Dark Kingdom Arts is about how to write great science fiction and fantasy. We'll do some reviews of the strengths and weaknesses of popular media, and feedback of your works-in-progress. We'll focus mostly on storytelling techniques, including what they are, how to employ them, and why they work. This is all run by me, Deb, an optioned screenwriter and award-winning novelist, and I want to share my passion with you.
Just a quick little update about what's going on in my writing world and about this podcast.
So maybe you want to take your time in the first act, is that a good idea or should we just get right into the adventure? Let's talk about it!
I made a short film while knowing nothing about production at the start. I'm from the writing world. I work at home at a desk in my office. Making a movie was so far outside my comfort zone, but I did it. The key: finding people who do know about production. Here's how.
Some thoughts on why endings tend to be more Game of Thrones than beloved, and how you can advocate for change, as daunting of a task as that is.
Pacing is make or break for your story. In this episode, what pacing is, we'll discuss tips on how to do it right, and the ways it can go so very wrong. Let's dive in!
The quick and compact overview of the 3 Act Structure. It's the most popular story structure in the world right now, so if you're writing today, you're going to need to know what it is.
Feedback always bites, but taking it is a skill every writer should polish. And it is a skill you can learn. We will go through why it stings so much, but why it's something every writer should crave before pitching or publishing.
There's too much story in a game vs a movie; a debate of time The only cure: capturing that sense of adventure Why TV adaptations have promise Audiences build emotional engagement differently in games vs movies
The storyteller's common-but-apparently-secret ingredient to improve just about every story out there: darkness. In this episode, we cover what darkness is in stories and why we (usually) need that triumph over it. Enjoy!
Audio Play Starts at 39:34. In this episode we cover: Why spectacle & nostalgia are not safe storytelling choices, and how they're used against you The importance of character choices and consequences in the plot If characters rely on luck and the stupidity of their enemies, then there's no heart or emotional draw to the adventure How to do a temptation narrative (in audio play) Gray Jedi Audio Play me ranting
Our first feedback episode! A voice actor reads Chapter One of a (polished) work-in-progress and I give my honest thoughts about its strengths and weaknesses. Today, we hear from author Ron Roth about Ethan, a disillusioned man in an urban fantasy, hunted by the FBI, who can provoke the nightmares of others...
Where you spend your initial scenes or chapters is the foundation of your world, upon which the scaffolding of your story is built. We'll discuss how to get it right, and why your characters are stuck at the start of their narrative. In this episode, we will define: the significance of opening scenes, the definition of the ordinary world, what makes a prologue work (if you're using one), and world-building/exposition as they relate to the start of your story. Protip: readers don't like information overload at the start!
An introduction to the podcast's host, her background and successes as a science fiction and fantasy writer, and her goals for the show going forward.
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