Creating Character Motivation: The Fallacy of Magical KnowingOctober 26, 2023Often in working on stories with authors, I point out areas where characters’ motivations feel unclear, fuzzy, or absent: The…
A Crash Checklist for NaNoWriMo—or Any First DraftOctober 19, 2023Facing a blank page and randomly starting to write—even if you start with a great idea or premise—is guaranteed to…
Who Shaped You; Who Shaped Your Characters?October 12, 2023Fully developed characters don’t spring from a vacuum any more than we do as human beings. They, too, are a…
On Writing Authentically and Pursuing the Perfect SmileOctober 5, 2023Don’t try to write a perfect story. Don’t try to present exhaustively developed characters whose every life experience you’ve examined…