Have you ever had someone read your work then comment: “I love all the stuff that’s going on here but I’m having trouble seeing how your character changes” or “the character seems static” or “the character is really just an observer”? The reader might have misunderstood the story, however, those statements might be hints that […]
characters
The Soundtrack of Your Story
Some writers habitually write with music playing, while others find it easier to focus in silence. When I refer to the soundtrack of your story, I am not necessarily referring to the music that you play while writing, although that also has its place; instead, I am thinking of the music that belongs to your […]
The Ideal Reader
Do you have an ideal reader? You know the one reader that you think about as you are sculpting your prose; that reader who is sitting on your shoulder as you look for the proper way to turn a phrase, or escalate a series of events? This idea has come and gone throughout my writing […]
Avoiding a Mary Sue Character
Do you know the term “Mary Sue?” I am sure most of you have at least heard this term in passing, but just in case, the Mary Sue character is an idealized, almost entirely perfect main character. The Mary Sue character originated in a Star Trek parody by Paula Smith in 1973. It was shortly […]
Unlikeable Main Characters
Can your Main Characters be unlikeable? Apparently they can, judging by two books I have read recently. Actually, in both instances the main characters were not only unlikeable but there was nothing redeeming about them. Nothing made me feel sympathetic to their plight (as a sidebar, both books were bestsellers which has me scratching my head). This […]