Tag Archives: Scribbler’s Guide

Object Lessons

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Sarah

Alfred Hitchcock coined the term “Maguffin” for an object in a story (in his case, specifically in films), an object that everyone in the story cares about but which wouldn’t really matter much to the audience outside the story. Such … Continue reading →

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Tempestuous Heroine In The Ice Cup

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Sarah

The Dark Heroine and the Fair Heroine It is very easy to let archetypes become stereotypes in storytelling. Sometimes storytellers become so anxious about the possibility of their characters becoming sterotypes (that is, a mere two dimensional, cardboard “type”) that … Continue reading →

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Speaking at a Writers Conference

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Sarah

Next weekend, I’ll be one of the speakers at the Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference, giving presentations on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, at 4:45, I’ll be teaming with Maxwell Alexander Drake to discuss “Location, Location, Location”. Basically discussing … Continue reading →

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Up The River Without A Clue

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sarah

ABC launched The River with a deal of hype, possibly because Spielberg has put his name on the project as an Executive Producer. It features lush scenery not often seen on series television and an ominous tone of supernatural horror … Continue reading →

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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 →

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