Category Archives: Writing

Alan Moore on Writing For The Average Reader

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Thomas Mets

In Writing For Comics, I came across an interesting quote by Alan Moore on what writers should do to avoid offending readers. Obviously, since we are talking about a mass audience of thousands of individual people, there is no way … Continue reading →

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Why Stories Favor the Fish Out of Water

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Thomas Mets

Another bias in fiction is what I would call the “fish out of water” bias, which simply means that a story is more likely to be told from an outsider’s perspective than an insider’s. There are a few advantages to … Continue reading →

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Why Stories Favor The Last Man Standing

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Thomas Mets

Part of the writer’s responsibility is to know how he’s portraying the world. This is complicated by the fact that there are a few things common to the storytelling that are ultimately going to result in an inaccurate version of … Continue reading →

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What Kalevipoeg Means to Me

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Thomas Mets

After my Kalevipoeg essay for an Estonian Culture class in an English language Baltic Studies program at the University of Tartu,  I was asked about what the story had meant to me. This was my response. As a wannabe writer, … Continue reading →

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The Rule of Three in Humor

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Thomas Mets

Stealing a joke. A little girl was walking through the park when she saw three dogs lying by the pathway. Being an animal lover, she approached the dogs and proceeded to pet one of the dogs on the head. She … Continue reading →

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Warren Ellis on Comics Writing and Reading

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Thomas Mets

A while back, Warren Ellis gave some good advice on comics writing and reading in his newsletter Oribtal Operations. You learn to write from reading books, and living your life, and investigating the inside of your own head. Next, you … Continue reading →

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George Eliot on slang

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Thomas Mets

Every now and then, I come across an argument in a centuries old book that still feels fresha and relevant. From George Eliot’s Middlemarch. “Are you beginning to dislike slang, then?” said Rosamond, with mild gravity. “Only the wrong sort. … Continue reading →

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Homer Phobia: Should Children Read The First Great Writer?

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Thomas Mets

This was a piece I wrote for a class on the philosophical foundations of education on the question of whether students should read the work of dead white males like Homer, or more contemporary material. In The Literary 100: A … Continue reading →

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Priorities of Fans and Writers

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Thomas Mets

An analysis by Thomas Mets of the differing priorities of comic book fans and writers, especially when it comes to payoff and setup, with an emphasis on Spider-Man: One More Day. Continue reading →

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The Culture Shock of Brand New Day

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Thomas Mets

Some of the backlash against Brand New Day was inevitable. The book suddenly had younger (defined by the year they were born, rather than the year in which they started writing Spider-Man) American writers. For 30+ years from September 1972 to … Continue reading →

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