Whether it is Ned Stark's everlasting nobility or Joffrey Baratheon's undying wickedness, a static character in Game of Thrones always seems to perish. Analyze this idea and why this may be the case. Compare unchanging characters to dynamic ones and analyze why changes in character lead to success.
Interesting topic, it'd be intriguing to read whatever kind of explanation someone might try to come up with. But first I think it's important to discus in these notes what makes a "static" character to help the future writer of this article along? Are there exceptions to the rules? I feel as though some characters seem dynamic when in reality we they've been motivated by the same thing this whole time, we just didn't know what that was. Who is static, who's dynamic, and who's in trouble of becoming static and killed off because of this theory? – Slaidey8 years ago
I agree with Slaidey in that knowing who is truly dynamic vs. static may be premature at this point. Especially in light of the fact that some characters who are declared dead, may in fact be still alive (the Hound). But being unsure of the ultimate outcome certainly makes the discussion more interesting... – heliddick8 years ago
Yes, a substantial counterargument you'll encounter is that it's not the static characters that die, just the ones that are not central enough to the story that we have to know their complications. Ned's death and Littlefinger's persistence may be some of your strongest cases of proof, but Catelyn's death and Daenerys's continued living may not be in your favor. – IndiLeigh8 years ago
In psychology, it is said that trapping emotions can cause an emotional blow-up in the long-run. To what extent can journal writing help someone make important discussions, express him/herself, and can it be incorporated into therapy?
I find introspective writing to be very useful. I keep a public blog where I share my thoughts on my own anxiety, depression, and other issues. I think part of the catharsis of this type of journaling for me is connecting with other people who feel the same things as me but haven't expressed them, and letting people know how I'm doing. Private journals have also held a helpful expressive place for me over the years, but nothing has been nearly as helpful or rewarding for me as the public blog space. I also find myself procrastinating the introspective writing process sometimes, and when that happens I know I need to write about something really badly. Also, the putting things out into the public space helps to make things real and to validate an experience, and pressing the "publish" button is usually accompanied with a feeling of letting go. I find it really really useful. – Amanda8 years ago
In similar vein to what Amanda is saying, i've kept several private journals as a way of coping with stresses and the like but when it was only me reading they were filled with my "shorthand" so to speak. Opening up my writing (to a chosen few) demanded that i change the way I write; trying to be clearer about what i was saying for my audience helped me to be clearer with myself and gain a better understanding of the things i was feeling or thinking. I think in a therapeutic setting journal writing could be really effective, the person would have an outlet as well as an audience with whom to share and unpack their writing. – tlbdb8 years ago
Absolutely I think that writing in journals can be therapeutic. It has the potential for self-discovery as well as revisiting events that might have been traumatic. On a lighter note, gratitude journals are a great way to start or end the day on a positive note! When she was suffering from stage four breast cancer, my Nana kept a gratitude journal and it helped her immensely. – LAMead8 years ago
The use of the word "can" in your heading makes the question, and any subsequent positions a little ambiguous. Realistically, anything "can" be therapeutic, but certainly not for everyone, and different people are calmed by different things. Try to avoid generalizations; they lead to weak arguments. – ProtoCanon8 years ago
If you read the story of Deland Klebold's mother regarding the Columbine shooting, she reveals that she kept a journal, Dylan kept a journal and so did Eric Harris. One point she highlights is that on the same day she wrote her son was "having a great time" Dylan wrote that he "felt so alone, without a friend in the world." Journal writing has its limitations for some who may need more help and in some cases can provide a false sense of viable therapy. It is great for some, not for others who need more. – Munjeera8 years ago
Yes! Thank you! I love this idea. I recently started writing in journals again and I would agree that it can be very therapeutic. I rarely ever leave the house without my "little black book". Automatic writing has a way of clearing the mind. For the article, I would suggest interviewing a number of people that write in journals and record their impressions. This topic has a wide scope so I think it could be narrowed down to focus on a few examples of therapeutic journal writing. – AlexanderLee8 years ago
I totally think journal writing is therapeutic!! When you write out something, it requires you to processes it and organize it. One of my favorite quotes is "I write to know what I'm thinking." Sometimes we get caught up in the drama of our lives, or we feel something and we don't totally understand why we feel that way. Writing out what's going on and textually trying to explain your feelings can help a ton in figuring out how to handle them. I've had a lot of moments where something was confusing me and then once I started to write about it, different details lined up and the problem clicked in my head.
