Because they’re in love. Because in their best judgment making a certain choice seems to be the right thing to do and they only find out otherwise much later that…Continue readingWhy do protagonists do stupid things?
Love is one of the guiding principles of the human condition. Things have been done in the name of love – both great things and evil things – that defy…Continue readingWhy do characters love?
Protagonists are all very well. You pick a central character, you get into their head, you understand his or her point of view. That protagonist is by very definition the…Continue readingWhy are villains so much fun?
When we first came into the little town of Bellingham in northwest Washington, more than a dozen years ago now, many things delighted us — the trees, the glimpses…Continue readingA tale of two bookstores
“Dune” did it to incredible effect. Asimov’s Foundation series did it beautifully. There are other books where this was used to enhance and deepen the worldbuilding. I am talking about…Continue readingWhy epigraphs?
I have just sent out the first edition of the long promised newsletter. PSA: It may have its share of the usual startup problems, which I hope will be worked…Continue readingFrom what book…?
If you haven’t seen Living Literary, the new feature on my Patreon page, let me tell you how it works. Living Literary consists of writing prompts. If you are a…Continue readingWhat is the Living Literary?
Fictional liars The Unreliable Narrator is a character who tells the reader a story which cannot be entirely trusted, or taken at face value. The narrator might be deliberately deceptive,…Continue readingWhy do characters lie?
This little town where I now make my home, tucked away in the beautiful foothills of the Cascades, would not be the first place you would think of if you…Continue readingAn electrifying museum
When I was a young teen living with my family in Swaziland, my parents decided to ship me off to Lowther College, a well-regarded English boarding school, for a year.…Continue readingMy life in a castle