What I Learned from High School History

Hi, SEers. You’re with Mae today, and I’m spinning the clock back to highlight education during my teen years. High school history taught me numerous events, but it also taught me something about myself. When I was in school, I sorta/maybe/kinda liked history class, but there was something missing. It was only later, as an …

Plot-Driven vs. Character-Driven Fiction

Hi, SEers! You're with Mae, and I’m glad you’ve chosen to spend time with me. Today, I’d like to discuss plot-driven fiction vs. character-driven fiction. As writers (and readers) we have preferences, and each style has merit. Plot Driven Situations and circumstance take center stage in a plot-driven story. The work is focused on events …

Working Ahead

Hi gang, Craig with you again. I may have posted something about this before, but I’ve reached a point in life where “I don’t remember” stops being an excuse and becomes reality. Stick with me, though. What I’m offering might prove beneficial to some of you. Okay, it might come across a bit like this: …

Basic Plots: Vonnegut’s Good News Bad News

Ciao, SEers. I’ve been talking about Vonnegut’s five basic plots. So far, I’ve discussed Man in Hole, Boy Meets Girl, Cinderella, and From Bad to Worse, which you can find by clicking the links. Today, I’m going to talk about the fifth and final plot type, Good News/Bad News. As I’ve described in all the …

I learned a new word

Hi Gang. Craig with you again, and I learned a new word. (Not that I’m likely to remember it at my age, but writing it down helps.) I’m sharing it here, because it’s also an obscure kind of story structure. I can see that it has merit under some circumstances. The word is picaresque. It …