Developing characters can be tricky business. You really have the choice between setting up static or dynamic characters. That is to say, characters that change and characters that do not. How do you go about this? Well, there are many ways to increase character development. In this post, we are going to look at how characters have developed in a piece of example media. Then, we are going to look at four ways to increase character development.
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Medieval Robin Hood Tales: “Robin Hood and the Monk”
The character of Robin Hood is one of complexity even though he lives a chivalrous life. And that’s to be expected. Life during medieval times is certainly dangerous and violent, so to be a truly courageous character at this time, one must exist with their foot in two worlds. In this post, we will be examining more medieval Robin Hood tales examining the ballad “Robin Hood and the Monk” in order to ascertain Robin Hood’s sense of justice and loyalty.
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‘Ivanhoe’ by Sir Walter Scott: Conflicts in the Middle Ages
Medieval misery permeates historical fiction and fictional accounts of the era. Widespread famine, class disparity, and violent struggles for power are all hallmarks of these times. The novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott is a classic example of a story setup in these trying times. In this post, we will dig into Ivanhoe by Scott. Adventure and triumph awaits!
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How to Use Folkloric Language to Convey Complex Ideas
There is a wealth of advice on how to write complex thoughts and feelings. Though technique and general advice typically muddle what’s not complex to understand. In other words, one simple way to write complex ideas is to do just that–write simply. Also, using a lens might help; in this case, folklore. Thus, using folkloric language to convey complex ideas is one way to approach writing.
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Treasure Island as a Gilded Age Novel: Perspective and Historical Significance
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral, President James Garfield is shot and killed by Charles Guiteau, and the first Christmas tree with electric lights is manufactured by Thomas Edison employee Edward Johnson. The Gilded Age was a strange time. But all of these events happened the same year Robert Louis Stevenson penned the landmark pirate novel Treasure Island. Thus, we can look at Treasure Island as a Gilded Age novel.
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Book Review: ‘Master and Commander’ by Patrick O’Brien
Sailing, exploration, naval combat, and the desperation that comes with adventure–what more could a reader ask for? In this post, we will conduct a review of Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian. This book holds some sentimental value for me, oddly enough, as it relates to my youthful reading interests. And, as my shelf becomes more crowded, it becomes less and less essential.
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Great Lakes Pirates: Revealing Michigan’s Forgotten Outlaws
I hail from the far reaches of the US in a land called Michigan, where the trees are plentiful–as well as the freshwater lakes. Indeed, with five Great Lakes surrounding our borders, native Michiganders are taught to recognize the waters as a crucial part of our history and economy (repeat with me, HOMES). In this post, I would like to discuss a different part of the aquatic lore surrounding Michigan: The Great Lakes pirates!
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How to Enrich Characters and Plot with Conflict
Conflicts in stories can seem pretty straight forward. There is a bad guy (or event) and the main character must confront it and succeed. Yet, conflicts are more nuanced than even that, with characters shifting from static to dynamic. Additionally, depending on the genre, you might see more conflict in specific stories, such as action and adventure. As such, conflict is both important and complex to plots and characterization. Today on the blog, I would like to discuss two types of conflict that enrich characters and stories: internal and external conflict.
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Ghost Story Conventions in Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’
As a connoisseur of the strange, I dabble in many forms of odd things. From folklore to legend, from ghost stories to little red men on telephone poles. I have read a fair amount of the weird. When I listened to Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (and read “Jerusalem’s Lot” and “One for the Road”), I felt as though there was this great haunting happening to the town of Salem’s Lot. The spirits of the dead are restless and all that. In this post, we are going to analyze ghost story conventions in Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.
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Book List: World War Z by Max Brooks
The zombie apocalypse is a pervasive element in our modern culture thanks to a few luminaries and extremely popular shows (both George A. Romero and The Walking Dead respectively). However, many interpretations of the zombie plague have come and gone, but some have stayed more relevant and engaging. In this post, we examine World War Z by Max Brooks and look at how the world changes through the zombie apocalypse.
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