– CalissaJB8 years ago
Yes, it has been scientifically proven. – T. Palomino1 year ago
Write about how morality plays an important role in the story of a video game
Interesting topic. A discussion of morality in video games could cover both aspects of the game that lurk in the moral grey areas or are blatantly immoral and whether players might feel remorse or hesitate in performing an action (i.e. just because you can doesn't mean you should). – S.A. Takacs9 years ago
Grand Theft Auto would be a suitable reference for this topic. Munjeera – Munjeera9 years ago
I think this is an interesting topic. I agree with Munjeera about Grand Theft Auto being applicable to this category. In fact I think a whole article could be written about morality in the GTA series.
Side note, I think choice based games could be looked at as well because it puts players on the spot for situations that may highlight their morality. – Lexzie9 years ago
No other medium demands a more intimate relationship with the audience than video games because the player is perpetually required to progress the story forward. In this way the player becomes an active participant in the world as opposed to a passive observer. This is why being the player on your last heart in "The Legend of Zelda" will feel incredibly epic but will look like a bunch of cheesy blips and beeps on a screen to anyone else watching. Creating a game in which it's central mechanics would rely on the players morals would be so effective because of how emotionally invested the player feels already. – mynameisreza9 years ago
I agree with Lexzie about the importance of choice-based games when it comes to morality. Games developed by Telltales (like The Walking Dead) might be suitable examples. – faezew9 years ago
If you're gonna write about morality in video games, what better example to use than the Bioshock series? There's still a lot to explore there. – Tanner Ollo8 years ago
This raises questions about what exactly should be allowed to be shown in certain films to certain audiences. There is much scandal surrounding violence in video games and films especially involving young people. This scandal sparked from the Columbine massacre and has become more and more controversial. Maybe change the aim of this topic to 'the influence of ethics from video games' – Brandon T. Gass8 years ago
Are you considering working anything like Half-Life 2 or Portal into this? I feel like these games could be a fertile ground for analyzing ethics within a video game medium. – Matt Sautman8 years ago
It would be interesting to explore the idea that Fable 2 starting with "mortality". I remember it being a huge deal that, instead of dying, the character would just receive facial scars. It took away that "punishment" that gamers either love or hate. – kaseyshaw8 years ago
Bioware games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect games would make great references for this. – hagenb8 years ago
It's important that games don't label their moral choices as "good" or "bad" each action should come with its own package of pros and cons and the player should make their decision based on which set of pros and cons they feel better about. – JacksonAP8 years ago
It seems to me that game studios are becoming more "moral" the late 80's and 90's produced really violent games for the sake of being violent, now at least (most) games give a proper context as to why the violence is needed and is less for the sake of creating a hype around violence or sexual content. – LelandMarmon8 years ago
The Wii-U was a commercial flop, with only 13 million units shipped, yet everyone continues to love Nintendo and all of their franchises. With the Nintendo Switch coming out soon this could be Nintendo's last chance at hardware if this console doesn't succeed. If this console fails, will Nintendo become the next Sega and become focused just on software instead of hardware?
