Michael E. Dellert's Blog, page 19
July 18, 2018
Reversals and Recognition: Plot, Aristotle, and Middles
Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at plot: what it is and what purpose it serves, and we’ve gotten into the Wayback Machine to visit Aristotle’s Poetics and his thoughts on beginnings. This week, we’ll talk about Middles. This…
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June 27, 2018
Shall We Begin? Aristotle & Beginnings
The beginning, commonly called the setup, is the initial action of the situation, presented to us as a problem to be solved. The beginning defines your characters and the wants of your major character (or characters). Aristotle says a character…
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June 14, 2018
Aristotle’s Plot
Last time, we discussed how many plots there might be in the great wide universe, and looked more deeply into exactly what a plot is. Today, we’re going to talk about “Aristotle’s Plot,” drawn from his Poetics, the earliest surviving…
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May 28, 2018
Spotlight: Darkblade Assassin, by Andy Peloquin
The best assassin in the world doesn’t come cheap. Betraying him will cost your soul. Title: Darkblade Assassin (Hero of Darkness Book 1) Author: Andy Peloquin Publication Date: May 29, 2018 Paperback Price: 18.99 — https://www.amazon.com/dp/1980852146 Digital Price: 0.99 The…
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May 23, 2018
How Many Plots Are There?
If you ask ten different writers how many plots there are, you’ll get twelve different answers: Thousands, tens of thousands, gajillions even. Sixty-nine. No more than thirty-six in all the cosmos. Two. Gajillions Even The first is most commonly heard…
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May 9, 2018
Defining Plot
Lately, I’ve been talking about plot. But what the hell is plot? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, stop now and ask yourself another question: “What is randomness?” Mathematically speaking, the chances of something specific—anything specific—happening at any specific…
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April 25, 2018
Trust in the Plot, Rey
That moment when you begin your work and a huge void of empty pages devoid of plot yawns open ahead of you. You hesitate. Sure, there’s the old fortune cookie wisdom about the journey of a thousand miles beginning with…
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April 11, 2018
Everyday Fiction
Everyday, out in the streets, the air swarms with fresh fiction. The stories fly so fast and thick that we hardly think of their roles in our everyday lives: rumor, gossip, jokes, excuses, anecdotes, huge outrageous lies, and little white…
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October 11, 2017
Mood and Atmosphere
Stories without mood and atmosphere have an incomplete feeling. They need substance and fleshing out. The dialogue has nothing physical to play against. The characters have no arena in which to move about, and little stage business to enhance the…
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October 4, 2017
Six Tips for Creative Fiction Collaboration
If you’ve been following my newsletter (and if you aren’t, sign up today!), you’ll know that I’ve been working on a creative fiction collaboration with a fellow fantasy author, Jean Lee, to create a work called King Eowain and the Boar,…
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