Nick Narbutovskih grew up knowing that he wanted to be a pilot in the military, now Assistant Operations Officer Narbutovskih with Air Force Special Operations Command, and he now trains others who are going to be pilots in the US Air Force.
On the day of our conversation, Nick was supposed to be able to talk to me from the comfort of his own home but the military being what it is he was required at the base that day so we conducted the conversation with Nick stepping out for a few minutes to his car, so I’m afraid the sound quality is a little off what I would normally hope to bring you.
But this is a fascinating conversation, with some great insights for writers into the minds and characters of those in the military, there are some real gems here for anyone who wants to know how a military context would actually work, and how groups of soldiers, sailors, and airforce personnel think and behave with each other, both outside of and in combat situations.
In this conversation, we talk about how the habits and disciplines of the military have helped Nick with his writing, the character traits and behaviors of people in the military, both in and out of combat situations, and why the reason people stay in the military might be different from the reason they joined.
I hope you find this conversation helpful, here it is.
This episode is all about the protagonist's nemesis, the antagonist. Traditionally seen as 'the bad guy' the antagonist's real function in a story is to contend with, and oppose, the protagonist at every step. In this episode we look at ways in which the antagonist can have their own character arc, with some characters switching into or out of the antagonist's role. We'll also look at the five strategies you can use to create the delicious antagonist, from a painful but convincing backstory to a personal connection with the protagonist, and from a firm belief in their own cause to good behaviour and an excellent dress sense. Welcome to the dark side of your story! ...
In the last episode we looked at character integrity and how this is founded on 1.Believability/plausibility and 2. The character as an individual. In this episode I'm going to start to look at how a character can become an individual, focusing on descriptive markers and character weaknesses. ...
Continuing the theme of "the writer's life" this episode offers some evidence based advice and practical steps for looking after ourselves so that we can live well and write well. From getting enough water and sleep, to eating well, exercising, socializing, and being mindful of our spiritual well-being. These tips will help us all to look after the totality of who we are, so that we can look after ourselves and our writing. ...