An interesting topic. I believe we already have an article exploring what the Nintendo Switch needs to do in order to succeed, but I do think it's at least important to address that. Perhaps one can give examples of Sega's own failures or trace their own history - can any other major comparisons be made between the two? Or will Nintendo simply bounce back from any potential failure of the Switch because they are so well-loved due to their brand or franchises? What would it even mean to become the "next Sega"? – karebear78 years ago
I haven't been into Nintendo products for awhile now, but I was surprised that the Wii-U flopped.The parallels with Sega are a little scary, though I would say Nintendo has much stronger legs to stand on than Sega did, This is a great topic. – MikeySheff8 years ago
Hi! I wrote an article about the Nintendo Switch and what factors might determine its success but I think there is plenty of room to discussion the idea of Nintendo getting out of the console making game in a new article. Maybe focusing on pros and cons of the move from making both software and hardware to just hardware would be a good fit for this topic. What is gained and lost by Nintendo no longer making hardware and focusing just on software. – SeanGadus8 years ago
Video games have come a long way and now the technology is very developed, as we can see how hyper-realistic the graphics are and how incredibly intelligent the AIs are. Putting aside people who develop games and who game for a living, I wonder if video games as a sheer form of entertainment actually provide any important values to a heavy gamer's life–by heavy gamer I mean someone who spend most of their time gaming not for profit or work. Also, in this context, I'm referring to non-educational games, so not the games that is meant to educate kids, but games that is meant to entertain, such as DOTA, Far Cry, Infamous Son, Counter Strike etc. Take Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for example, some kids play it night and day, and all they do is shooting people. One could argue that such time can be spent on reading, an activity that provides not only entertainment, but also important values.
Just for the sake of bouncing off ideas with people, another argument I could think of is that, even though some games might have educational values, they probably don't improve things like literacy as much as reading a book does. I also keep thinking that if a person play violin 24/7, they would become a virtuoso, where as if they play games 24/7, no matter how educational the game is, I doubt they would obtain any actual skills.
Now before you think I'm an anti-gamer, I want to clarify that I'm not. I have played lots of games. I just wanted to occupy one side of argument so that it might be easier for other people to take another (or agree on my side).
This topic sometimes occurs to my mind when I see people just play games 24/7 (again, excluding professional gamers and game developers); they don't care about other things other than their games. It sometimes seems to be like an addictive mind drug. Such things don't really happen to people who enjoy other forms of entertainment (music, movies, sports etc), which is what makes the games a different kinds of entertainment than those, in my opinion.
Take away video games from one's life, I would tend to think it wouldn't do much harm to a person (assuming that they are not addicted already), but if you take away other arts from someone's life, I think that would actually do some sort of damage to them. So how valuable is gaming to one's life? Is gaming just pretty much wasting time? If you were a heavy gamer, how would you justify all your time spent on gaming?
Do you want to focus on extreme gamers (i.e. the 24/7 gamers you described above) or just gamers in general, even the casual ones? I've been playing video games nearly my whole life and have successfully finished many. While I'm not what you might consider addicted (on average I'll play at most 4 hours of a game in a day, but I'll stop gaming for months if I have a heavy school load), I think I'd definitely lose something if they were taken away. I love gaming for the immersion it gives me into a new world, like a book or a movie - I love the escape of it. If you took away my movies or books, I'd be very angry for the same reasons. If you want to think of games as wasting time, then what about books with bad writing/fluffy or meaningless stories, or movies that are just action-packed with zero plot? Every medium has its flaws/problematic culture and I think by just looking at a violent game like Counter-Strike as an example of video games being a waste of time, you lose the games that are actually educational (there are games geared just for children after all), that operate much like books or movies by showing people a brand new world and offering them an escape, or that are just a really fun way to waste time. Wasting time is not, after all, always a bad thing. – karebear78 years ago
Is there a way that you could narrow this topic down? It is really interesting. It just seems like a monuments task, and almost like a research project. I would concur with the above comment on focusing on specific gamers like extreme gamers, or it can be a comparison with casual gamers. – AbeRamirez8 years ago
An analysis of existential themes in cyberpunk fiction. How does the genre deal with questions of human nature? What is the value of the human experience when it can be replicated? Good examples can include Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, Neuromancer, etc, tackling existential situations from those perspectives.
While it can be said that TV has slowly progressed to tight, more concentrated storylines in the past couple of decades, I've noticed a dramatic increase in the uses of drama and suspense with the recent surge of programs that are written for an audience that is expected to digest them all in one sitting. One big troupe characteristic in these binge shows is the steady, unrelenting increase in stakes, giving little time to breath and let tension or peace linger. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Can made-for-streaming shows still be considered TV, or are they moving towards more extended movies?
