All Images used are from Erased (2016), © A-1 Pictures In Erased, Satoru Fujinuma has a rare ability called Revival. When something bad is about to happen, time rewinds just far enough for him to stop it. He doesn’t control… Read More »Why Revival Works
All images used are from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2023), © Madhouse / Crunchyroll. Flamme is a name etched into the bones of history. She’s remembered as the Great Mage who founded mankind’s magic, a revolutionary who reshaped the course… Read More »Understanding Flamme
All images used are from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), © Studio Ghibli Growing up, I watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind on repeat with my sisters. As I got older, I noticed something: my… Read More »The Power of a Well-Balanced Character
All images used are from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2023), © Studio Madhouse. How Writers Can Use Perception and Subtext to Deepen Character At first glance, Himmel seems like the typical handsome hero: charming, boastful, and always ready to flaunt… Read More »The Vanity of Himmel Was Never for Himself
How to Write Similar Motivators Without Redundancy All images used are from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2023), © Studio Madhouse. In the anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End we follow an elf named Frieren. The story begins at the end of… Read More »Himmel vs Stark
I wrote a novel in less than a month. That includes revising and editing. It still needs some polish here and there. It needs formatted, and probably an expert looking it over with a fine-tooth comb. But the novel is… Read More »The Secret to Fast Fiction
Maomao Is a Solutionary/Stabilizer—And How I Respond as an Influencer/Driver In the anime The Apothecary Diaries, we follow the life of a teenage apothecary named Maomao. Her primary motivators are Solutionary and Stabilizer. My own primary motivators are Influencer and… Read More »What The Apothecary Diaries Taught Me About Writing Opposites
Too often, it’s easy to tell which motivator an author naturally operates in just by looking at what motivates their characters. (For definitions of each of the motivators, check out this previous blog post using Lord of the Rings characters… Read More »Writing Characters That Reflect You?
A Journey to the Center of the Earth is a title almost everyone recognizes—even those who’ve never read it. Jules Verne’s classic novel has inspired countless adaptations, from movies to modern retellings, proving its lasting impact on literature and popular… Read More »What Modern Authors Can Learn from A Journey to the Center of the Earth
The movie version of The Lord of the Rings is a grand example of all four motivators in operation. As discussed in a previous blog post , each motivator is well represented in the Fellowship of the Ring. But characters… Read More »How Gandalf Avoids the Mary Sue Trap