Coeur

Writing Article - Plot Twists

Plot twists are defining features of some of the most famous literary works in the world - they quite literally change everything about a story. But they are hard to work with, punishingly so in fact.

In this article I explore a little of what makes a plot twist and why you might want to include one, while also discussing the biggest thing I can about them - how to keep them secret so that they surprise your audience.

Due to the nature of twists twisting plot, it's hard to go into...

Writing Article - Writing a Thriller

Thrillers are some of the most commercially viable stories that exist today and are often the subject of movie adaptations. We're not looking to write a movie here, but with "Null" set to come out in a couple of months and be a thriller itself, I thought we'd look at what a thriller is and how to write one.

It's all about the pacing.

Writing Article - The Perfectionist

It's been a while and I need to catch up on articles missed, but this month I wanted to share an important lesson I had to learn early, and which I think many people don't bother to learn at all. That is the difference between a perfectionist and a professional, and why seeking perfection in your writing may be the one thing holding you back from becoming a writer.

Don't be a perfectionist. Be the professional imperfectionist. 

Writing Article - Worldbuilding

World building is a core element of fiction, whether you're writing something set in a fantasy land, in space or even in Manhattan. In this article, we talk about some key world building elements and how to implement them.

Patreon Article - Hard vs Soft Story Systems

Hard vs Soft - the ever-present argument.

Sorry, I wasn't talking about relationships, Brexit or anything else. I mean hard and soft systems in story telling. Hard magic systems, soft technology, hard paranormal or soft vampire fiction.

How does one know what is right for their story? How does one implement a chosen story type - and how, oh how, does one go about showing a hard magic system (or any other) without dumping page upon page of exposition on the reader?

It's a que...

Writing Article - Five Tips to Help you Improve as an Author

It's the end of 2018 and I wanted to do something a little different. This is a tips subject, but not tips that we've covered before in any way. Rather, there were a number of smaller topics I wanted to talk on, but which couldn't fit into full length articles of their own.

As such, I've condensed them here, into five big tips to help you improve as an author.

Writing Article - MRU's

Motivation Reaction Units. I've mentioned them before, but a new and updated article here will look at how to use them in general prose, as well as WHY you should want to use them.

For beginners and intermediate writers alike, MRU's can help sharpen up your prose and make writing scenes a whole lot easier.

Writing Article - Crossovers

A little bit of a different topic to what I thought I'd talk about this month, but an interesting one nonetheless. Crossovers. Something more common to fanfiction, yet not entirely absent from books, movies and TV.

In this article, I'll delve into what makes crossovers successful, how important "culture clash" is, and the numerous pitfalls many crossovers can face.

Patreon Article - Endings

The ending of a story is the most important part, and while it's impossible to give specific details on how to handle an ending without knowing the full content and context of the story, there are some unifying themes and requirements that must be followed.

This article goes into detail on those, looking at plot threads, loose ends, validation of theme and also whether or not an epilogue is necessary for your story.

Back from Show

 So, I'm back from my expo late last night and fairly exhausted. All went well, including my speech, and I was able to write all my fics a week in advance to cater for the fact I basically had no free time whatsoever.

That said, Patreon updates will be delayed until next weekend (6th and 7th). I may be able to get them done and released sooner, but I'm giving the 7th as a "Will be done by the 7th" kind of date.

Sorry for the delay yet again, but this show is a once a year sort of th...

Writing Article - Chekhov's Gun

Chekhov's Gun. Something that is often talked about and just as often misunderstood. Ask any two authors and they'll have different definitions - but in this article we don't over-focus on that.

Instead, we look at the effects of dramatic significance and how this can lead to plot threads (Chekhovs or otherwise) that don't have the pay off their hype deserves.

I'll give examples from RWBY and without, through books, movie and TV as we look at how to identify your CG's and also wh...

Writing Article - Redeeming Villains

Apologies for this being late - health concerns.

So, here we have our next article exploring the theme of redemption. Not redemption in terms of the protagonist, but rather how to redeem your story's villains.

Redemption is hard to handle and people are slow to forgive, making it a tricky theme. In this article I show you three different methods of doing so, with structure plans in place, and give a few examples of each.

Small delay on article and one-shot

Hey all,

Just to let you know that due to workload and some real-life stuff, there will be a small delay on both the article and the Patreon reward one-shot. They should be done by the end of this coming Sunday 5th August, so it's only 3-4 days.

My apologies nonetheless!

Writing Article - Planning (Forged Destiny Example)

I've had so many people struggle with planning that I wanted to go into a little more detail, despite having covered it before. Here is something special; a sneak preview of what my beta, College Fool, typically sees whenever I plan a story.

This is my actual plan for Book 3 of Forged Destiny - and while it's not necessary for you to have read that, it will help a little. This is what I made before I wrote a single chapter of Book 3, and it's what I relied on to write the whole thing.

Th...

Writing Article - Plot VS Character Driven Stories

Is your story character-driven or plot-driven? Which is better? Should I write one over the other, and how do I identify the differences? I'll be exploring that and more in this month's article, which looks at an oft-unused tool in an author's repertoire.

