Lyle Milton's Blog

There tends to be a murkiness in the literary world about the term “character study.” In my years of writing research, I’ve never found a consistent definition of the term. What I have found is that there’s a lot of writer confusion out there about character study vs. story vs. plot. Here’s my own take on the subjects:

Often, character study is confused with Story which is about changes within a character over the course of a literary work. Character study is not so much about change, but about the revelation of what is already within a character, and the depths to which that revelation goes defines its literary richness. Plot is simply the events that transpire in a work, ideally having an engaging flow while reaching some satisfying confluence and conclusion(s). It tends to be external and can carry a work… though said work may have little depth or meaning without the other two. This is why a work can have a plot but no story, be a character study with no plot. However, mindful application of these concepts in your work can send hearts racing, tears falling, minds reeling, and fists pumping.

These definitions have worked for me and allowed me to gain a greater understanding of my own work. Let me know if they prove useful to you, as well.

So, in case you book bugs have been buried deep in tomes recently, there’s been some social media noise over the new design for Lola Bunny for the 2021 sequel to the 1996 Space Jam movie.

First, I should say that, while I saw the 1996 movie, all I remember is that Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny were in it. I had no idea that Lola Bunny was also in it. The only Lola Bunny I know is from The Looney Tunes Show (2011), voiced by Kristen Wiig. So, the controversy over the new character design was lost on me… until I actually saw the comparison, that is.

Okay, having seen (again, apparently) the 1996 design, I totally understand why I didn’t remember her; I’d never be able to pick her out of a ‘sexy furry’ lineup. The 2021 design is far superior; she seems authentic, relatable, and, best of all, instantly recognizable. I mean, you can almost hear her voice!

Yeah, expectedly, there are a lot of dudes complaining, but some of the criticisms have come from women who decry the new design as insinuating that big breasts = ‘bimbo.’ That’s an argument against which this dude has no valid opinion. However, I will just offer that the difference in the versions is Instagram model vs. real life. For me, real life wins. Every. Single. Time.

There are exceptions to almost every rule, yes? I was an artist & designer decades before I decided to write a novel. So, I’ll take the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the Loophole of the Gods cover as validation of my efforts. And with that….

The Loophole of the Gods cover required a lot of custom code to create the depth of field and the reflections within the mirror shards. In keeping with the psychological themes, the Game of the Gods (GotG) cover will also require custom code for a visual effect. However, my plan is to design it within our new graphics suite… which I haven’t yet finished building!

My candle’s mid is nearly spent with my writing and coding, but I have to get GotG’s cover done before release, so….

Time’s a-tickin’….

I’ve completed Game of the Gods, sequel to Loophole of the Gods and second book in my Man Zero series! It feels great because the difficulty of writing this novel dwarfed the previous.

It’s now in the hands of my editor… where her merciless pen will slash red against my baby.

Next up: the cover design for Game of the Gods

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