I like this idea, but I have to say that I am a little worried about how you are going to prove any of these ideas. For example, how will you tangibly prove that binge watching is either bad or good? By what metric will you judge the circumstances? These are factors that need to be considered... – agramugl8 years ago
Agree with agramugl that proving whether or not binge watching is good or bad will be challenging at best, however perhaps this can be compared to potential effects it may have on the way people watch films? Most binge-worthy TV shows are more or less extended films, as you said, particularly with their high production values. Perhaps this could be likened to how a lot of drama/suspense/action films nowadays have a run time of around or over 120 minutes - any less, don't we feel they're not giving us enough? Would anyone bother going to the cinema to watch a short mediocre film, when they can watch something epic on Netflix? – Sonia Charlotta Reini8 years ago
I think that not many people are talking about how asian minorities are bring represented in the media, how many are usually stereotyped. Most potrayals of asians are usually really smart, and if cast as a parent of an asian child they are usually strict. I think it would interesting to see how exactly they are being portrayed? And also maybe explore what shows or movies are trying to break the stereotype and cast asians as something other than what we are used to seeing.
Cool idea. I think many stereotypes toward Asians, especially East Asians FROM or living IN East Asian countries, are actually more or less true; I said "from" and "living in" because the white-washed ones are mostly exceptions (though not all). One thing that always gets me to frown a bit is that the big media always portrait Asians as a minority race, even though we (I'm Asian) take up more than 60% of the world's population. I haven't really seen a movie that breaks Asian stereotypes, and I generally don't think that's a good idea because to break stereotypes, the movie first has to acknowledge them, and the movie makers might not want to do that. I also think stereotypes toward Asians are less distinct and less condescending than say, stereotypes toward black and Hispanic people. For example, stereotypes have it that Asians are good at math; what good is it to break this stereotype? I actually wish that were true on me. Definitely upvoting the topic. I was just throwing out ideas. – JamesZhan95928 years ago
Would it be a specific asian group or asians in general? It would most likely be better to focus on a specific group, looking at their cultural history and expand upon it for media portrayals – Ryan Errington8 years ago
It would be interesting to touch on the catch 22 of trying to avoid stereotypes but doing so by whitewashing. I read that part of the reason Tilda Swinton (a white woman) played the Ancient One (in comics an Asian man) in Doctor Strange was to avoid leaning on Asian stereotypes of mysterious, mystical masters of the martial arts. Here's an article with quotes from the director: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/11/07/doctor-strange-whitewashing-ancient-one-tilda-swinton-fan-critical-reaction/93416130/ – LauraKincaid8 years ago
I love the topic, and I'd also love to see more Asians in all forms of media (books, movies, TV, you name it). I agree with other contributors too, that while Chinese and Japanese Asians get most of the media representation you see, Indians, Indonesians, etc. don't get enough. We definitely need to see more non-Chinese and non-Japanese Asians. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Is there a connection between the human bias towards visual stimuli and the way people react positively to the prospect of having something they love (a book, a video game, a comic strip, a play, etc.) brought into the screen realms of either television or movies? Conversely (or complementarily), is there something similar in the way people react adversely to having something they love "done badly" onscreen? Does the visual override other sensory inputs? other memory centers (be they intellectual or emotional)?
The question is about what connection there might be between humans being visual creatures in their cerebral hardwiring (biology) and their reactions to "seeing" something created in live action that they'd only before imagined or seen in non-moving pictures. It would be up to the writer to "narrow" the topic to include whatever genre(s) interested her most. – pjoshualaskey8 years ago
Your note provides much more clarity and sounds interesting. It was not as evident beforehand. The psychology and biology aspects are the gem of the topic and should take center stage. – aprosaicpintofpisces8 years ago
Thanks for your help in clarifying the topic! – pjoshualaskey8 years ago
Analyze why Harry would've been romantically better for Hermione. If not, why is Ron best for her? Compare them in both the books and the movies.
