The Local Writer

 Today's post is about archetypes. The handsome brave warrior, the beautiful tragic bride, the filial son or daughter etc. These characters are popular because they work. They come up quite often in stories because readers like reading about them. [ Click this link to watch the video that mirrors this post. ] Today, I would like to talk about how you can use these existing popular symbols and adapt them to your local story. There are lots of articles and writing tips online that lists out the different archetypes, so I will not discuss them all in here. You can just search for a list online, and adapt them to your needs. Archetypes are Familiar I have said in earlier videos that I do not like reading romance. However, stumbling across the work of a Chinese writer a few days back has convinced me that it could be because I have been reading the wrong kind of romances. Right now, I am quite obsessed with Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's Heaven Official's Blessing . I guess I just need lot...

Today's post is about how to start the research process. You have a plot and you have your characters all lined up. If this is your first attempt at writing a novel, there is a tendency to want to include everything. If your culture is well established in international literature, then your job at this point is to decide whether or not to follow the existing well-known format for a story, or to come up with your own. At the very least, you will have a general idea of what works and what does not.  [ Click this link to watch the video that mirrors this post. ] If, however, you happen to be the first one to write about your people in a mainstream language, then you will have to make a lot of decisions blind. This is why it is critical that you already have a good reading habit. Your experience as a reader will be your guide as you write your story. Because if you can't know what does or does not work instinctively, then you will have to become extremely technical about it. Techni...