You could go your whole writing career without ever knowing which of these your story is, and which you write better, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

Writing Article - Misleading the Audience

You should never outright lie to your readers, but there are times when you need a secret to remain hidden, or for them to believe a certain something for a better payoff later. This can be hard to conceal, especially when you're working in first or third person with a POV within the character's head.

How do you show their inner thoughts and feelings without giving the game away? How do you avoid information that might spoil a later twist your story hinges on?

This article will delve i...

Small delay on Patreon rewards

Hello all,

I just wanted to let you all know that there will be a small day on the writing article and the one-shot this month for Patreon's respective support levels.

This is due to work on my end, but also the delay on Hunter or Something last week, which required me to write a Relic chapter entirely from scratch with very little warning, right when I would normally have been doing this one shot and article.

I expect to have this rectified by next weekend, so stay tuned an...

Fanfiction Website Servers Down

By this point I'm sure some of you have noticed that the fanfiction.net servers are acting up - as they often do. This means I can't post today's story due to the site's nonsense.

I would post it here for you all, but sadly the content is on fanfiction, locked there in a DocX. A Hunter or Something's chapter will be posted tomorrow instead, along with Kingdom's Service.

Assuming the servers work, that is.

Just thought you should all know, since I can't even write a note online or g...

Patreon Article - Writing a Summary

You can have the best book, story, or fanfiction in the world but no one will read it if your summary is lacking. In this article I look at the ways to draw someone into your story before they've read even the first word, with examples from real books, fanfiction, and my imagination.

Writing Article - Intention and Obstacle

Intention and Obstacle are the two most important factors of a story, beyond even the characters or plot involved. Here, I delve into what makes a good intention and obstacle, how to implement them, and also how to twist them for different effects such as comedy or horror.

Writing Article - Rebirth and Redemption

Christopher Booker describes Rebirth as its own story type in the "7 basic story types". It is a difficult one to write, and an even more difficult topic to broach in fanfiction, but done well can lead to some wonderful stories that explore depths of characters rarely seen before.

In this article, we delve into that a little more - checking out the structure of such stories and what kinds of characters work well within them. 

Writing Article: Villains and Antagonists

They're important to the flow of the story, but many antagonists are treat as nothing more than "evil for the sake of evil" cardboard cut-outs, and that's a mistake.

In this article, we look at what aspects make up a good villain, using examples from movies, literature and anime.

Quick Notice - Minor Delay to Article

Hey everyone, just a quick note here to tell a few short things. I'll keep it short, since I have to rush off to handle one of them.

1) Firstly, following my mini-poll around White Sheep, I have decided on a compromise between the two options. Simply put, I shall continue as I have been doing so far with weekly uploads, but will take a one week break every 10 chapters or so (or 15, depending on how much planning I get done.) This break will be akin to Forged Destiny's, wh...

Vote Time - White Sheep

So guys, I have an issue I'd appreciate your input on. As people know, the current reward tier we are on is that I upload 5 chapters a week, and that means each story is updated every week. I've been doing this for a while now, and it's worked out. To a degree.

Recently, however, I released four stories on a different schedule. Basically, the Tuesday and Saturday slots have become stories where there are two for each day - and where they alternate in their updates.

This has allowed me to...

Writing Article - Voyage and Return

The Voyage and return story type is one as old as time itself, and remains strong to this day. In this article, I'll delve into what it is, what makes it popular, and how to structure one for yourself.

All with examples - as usual. 

Writing Article: Rags to Riches

This month, we start to look at story types, why they work, and how to write them. Meanwhile, Coeur grapples with a new keyboard that is a different size from the last, leading to constant errors.

In this Article, we investigate the Rags to Riches story - one of the most popular in the world, and a staple of books, plays and movies.

It's also the same story type Professor Arc was written in.

Writing Article Delay

Hey there, patrons. Due to something going on at my end, the writing article for July is going to be delayed - but only until Tuesday 1st August. Nothing else will be affected, but I just can't get this done now on top of other things. 

Thanks for your patience, and your support!

:) 

Writing Article (June) - Starting with a Situation

Every story starts with a situation, but what is the situation from a creative writing point of view, and how can one ensure they get the most out of it?

This article aims to answer that question, looking into the three main aspects of a situation and how to tweak them. Real-world examples included.

Although not covered in detail, this is also a great way to write your back of book synopsis. It is the initial situation that must interest the reader, after all.

Writing Article - Structure 2 - The Hero's Journey

This article is a continuation of the structure one I wrote a long time ago. It explores what is possibly the oldest and most successful story template ever used. One with history going back to Greek and Roman times, and even to the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the first recorded "stories" in human history.

It is... the Hero's Journey

A Week without Coeur

Hello Patrons, Coeur here.

I wanted to make you all aware of something before I do most of my readers. I've recently come down with some stress-related illness and the doctor has prescribed a full week's relaxation as being pretty much vital for my continued health.

I don't want to go into it too much, but it's work-related - as in my other work, not fanfiction.

The stress has damaged my fanfics, however, and made writing them harder. As such, I need to take a week off, starting Th...