I think you made a typo here. It should be "Hermione." – aprosaicpintofpisces8 years ago
There are a bunch of articles on this topic. The writer may want to look at these articles, some including actual quotes from J.K. Rowling, to enhance their own thesis. – Jaye Freeland8 years ago
Perhaps they should have. But their relationship was primed from the beginning to represent a sibling like arrangement, while conversely Hermione and Ron always bickered like a married couple. – mynameisreza8 years ago
Despite receiving mixed reviews from fans, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child can be referenced for this topic since it gives some insight into the married life of Ron and Hermione and their parenting. In the play, Ron serves as a character mostly for comedic relief, but perhaps this compliments nicely with the immense pressure of Hermione's career. – AlexanderLee8 years ago
Ron is in more need of Hermione than Harry. When you watch all the movies, with this question in mind, you notice immediately that Harry and Hermione don't go well together at all. Hermione is a strong-willed and able leader in her own right, and being matched with Harry, who is also the leader type, is awkward. Can you imagine Hermione taking a backseat to anyone, even Harry? Ron on the other hand compliments her much better because he is not a leader, and is in the backseat throughout the movies. – MikeySheff8 years ago
With the swing of a bat, the Walking Dead was easily the most popular show on television. However, with increasingly more characters to adapt into the story, the loss of fan favorite characters, and rehashing of similar story lines, how much longer can the show continue to receive this unprecedented popularity? Within this season, the shows ratings have already drastically declined from the season premiere. Why has the show lost its fervor? Can the directors/writers take steps to salvage the series, or will it be too little too late?
The show should have taken a more 'Game of Thrones' approach to the plot. 'Game of Thrones' established very early in its airing that main characters and fan favorites are not immune to death. If the fan-base is more story-driven, the show is easier to steer from a writing standpoint. – MikeySheff8 years ago
The decline of ratings for the Walking Dead can also be attributed to the complex storyline. Especially this current season has a lot of parallel plots, that all develop very slowly and keep the audiences waiting for anything to happen that could bring the plot really forward. Even though it makes sense to establish characters like Negan as the evil villain and show the audience what he is really capable of doing, it drags on and on. Additionally a lot of fans read ahead in the comic series and stir up discussions online, which makes it difficult to keep up a neutral stand on the show. The killing of popular characters then takes another toll on the audience. The early exploring/surviving mentality, where the group tried to built on something has disappeared, along with beloved characters. This atmosphere that was created in earlier seasons could be one thing to bring back the show to its original success. – lajungbl8 years ago
What happens when an actor takes on a character played by someone else within the same franchise? I'm not talking about reboots that completely refresh the cast (as in Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and most recently Tom Holland as Spider-Man). I'm talking about a single franchise where the film brings an entirely different actor to play the same character. For example, in the Harry Potter film series the initial actor who played Dumbledore passed away and Michael Gambon had to step in for the rest of the series. There are also The Mummy movies, where Rachel Weisz dropped out of the cast by her own volition and was replaced by another actress for the third film in the franchise. In my experience, the different Dumbledores didn't bother me at all but to have Brendan Fraser's character with a different woman playing his wife was confusing. How have these transitions fared for films that have replaced actors in the middle of the same series? Were they considered jarring and rejected by audiences or did they do little to affect the series as a whole? Does the nature of these replacements have an effect as well (i.e. an unprecedented event such as an actor's death vs. an actor's or studio's decision)?
I wrote a long response that I think got erased... TLDR; The actor switch with Dumbledore suited the dark progression of the movies. The first guys was sweet and soft spoken, all about love while the second actor was full of movement, emotion and "did you put your name in the goblet harry?!" I think it was a fortunate (but unfortunate since the actor died) turn of events. In such a case, say, an actor can't fill a role right later in a franchise, better to replace them than have a sub-par rendition? – Slaidey8 years ago
You make a very good point about the Dumbledore example. Michael Gambon's portrayal adds a great deal of emotional heft to the role, which is fitting for the increasingly darker tone of later Harry Potter films. It also aligns well with the change from an optimistically bright, Chris Columbus-style introduction to the Potter universe in the first film to the more melancholically heavy, David Yates-style of the final films. – aprosaicpintofpisces8 years ago
St. Nick/Santa Claus is often presented as a jolly, warm, and overall positive spirit of the holiday season. However, a closer look at other culture's "St. Nick" figures (creepier ones like Krampus) and the like could present a darker side. Aside from that, the article would also discuss or look at the deeper motivations behind the St. Nick figure. Why make toys? Why distribute them? What is his motivation? In some ways Santa can be considered "chaotic good"–a figure operating generally for good under their own moral structure. No one has told St. Nick to do these things, he does so of his own volition and for his own reasons. Whose system of morals does the Santa judge children by? What would happen if children were judged on a different system of morals–perhaps "good" children were no longer the traditional moral good, but rather the most ambitious or the most cunning children? Additionally, the santa *punishes* bad children. This goes against the traditional "reform" system where those who are bad are brought gently to good. Krampus type figures even bodily kidnap or harm children to punish them. (A fun and possibly seasonal article.)
