getting to the <3 of the matter
Now that Season Four of The Clone Wars is complete, I thought it would be fun to revisit the season as a whole and discuss its strengths and weaknesses, fun moments and moving scenes, with an emphasis on the story design, characterization, and storytelling techniques used throughout the 22 episodes. Lex and Megan will be joining me for the round-robin Season In Review. So let’s get started with Part One.
Read more
I knew March would be madness with Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse and The Hunger Games – stories with great female heroines like Jaina, Tahiri, and Katniss. In the meantime I’ve been writing away on Wynde, working with my heroine in that book and playing with some storytelling ideas to help draw the reader into Vespa’s story.
Read more
Last weekend’s release of The Hunger Games movie has generated a lot of fan discussion about the differences between the book and the film. Some fans have expressed disappointment, even outrage, at various aspects of the book that were “left out” or “changed” in the movie. Other fans have praised the new material in the movie for expanding the story or increasing its impact compared to the book. And some, like a parent with two children, love them both just as much, but in different ways.
Read moreA young hero from a desolate and isolated region, torn from that life by the evil machinations of an oppressive regime, mentored by a wise-yet-weary warrior, forced into new alliances and a rebellion, a singular life-defining shot that hits its mark… I bet you thought I was talking about Star Wars.
Read more
Good stories always have great characters. The great stories always have something more. What sets them apart are themes that resonate deeply with the reader, viewer, or audience. Great stories don’t just entertain – they make us think, challenge our assumptions or beliefs, or inspire us to do great things ourselves.
Read more
What sets The Hunger Games apart from the rest of the field, though, is its lead character, Katniss Everdeen, and the skill with which Collins executes a novel trilogy centered around a young female lead. Where so many others have failed, or not even bothered to try, Collins not only creates a Strong Female Heroine, but also makes the story her Heroine’s Journey from impoverished nobody to national symbol. There are far too few stories of this kind in the genre – or anywhere else for that matter – even amid the prolific storytelling boom of recent years. For authors, screenwriters, and others struggling to figure out how to write better female characters and better female-centered stories, The Hunger Games has to be at the very top of the list to read, analyze, and learn from.
Read more
In The Hunger Games novel trilogy, Suzanne Collins created another fantastic example of an heroic story centered around one principal character, without losing touch with the role that teamwork and collaborative success play in human nature. In a very real sense, the trilogy is not the story of the rise and triumph of Katniss Everdeen, but rather the success of Team Katniss.
Read more
Last year the blog introduced the series Seeking Strong Female Heroines. This year we’re adding a complementary series: the Heroine’s Journey.
Read moreWhile it’s important that some people choose to challenge the system directly, sometimes just making the most of the opportunities given can make a difference, as well. I can’t thank my grandparents enough for giving me the inspiration to face those challenges. In the end, it was their examples that reminded me that the only person that can let you believe you’re not worthy is yourself.
Read moreIn my first entry to Shaping a Heroine, a series of blogs discussing the design of my novel’s heroine, Vespa Wynde, I talked about her father. When I tried to identify a woman or women as character references for Vespa’s mother, Utara Fireheart, picking someone proved an impossible task.
Read more