internal motivations. But if we’re stuck there – or if the story we’re telling needs to have a different feel, we need to know how to get back on track. 🙂
I’m glad you liked it, and hope you benefit in the long run!
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*moans*
I have sooo much wooorrrkk to doooo!
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You can do it, Bella! Each step of progress you make will snowball and build on itself. Keep writing!
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Awesome article, Martin. Good reminder that there IS a reason I am constantly ruining my character’s lives. XD
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Thanks, Selah.
Yep! We authors aren’t just horrible people to our characters for no reason at all. XD
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Second Place Winner: The Will of the Sky 1 month, 3 weeks ago
I love this! You tell an old, old story in a fascinating setting that held my interest without running over the emotions of the characters.
Generational conflict is a huge part of our human story, and you tackled it beautifully. I love the resolution.
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I love this article! It reminds me of one of the reasons I was drawn to fantasy as a young one. The wonder and whimsy of Truth and Beauty… *happy sigh* That’s what I want to depict in my own stories, and I sometimes struggle to remember that in the dullness of everyday life. Thanks for the reminder! 😀
You’re welcome, Jessi! I’m so glad I was able to remind you of the reasons why you love the fantasy genre. 🙂
I LOVE THIS. ❤️
I never thought I would write fantasy and yet, for some reason, I always find myself returning to it. There’s just something about it…some of the most life changing books I’ve read were in the fantasy genre, and now I think I’m beginning to understand why. Great article!
Thank you, Eden! I’m encouraged that you were able to understand why you keep coming back to fantasy. It really is a beautiful genre.
Emma, thank you so much! I’m so glad this was an encour to you. ☺️
Wow. I have never thought about fantasy this way! I both write and read a lot of fantasy, but this is… shall we say… other-worldly?