Interesting topic! I like it. But it might help to ground it in some specific movie versions of Santa. Maybe even including the Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss? – Ben Hufbauer8 years ago
Great topic; there are many, many Santas you could explore. The Santa from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would be one of my favorites for this topic because he is so respected, but spends much of the film acting like a jerk toward Rudolph, the elves, etc. Tim Allen's version is another great one because at first he doesn't even want to *be* Santa. (Actually, that opens up a whole new batch of topics like, what does being Santa mean? Who is considered worthy to take the role? What are Santa stories trying to communicate to real people about this figure, and is he *just* for children in the modern world? Anyway, my two cents. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
TV has seen a bit of an emergence of female antiheroes in recent years. Some examples include Rachel in UnREAL, Nancy in Weeds, and Claire in House of Cards. Antiheroes have traditionally been male, so it is a breath of fresh air to see women characters that don't always act within the moral boundaries society has normally expected of them. Discuss the appeal of female antiheroes; are there any limits to the archetype? Is it easier to have male antiheroes?
Good topic! Perhaps one of the women of Game of Thrones could be added as an example too? – Ben Hufbauer8 years ago
Women of GoT is a valid suggestion but I'd just like to say I think that they should be left out of the article for simplicity's sake. They would cloud the article too much with speculation and there are far too many. Lets maybe keep it easy and focus on female anti heroes as main protagonists in modern realistic dramas? Just to keep the genre specific. If it went all over scifi, fantasy, crime, etc. this article could become too huge a task lol. – Slaidey8 years ago
Jessica Jones may also be an interesting character to explore. – Laura Jones8 years ago
Regina of Once Upon a Time comes to mind, although she may no longer fit the antihero mold since literally separating herself from the Evil Queen. Or does that actually make her more of an antihero? Anyway, she tops my list. Now that I think of it, Zelena might fit, too. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Get Ready! Nintendo is about to launch its first mobile game on December 15th. This game is Super Mario Run, a platform specifically built with mobile controls in mind. The game will start out free to play, but at some point, you will need to spend $10 to buy the entire game. This is a extremely different business model than games like Candy Crush and Pokémon Go, which have micro transactions built into the game, which you can spend as much or as little on the game as you want to. These micro transactions will shape how fast and effectively you progress in a mobile game. Super Mario Run's business model flies in the face of what is the norm in mobile gaming. My question is this: is a $10 charge too much to pay for a mobile game? And is this one time fee a more fair business model for consumers than the Free to Play, Pay to Win model that has dominated mobile?
This would be a good topic to write about as the game is releasing. It highlights a key component of the game at a time when the game will have the attention of the mobile market.
I like the idea of the game. I would want to have a test trial to be able to decide if I think the game is worth spending $10. Through the free trial period I would make my decision. I do think that is expensive, but I think its reasonable comparing to other options from other mobile games. I'm iffy about it. I guess it'd have to be a really good game, for myself to pay $10. - Nads – Nads438 years ago
I personally think $10 is tooooo much – Haruskie28 years ago
Could explain why you think $10 is too much. It might help however ends up writing about this topic to get a clearer insight into how people perceive this product. – SeanGadus8 years ago
Could you explain why you think $10 is too much. It might help however ends up writing about this topic to get a clearer insight into how people perceive this product. Sorry for the spelling errors in the message above... – SeanGadus8 years ago
Writing can be essential to anyone who is passionate about it. There are people who believe that they can write and others who simply can't. The thing with writing is, that you can produce good writing. We all pick up from somewhere and we certainly have the potential to build up upon our skills. But the real question is how can you come a better writer?
