writing – Page 22 – Colin McMahon

The Importance of Character Motivation

Posted on January 23, 2017January 23, 2017 by Colin McMahon

Recently, I had the pleasure of reading The Mark of the Dragonfly, a young adult (they say Middle-Grade but I contest it) piece of fantasy. The novel follows Piper, a gifted young mechanic who rescues Anna – a young girl – from the clutches of a shadowy pursuer. The two store aboard a train that is on route to Noveen, the capitol city of this particular fictional world. While Mark of the Dragonfly is set in a unique fantasy world and stars three compelling protagonists, I found an issue that severely hampered my enjoyment of the later chapters. This problem underscores the focus of today’s post: the importance of character motivation.

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Lessons Learned From Fanfiction

Posted on January 18, 2017January 19, 2017 by Colin McMahon

In today’s world, many writers start by writing fanfiction. For those who don’t know, fanfiction is original work based on/inspired by existing properties. It is amateur work (although one could make the argument that the expanded universe of something like Star Wars is simply professional fanfiction), written by fans for fans. On the surface, there is no merit to it. Authors will never be paid for their work. That said, it can be a value learning tool. A free workshop in a sense.

I wrote a lengthy fanfiction story for Avatar: the Last Airbender and I will attest to the value in what was a tremendous learning experience.

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A Writer’s Obligation

Posted on January 16, 2017January 17, 2017 by Colin McMahon

Over the past week, I have been doing a lot of thinking on the so-called “writer obligation.” This is discussed a lot, often times involving a controversial text and whether or not it should have been written/be read by the public. It speaks to a writer’s obligation to society: stating that what is written in part shapes the fabric of daily life and perception. I don’t disagree with that last sentence, but still encourage all writers to not be obliged to anyone.

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