What's more important to a story: a gripping plot or compelling characters? Literary-minded novelists argue in favor of character-based novels while commercial novelists argue in favor of plot-based stories, but the truth of the matter is this: The best fiction is rich in both. Enter Plot Versus Character. This hands-on guide to creating a well-rounded novel embraces both of these crucial story components. You'll learn to: • Create layered characters by considering personality traits, natural attributes, and backgrounds • Develop your character's emotional journey and tie it to your plot's inciting incident • Construct a three-act story structure that can complement and sustain your character arc • Expose character backstory in a manner that accentuates plot points • Seamlessly intertwine plot and character to create a compelling page-turner filled with characters to whom readers can't help but relate • And much more Filled with helpful examples and friendly instruction, Plot Versus Character takes the guesswork out of creating great fiction by giving you the tools you need to inject life into your characters and momentum into your plots.

Successful storyboards and poignant characters have the power to make elusive thoughts and emotions tangible for audiences. Packed with illustrations that illuminate and a text that entertains and informs, Prepare to Board , 2nd edition presents the methods and techniques of animation master, Nancy Beiman, with a focus on pre-production, story development and character design. As one of the only storyboard titles on the market that explores the intersection of creative character design and storyboard development, the second edition of Prepare to Board is an invaluable resource for beginner and intermediate artists. Animators and artists will be able to spot potential problems before they cost time and money. Learn how the animation storyboard differs from live action boards and how characters must be developed simultaneously with the story. Positive and negative examples of storyboard and character design are presented and analyzed to demonstrate successful problem-solving techniques, applicable to a variety of animation projects. Featuring in-depth interviews with leading animators and storyboard artists, artists and animators alike can adapt professional workflows, techniques and problem solving solutions and add them to their own creative toolkit. Of course, no book about storyboarding would be complete without a rundown of the basic concepts of cinematic storytelling: camera angles, lenses, and composition. Artwork from an international array of students and professionals supplement the author's own illustrations. New to this edition will be a fully developed companion website featuring video tutorials highlighting the creation of animatics, good and bad pitching techniques along with updated images and even more content driven techniques.

A cult bestseller in the US, available around the world for the first time, The Great Mental Models introduces the simple tools we all need to see the world clearly. Time and time again, great thinkers like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have credited their success to mental models: simple representations of how the world works that can be applied in a wide array of contexts. Mastering a small number of these concepts enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others don’t, and better anticipate outcomes. The Great Mental Models introduces the most powerful models that anyone can use right away to improve decision making and productivity. In this volume, Shane Parrish introduces key concepts that both art and economics rely on, including: Creative destruction: New innovations must sometimes come at the cost of the maintaining the status quo. Representation: The depiction of an idea can be visual, but it can also rely on symbols or other ideas. Genre: A form of communication with socially constructed norms developed collaboratively over time. Building a latticework of mental models is one of the most powerful things you can do to become a better thinker, leader, or creator. The Great Mental Models is the accessible guide you need to unlock this ability.

This book is a sequel to The Dramatic Writer's Companion by Will Dunne, master teacher of playwrights, screenwriters, and anyone working on dramatic scripts. Following the format of its predecessor, it is divided into three major sections on character, scene, and story and consists of more than 40 new workshop-tested exercises to help writers zero in on and solve specific problems in their scripts. The book is fully linked to The Dramatic Writer's Companion and allows readers to find related exercises of interest in that volume, though it can also be used as a stand-alone resource.

Do you want to write a stronger story? Would you like to worry less about plot holes and weak characters? Some writers shy away from outlining, believing it their worst nightmare, and state that time is better spent writing a novel than planning it. Then there are those who’ve tried plotting, perhaps more than a few times, only to get lost in the weeds and overwhelmed by frustration. Stories that work all follow a certain structure; you just need to learn how to apply it. Plot Development is a step-by-step guide which will teach you: ● How to decide on the number of characters to include in your novel ● How to make each character come alive with their own wants and needs ● How to choose between different types of outlines ● How to develop engaging events and where to place them within your story ● How to enhance your plot with potent subplots ● How to build chapters, designed to deliver an immersing experience for the reader ● How to review and edit your outline to make it even better ● How to enrich your opening and closing chapters Included are seven bonus chapters, covering important topics like: theme, beta readers, short story plotting, and much more. Additionally, you’ll be able to download an outline template to provide an in-depth guide for your plotting. No more getting lost in those weeds! Plot Development is brought to you by two bestselling authors, who have published more than twenty novels between them. Leverage the power of story structure and take your writing to the next level.

First Published in 1966. The Calendar, which appeared between March 1925 and July 1927, was able to spread its influence much more widely than its present lack of reputation would suggest. It had much to do with the growth of the modern movement in criticism. By 1920, the old literary establishment had been almost entirely ousted by the younger generation that had been coming into prominence since about 1910. This title aims to showcase that, during this short period of existence, The Calendar of Modern Letters published some of the best criticism to appear in any literary review since the decline of the great politico-literary reviews of the nineteenth century.

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Set sail for high adventure with a great way to teach the elements of fiction using leveled texts! Support your differentiated instruction with this book featuring excerpts from 15 different classic works including: The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, and The Jungle Book. This resource is perfect for close reading or small-group instruction because each selection is written at four different reading levels and includes a focus on setting, character, plot, or language usage. These texts can support students' vocabulary devlopment, improve writing skills, foster engagement, and promote creative thinking. Symbols placed in the lower corner of each page represent the reading level range and are designed to help teachers differentiate instruction. Comprehension questions are also provided to complement each reading level.