My advice I try to explore different existing stories and ask yourself "Is there something I can add to it?". It usually helps to start with something that already exists and expand on it, until it becomes something new. – RadosianStar8 years ago
For everyone, writing is different, whether someone is writing because it's therapeutic, or because it's the best medium to express their thoughts on. Expanding on existing ideas is one way to improve your writing, but also reading work from people you admire. You can then experiment, infuse your own style, and create your own improved writing style. – simplyangiec8 years ago
I think ultimately the trick to becoming a better writer is to be passionate about what you're writing about. The ideas in the writing are most important, not the grammar. As long as the ideas are there, grammar can always be fixed. Also, I think it's important to read different styles of writing, try to see what you like about the different styles and adopt it into your own writing. – sandrasung8 years ago
Writing everyday, even if it is something you deem insignificant, can be a great help. Keeping a journal in which you write anything from short stories, to controversial arguments, to just a sensory description, or even poetry- it can all help improve your writing. Keeping a variety of topics and experiments with writing can also open you up to what you like and what you are good at, and can also reveal what you may want to work on. – aishtea8 years ago
I think this topic is extremely important. I've always been intimidated by the writing process. It wasn't until I started taking classes and starting with the basics of writing that I began to feel confident about putting myself out there in the world of writing. This could be a very interesting article for those who are scared of the writing process. – Sydnee Larson8 years ago
You can become a better writer by reading Prose Style! It is a great tool to help you read and understand what everything about writing is. It also has exercises in it that allows you to practice on the important points they made in the reading before it. – Nads438 years ago
I would say you just follow your passion because that I feel is what makes a great writer. – BMartin438 years ago
As cliche as it sounds, the most foundational basics to becoming a better writer are writing a lot, reading a lot, and sharing your work with others. This isn't to say that those are the only three things that must be done in order to hone your craft, merely places to start. You may start out reading as many genre books as you can, really growing your skills in that area, and eventually branching out into reading more literary works or articles, which will improve your range of understanding. You may start out writing journals or poems, getting a sense for your own style, which may lead you to trying journalism, extended prose, or screenwriting. You may share your ideas with your best friend and start gaining enough confidence to read something at an open mic or share it online.
I'd also say, know what "good" means to you. Are you going for general popularity, commercial success, personal fulfillment, etc? In his book "Write Tight", William Brohaugh stipulates that the only thing that defines the quality of your work is whether or not your target audience enjoys it. Therefore, if you write something that you want to use to please your parents, your siblings, your friends, or even yourself, and it achieves that end, then you are a good writer. And while it can be said that any work can be good despite its critics, I full heartedly agree with the spirit of what Brohaugh says. At the end of the day, the one who decides if your writing is good is you. – nikkimacahon8 years ago
Write about things you know. Whether that be your own life or topics you have knowledge in. It makes it easier for the words to flow and it sounds more authentic. If you are interested in writing about things foreign to you, then take time to learn more about them before jumping into a project. It helps to motivate ideas. Also, practice makes perfect. – Jessica Guillory8 years ago
My advice would be to do a little research to realize that this question has been answered in hundreds of ways since professional writers started walking around the Earth. – T. Palomino2 years ago
In both formal and informal marketing efforts, modern horror films are often compared to classic horror films. It's not uncommon to see statements that a new horror film, for example, "evokes" or "is the scariest film since" a classic like The Exorcist (Friedkin, 1973) or The Shining (Kubrick, 1980). But do these comparisons ultimately help or hurt modern horror films? And how, specifically, do these comparisons contribute to marketing efforts that are effective (or not)? I think the role of factors such as hype and viewer expectation may be particularly interesting to consider.
