Category Archives: Motifs at work

Father Knows Worst

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Sarah

Most of the time, storytellers use Father Figures in a positive fashion. They use the figure to provide a Mentor to the main character, to give the Hero something to aspire to, or to provide an emotional anchor for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Motifs at work | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Requited Or Unrequited

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Sarah

Romantic relationships (or romantically tinged ones) in serial storytelling can create problems and challenges for the storytellers. “Unrelieved sexual tension” (as it often gets called) can be used to generate plenty of drama in stories, and when it occurs between … Continue reading →

Posted in Motifs at work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Aspiring Writer – Shadow

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Sarah

Well, I’ve finally finished the Traditional Archetype series of videos for “The Aspiring Writer”. Below is the last of them, focusing on the Shadow figure. It’s been fun making these, especially as I decided to give my Aspiring Writer a … Continue reading →

Posted in Motifs at work, Video | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Anti-Heroes, Shadows and Villains

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Sarah

When it comes to creating villains for stories, we can flippantly go for the quick stereotype: the leering, mustache-twirling baddie, who spews out his evil laugh. But if we really want our stories to have depth, we need to go … Continue reading →

Posted in Motifs at work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rescue the Maiden

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Sarah

A while back in my little contest for blog topics, the following question was one of the entries: “Is there more to the mythic symbolism of the damsel in distress than just the same poor, scantly-clad beauty trapped in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Motifs at work, Writing tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments