Peopling Your Stories (and Your World) with Individuals
I promised you all a third installment of my speaking series on crafting your message when talking about your writing…
Character
Beyond Character Goal and Motivation—The Longing and the Lack
If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. Figuring out why your characters do what…
The Best Character Tool You May Not Be Using
Many authors I know tend to love character-building exercises, digging deep into research to create characters with fully fleshed backstories,…
Character, Conflict, and That Infamous Oscar Slap
By the time this blog post runs, you will undoubtedly have heard about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the…
Is Your Protagonist Focused on the Wrong Goal?
I received an email this week from an author working on a murder mystery and struggling with his protagonist’s goals.…
Identifying Your Protagonist’s Illusions to Develop Plot and Strengthen Character Arc
If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. Last week I wrote about examining the…
Using Assumptions to Strengthen Your Storytelling
If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. This past weekend I flew to Georgia,…
Working Backward to Create Fully Fleshed, Compelling Protagonists
Readers don’t care what’s happening unless we care who it’s happening to. This is the truest truism I know about…