I think this is a good topic. I expect the comparisons to the classics will form certain expectation for the audiences, and failing to do so would hurt the sale. It would also be important to examine the cases of success and failure in such marketing and what contributed to the results. – idleric8 years ago
As you mentioned comparisons to classics are marketing tools to inspire hype so at what point does it become ineffective? It would be neat to find examples or modern horror advertised in this way and review two case studies where audiences felt completely differently about the films themselves. Does claiming something is "like" a classic become diluted the more it's said or just when audiences respond negatively to the claim? Has these kid of claims ruined any third party rating or review sites? – Slaidey8 years ago
Amazing idea! Might also be interesting to throw in a couple of examples when horror films claim to be "like nothing you've seen before!" for comparison and see how they've succeeded. For example, I think the marketing for Paranormal Activity (although not an entirely new concept at the time) really played on the idea that the film was the scariest thing anyone will ever see, with those videos of audience reactions in the cinema. – Sonia Charlotta Reini8 years ago
I think the shifting of subgenres in horror provides an interesting counterpoint to go against the need to compare the old with the new. There will always inherently be comparisons, but Saw and Rosemary's Baby are two completely different types of horror, and even looking at the box office takeover Paranormal Activity had against Saw, there's less of a comparison of content and more so a comparison of what audiences want to see. – SarahKnauf8 years ago
Look at the backgrounds and career history of some YA Fiction writers and find similarities in what they've done that worked, or even didn't work. Don't forget to find the things that make these individual authors stand out among the others.
I think it would be interesting to look at this from a more economical perspective instead of looking at their careers. Since all successful YA authors are not unanimously loved it would be interesting to see what particular tropes/plots/characters/ect. seem to draw the most readership. This removes the notion of what is "good" or "bad" and instead looks at what writing style seems to draw more readers in this genre. – LondonFog8 years ago
Also, people will anxiously await the author's upcoming book and purchase it, regardless of negative reviews. When an author has a true following it is difficult for readers to be dissuaded. Even when they are disappointed, they still tend to return, and try to read the next book. This is especially true with teen readers. It would be interesting to compare the actual statistical readership numbers between adult readers and teen readers pertaining to famous authors, with numerous books, and see how the numbers fluctuate during successful books, and less successful books. – danielle5778 years ago
What are the lines that define the different genres? Like how do you define where the things you are writing fall into? I am personally writing a story and one part of me thinks that it might fall into YA and another part of me believes that it could just be considered adult fiction. – lundquisth00048 years ago
Back-story on the Black Panther that we did not get in Civil War and that we did not see from the Black Panther himself. How he became Black Panther is more depth – because the movie did not go into much of that aspect because of the movie coming out in a few years. This could be the evolution of Black Panther and how he got to be where and who he is, if it differs between what was stated in Civil War.
I would read that. However, there is a movie coming, so whoever wants to pick this topic should consider that. At the very least, address it. – ismael6768 years ago
I do think the choice to leave a lot of his backstory from Civil War was so they have things to show in his standalone film. It would really just be a re-hash of his old comics – darcvader8 years ago
The Black Panther comic series was canceled for quite a while after the rise of Malcom X and the Black Panthers, due to worries that people may associate the two. Should look into that more, and talk about that. If looking up racially problematic characters, anyone interested should also look up Marvel's Captain Nazi, or the fact that Superman fought Hitler in the comics. – Truthsayer878 years ago
Whoever takes this should look at it more thematically, rather than just doing a straight history (which can easily be found on Comic Vine, Wikipedia, etc.). Rather than who he is, I'd encourage the author to look at what he stands for and represents in society. What are enduring aspects of his characterization (not just character), as he is passed from writer to writer? What do his continued associates (Storm, etc.) suggest about him? – m-cubed8 years ago
Analyse different movie franchises and their array of characters other than the protagonist, specifically, where these side-characters or villains seem to contribute more to the widespread allure of the movie/series more than the hero. And then, discuss the reasons behind their contribution i.e. quality of acting, depth of character, character popular appeal, etc. There are many examples one could run with, for example, Han Solo in Star Wars, Legolas/Aragorn in LOTR, Joker in The Dark Knight, etc.
What can be said of "side-characters" if they eventually become protagonists in their own spin-off stories? – pjoshualaskey8 years ago
Would this be including love interests as side characters? I only ask as I've noticed that your list contains only male characters in franchises (which is certainly fine as those are powerful and interesting characters), but going down this road something could (or should) be said of female side characters so as be sure to keep gender balance. If you aren't defining a side character as a love interest, seeking out female side characters would be essential (or pointing out the lack thereof). – Mariel Tishma8 years ago
Agree with Mariel, I think it would be important to define "side-character", as you could probably write this type of article based on villains alone. – Sonia Charlotta Reini8 years ago