this week's craft essay is for everyone tired of being told they're morally suspect for liking complex characters. about diegetic writing, why compelling beats likeable, and why fiction isn't an instruction manual.
probably my spiciest take so far.
Why the most interesting characters are the ones (other people say) you shouldn't like. Learn why diegetic writing and morally complex prota
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the homosexual as an identity category was invented in 1869. by a german doctor trying to decriminalize sodomy.
before that there were acts, not identities. the greeks thought male-male love was spiritually superior to heterosexual desire. the romans only cared if you topped. georgian officers had "particular friendships" everyone recognized and no one named.
none of them were closeted. none of them were repressed. the framework didn't exist yet.
new essay tracing the full line from plato's symposium to the aids crisis. why "there were always gay people" is projecting backwards. what writers get wrong about historical sexuality. how to fix it.
this one took a while. i think it matters.
From Plato's Symposium to the AIDS crisis: why your period drama keeps getting sexuality wrong, and how to fix it.
your villain is shallow because you're scared of what it would mean to understand them
not excuse them. understand them. find the version of yourself that could make their choices under different circumstances
new essay on the psychological work most writers refuse to do and why 'I don't want to empathize with bad people' is a craft failure, not a moral stance
On performed empathy, the ego problem, and the craft of writing antagonists worth remembering
still floored Owlcat Games featured the Deadstar Logbook on their gamedev resources page 😭 owlcat.games/learning
i'm in the narrative design section
genuinely honoured. there's incredible craft analysis on there. very grateful to be included. go take a look at the resources they've gathered!
since a lot of you found me through warhammer 40k content, you might like my character analyses on there. more to come!
Craft essays on narrative design, worldbuilding, and 'off-the-page' content from the grimdark nautical horror world of The Reply. Click to r
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just wanna say thank you! i love teaching what i know and sharing observations i don't often see articulated. if my essays on creative work helped anyone, that's why i do it.
i want more high quality human-orchestrated work in the world, and i want more ideas made tangible in beautiful ways. i also want readers and consumers to find the greatest joy possible in their relationships with the work they consume
i'm always open to talking and engaging with people about their projects or creative concerns, you can find my email on my site or the 'about' section on the Substack!