Dog-Eared Corner

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Z2.1 Protagonists: Ted Lasso Was Always Going to be a Loser

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Z2.1 Protagonists: Ted Lasso Was Always Going to be a Loser

Okay, let me re-phrase: Ted Lasso, the character, and his lineup of misfit boys, were destined to lose the final game in the series’ first season. Not because he was a bad coach, or they a pack of losers. Not because Ted was an American football coach who knew absolutely nothing about soccer, or because he was set up to fail from the beginning. Not even because having them lose in Season 1 gives the series somewhere to go in the next season (though this is far closer to the answer than any of those other things).

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1.2: Goals, Obstacles, & Stakes

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1.2: Goals, Obstacles, & Stakes

When building a cathedral, you cannot help but be aware of the components of what you’re making. Bricks, wood and glass. A heavy foundation. Loadbearing walls and pillars. Beams and arches designed to hold up more than just what’s above them. (Please keep in mind, I don’t actually know anything about cathedral construction.) But when you’re viewing a cathedral, walking through it, or around it, these aren’t the things you notice. What you see are its features. The nave and transept. Spires and buttresses. Stained-glass windows, bell towers and crypts.

In the previous post, we discussed the components of Story. Today, we’ll be looking at Story’s features. As with a cathedral (and again, I know VERY little about architecture), where components build the Story into what it is, its features define it in the minds of its readers.

So what are the features of a story then? Or to put it another way, what features do all stories share?

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2.1: Protagonists

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2.1: Protagonists

Here’s a question: What, exactly, is a PROTAGONIST?

Wing, that’s an easy one. “Protagonist” is just a word that means “main character”.

Okay, sure. I’m not going to split hairs with you here. “protagonist” means “main character”.

(Some argue otherwise, but it’s pretty telling, the only definitions for “main character” that are different from those given for “protagonist” come from people instructing on the difference; anyone simply defining terms—like a dictionary—uses them interchangeably.)

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0.4: Defining Character

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0.4: Defining Character

Here’s a writing question I’ve never heard asked:

What is a character?

 

Seems important. Every story has at least one; surely, we must have a clear understanding of what it is that makes a character a character. And what doesn’t. Surely, we know what characters do for our narratives. How else could we know what to do with them?

 

So then…what is a character?

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0.3: Basic POV

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0.3: Basic POV

POV PART 1: EXTERNAL POV

(Look Who’s Talking)

 

It’s important to have a good grasp of narrative Point of View (POV) when writing works of fiction.

Why ever would that be Wing?

Well, Imaginary Questioner, just as the narrator gives voice to your story, POV helps define that narrator’s voice. Shifting POV can dramatically change how a reader experiences the story.

Because of this, and because differences between POVs can be pretty damn subtle, the topic is a HUGE one, which will take us multiple posts to cover properly.

Today we’re going to be looking at what I like to call External POV.

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0.2 Eleven Types of Writing

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0.2 Eleven Types of Writing

What is writing?

I’m not trying to be philosophical here. I mean, actually. What is it? How do we define it? Obviously its a form of communication. Signifiers express meaning, either by representing sounds that combine into words, or in characterizing the words (or even meanings) all by themselves.

Simply put:

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1.4 Character-Driven Story

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1.4 Character-Driven Story

Character-driven is a term we get a lot when talking about story—typically contrasted with plot-driven. Too often writers think character-driven narratives need to be plotless, that they consist only of deep explorations into internal lives, and unrealized emotions … where nothing actually happens. Such misconceptions can both hurt a writer’s work and turn readers from the very idea of character-driven stories.

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0.1 Defining Art

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0.1 Defining Art

Question:

How do we define art?

An ancient question, indeed. Explored by countless generations of scholars, philosophers and artists, debated on at length by fools and great minds alike. Still unresolved…

Until now.

Here, in the splashy ramblings of some nobody’s blog the answer will finally be revealed. So … that’s one thing taken care of. You’re welcome, Universe.

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Z1.3 Into the Spider-Verse: Narrative Structures

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Z1.3 Into the Spider-Verse: Narrative Structures

This is a supplementary post to a previous post: 1.2 Narrative Structures. In it we’ll look at Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse as an example of my personal favorite structure: Two Quests.

SPOILERS. (Obviously.)

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1.3 Narrative Structures

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1.3 Narrative Structures

In the previous post, we took a minute to define what exactly makes up a story. Literally. Breaking Story down into its fundamental components. We then used these to build it back up again.

Today we’re going to look at narrative structures. We’ll explore classical structures you’re probably familiar with, some which maybe you haven’t seen; then finally, end off with how I personally tend to structure my narratives.

So let’s jump in!

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1.1 What is a Story?

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1.1 What is a Story?

Story writing is such a big subject. There’s so, so much to talk about. So much to think about. I expect in future posts we’ll be doing some pretty deep dives. I’ve found one of the easiest mistakes to make, however, is taking stuff granted. Assuming I know what I know. Assuming that I’m right. So let’s start this off putting first things first.

What is a story?