@karthmin
Active 1 year, 11 months ago-
Martin Detwiler commented on the post, 3 Ways You Can Use Mirroring to Craft a Resolution That Truly Resonates 5 years, 5 months ago
Thank you! Just passing along what I’ve learned – it definitely didn’t start with me!
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, 3 Self-Editing Techniques to Elevate Your Writing Style 5 years, 5 months ago
Perfect timing, I guess! Glad you’ve found this helpful.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, 3 Self-Editing Techniques to Elevate Your Writing Style 5 years, 5 months ago
Thanks, Joelle!
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 5 years, 5 months ago
Have you ever stopped reading, not because the story itself was bad, but because the author’s phrasing was awkward? Few annoyances push me back into the real world faster than unwieldy prose. In the right c […]
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 5 years, 5 months ago
Meaningful stories leave you with memorable solutions to complex issues.
A story shouldn’t stand behind a podium and spell out the lessons you’re supposed to learn from it. But it should tackle comp […]
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Great job! Very helpful. Reminds me of a writing curriculum I used for school once… 🙂
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Nice! What curriculum would that be?
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IEW, if I remember right. *grimaces* It was helpful, but not a lot of fun. 🙂
Also, I wanted to point out that I noticed Paul uses this technique in 1 Corinthians 13-14. So extra credibility for you (not that you needed more)! 😀
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Great teachings and a wonderful circle back to the beginning. I love it when teachers actually do what they’ve taught. Thank you from one teacher to another.
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Thanks for your kindness – very encouraging!
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What a fascinating and insightful article! I love stories that use ring structure, and I can’t wait to incorporate it into my own writing. By the way, I love how you used the ring structure in your article!
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It really is fascinating, isn’t it? Truly captured me when I was researching.
I hope this gives you lots of writing insight as you work on your stories!
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Thank you! Just passing along what I’ve learned – it definitely didn’t start with me!
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Thank you, Alena!
The Last Battle is a really incredible story, as Lewis takes us around the ring but also up, like a spiral that ends in the next level up. I think his effective use of a ring structure is definitely part of why that story has resonated for decades in even the youngest of readers. It’s one of those things that is a hallmark of powerful stories. It was one of my favorites as a child – but tinged with an incredibly powerful longing for the stories of Narnia to continue. I realize now as an adult that the stories do indeed continue, but in our own lives and stories.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, A Simple Strategy for Fixing Any Clichéd Trope 5 years, 6 months ago
Thank you, Grace!
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Don't Make Your Short Story Too Complicated 5 years, 7 months ago
So pleased to hear that, Nate! I’m excited for you as you pick up the pen and give those ideas shape! It’s always a tremendous adventure.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Why You Need to Understand the Biblical Fall to Accurately Depict Broken Characters 5 years, 7 months ago
Thanks for weighing in, K! Really appreciate it.
I see where you’re coming from, and I honestly like that perspective a lot. The true tragedies of the fallen human condition are reflected most clearly in our spirits: hopelessness, misery, and hatred – all the things you mentioned. Because these are more universal, we should focus on those…[Read more]
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, A Simple Strategy for Fixing Any Clichéd Trope 5 years, 7 months ago
That’s awesome, Libby! So glad to hear that this helped.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, A Simple Strategy for Fixing Any Clichéd Trope 5 years, 7 months ago
Great! So glad I could get you thinking.
– Martin
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 5 years, 7 months ago
Despite a writer’s best efforts to be original, familiar plot and scene devices often sneak in. But you’re not a bad writer just because your manuscript contains clichés. Writers with less experience or narr […]
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Nice article! It had me thinking.
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Great! So glad I could get you thinking.
– Martin
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Martin, I found this really helpful and engaging. I appreciate that you shared this piece – it got me my wheels turning : )
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That’s awesome, Libby! So glad to hear that this helped.
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Wow, I really appreciate this article. Dead parents is one cliché I subconsciously knew was overused, but I never consciously identified it before. I’m so glad you included it here!
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Thank you, Grace!
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 5 years, 7 months ago
When Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit to experience the taste of both good and evil, they consciously rebelled against God. Broken, they plunged into an existence fraught with sorrow. In the shadow of […]
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Thanks for weighing in, K! Really appreciate it.
I see where you’re coming from, and I honestly like that perspective a lot. The true tragedies of the fallen human condition are reflected most clearly in our spirits: hopelessness, misery, and hatred – all the things you mentioned. Because these are more universal, we should focus on those things anyway when portraying broken characters.
I intended the takeaway from that point to be simple: not that they’re a horribly sad thing (tho some are more poignant than others), but that they can be included as a clear reminder that the after-effects of the fall are still rippling down through history. I’m sorry if that wasn’t as clear as it could have been!
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Don't Make Your Short Story Too Complicated 5 years, 9 months ago
Thank you!
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 5 years, 10 months ago
Short stories are a powerful medium. In just a few thousand words, they send us on meaningful emotional journeys that linger with us for the rest of our lives. “The Gift of the Magi” illuminates the tender bea […]
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Great article, bro! Now I want to write a short story!!
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Thank you!
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So pleased to hear that, Nate! I’m excited for you as you pick up the pen and give those ideas shape! It’s always a tremendous adventure.
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Tolstoy vs. Superheroes: Two Approaches to Character Development 5 years, 10 months ago
Tabitha,
I don’t know for sure.
Both pantsing and plotting cultivate artistry in the final product; they simply take two different routes along the way. Plotting is much more intentional on the front end before creating a manuscript, while pantsing ret-cons the intentionality into the story on the back end of the creative process.
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 5 years, 12 months ago
What The Promise of Jesse Woods Teaches Writers about Balancing Multiple Plot Lines
Editor’s Note: This is the third part of our series exploring the merits of The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry. You can read the introductory p […] -
Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Create Stronger Themes through the Way Your Characters Access Magic 6 years ago
Cool! Do you know what kinds of themes you will try to explore with that?
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Create Stronger Themes through the Way Your Characters Access Magic 6 years ago
Thank you! So glad this was helpful for you, Ethan. 🙂
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Martin Detwiler wrote a new post 6 years ago
When you write, you don’t aim to recreate reality. Instead, you excitedly create a secondary world. Although a few aspects resemble reality to make the story understandable, other aspects are intentionally u […]
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AMAZING article Martin! I was having a bit of a problem defining magic, but this really helped.
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Thank you! So glad this was helpful for you, Ethan. 🙂
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Cool! Do you know what kinds of themes you will try to explore with that?
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I’m glad this proved helpful for you, Dixie! I actually have a character with a similar background – evil magic but doesn’t know it at first. It’s a fun knot to untie! Good luck with your project!
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Martin Detwiler commented on the post, Tolstoy vs. Superheroes: Two Approaches to Character Development 6 years ago
Thank you, Rolena!
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Excellent points! Very helpful. 🙂
Thanks, Joelle!
Sure!
Perfect timing, I guess! Glad you’ve found this helpful.