(I was really tempted to work Jewish Question into the title of this article for extra edgy points, but I held myself back lol.) Now, to get the basics out of the way first. I’m a religious Jew myself, so obviously I don’t have a problem with Jewish characters existing in fiction. Similarly, I don’tContinue reading “The Problem With Jewish Characters in Fiction (And My Solution)”
Tag Archives: characters
Some of the Failings of the Star Wars EU (Pre-Disney), and How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes
I’m going to preface this by saying that, despite the flaws I’m about to expound upon, the old Star Wars EU is vastly better than what we have as Disney canon now. Just wanted to make that clear. That said, the old EU was very much a mixed bag, and made a fair number ofContinue reading “Some of the Failings of the Star Wars EU (Pre-Disney), and How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes”
Reclaiming “Strong Female Characters” in Science Fiction
There has been a lot of talk, and a lot of criticism about, a recently release Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures animated short. This particular episode is basically a fawning tribute to Princess Leia, with a focus on the scenes in the Death Star in A New Hope. I’m not going to detail every singleContinue reading “Reclaiming “Strong Female Characters” in Science Fiction”
On Heroes, and “Flaws”
A recent post by Rawle Nyanzi on virtuous heroes and how they have been attacked and maligned by many in recent times got me thinking about both heroes, and the somewhat more broad topic of main characters. Specifically, as the title suggests, the obsession with character flaws. I remember seeing so much discussion of thisContinue reading “On Heroes, and “Flaws””
Women in Star Wars: Tor.com Misses the Mark–Again
I’ve been fairly open about the numerous issues I’ve had with modern Star Wars. While I will continue to give The Force Awakens the benefit of the doubt (for overall quality) until I see where The Last Jedi takes the series, I cannot ignore the major problems that have become more and more visible, especially in Rogue One. The twoContinue reading “Women in Star Wars: Tor.com Misses the Mark–Again”
Some Thoughts on Writing Sequels
(Note: I will do my utmost not to spoil anything from A Greater Duty, book 1 in the series, for anyone who has yet to read it, but it is possible that due to the fact that I am talking about the sequel, there may be some minor spoilers.) It’s important, for a writer, to regularlyContinue reading “Some Thoughts on Writing Sequels”
Writer’s Ramble: On the Reality of Fictional Characters
For reasons I’m not quite sure of, the late, once great Mass Effect franchise has been on my mind lately. I’m not here to lament the decline and, essentially, the destruction of a great franchise and setting–the Mass Effect universe is second only to my own sci-fi universe in my list of fictional sci-fi universes in which IContinue reading “Writer’s Ramble: On the Reality of Fictional Characters”
Phasma: Star Wars Shows it Doesn’t Know How to Explore its Characters or What Fans Want
I have a few quick thoughts, stemming from the recent release of Phasma, a standalone book detailing the backstory of the iconic Star Wars character Captain Phasma–oh wait, no, she was just an over-hyped character that did nothing in the movie and was put in the movie to sell toys and as a means to push aContinue reading “Phasma: Star Wars Shows it Doesn’t Know How to Explore its Characters or What Fans Want”
On Identity
The word identity, or perhaps, the concept of identity, has become increasingly politicized of late, first with the general rise of identity politics, and, more recently, with identitarian movements that, seeing as identity politics are here to stay, they have to make strong statements regarding who they are. As for me, personally, while I sympathizeContinue reading “On Identity”
Introducing A Greater Duty, Part 2: What This Story Is, Plus a Discussion of Genre and Realism
Last we ended things with the little introduction to A Greater Duty, and before I get into talking about the book itself, I’ll include the back cover blurb/synopsis (which is subject to minor change) once more. (And as a note, the image accompanying this article is the color sketch of A Greater Duty‘s cover, not the final.)Continue reading “Introducing A Greater Duty, Part 2: What This Story Is, Plus a Discussion of Genre and Realism”
Writing, Ascendant 