More than a decade ago someone posed a question about fictional characters – how they make you respond. She asked for characters that you-the-reader “absolutely loathed… really loved… empathized with…brought…Continue readingWhich characters do you love or loath?
The sometimes bizarre world of a writer 1. There are times that I have sat and watched words I am typing appear on the screen and not recognized them. That’s…Continue readingConfessions of an Author
Or, this soapbox is not big enough for the both of us There are three different people involved in any given story at any given time. There is the writer,…Continue readingAuthor vs Character
From Lovereading infographic The Lovereading site explains that they love epic books with swathes of characters creating a wonderfully complex plot, but ask rather plaintively: “Sometimes is it all too…Continue readingToo many characters?
I’m off to New Hampshire to be a guest lecturer at the Odyssey Writing Workshop to give a class on building characters. I’d like to bring along some of my…Continue readingTelling off the author
7 Essential Books Starring Dysfunctional Families “Dysfunctional families are no laughing matter”, Off the Shelf reports, “more so when you’re a part of one. Who can stand your mother’s fiery…Continue readingLove the Madness
It started last night. He turned up in my dream, Chalky, the protagonist of my current WIP. He’s nineteen years old, pushing twenty. He’s a kid who has had a…Continue readingA character tells me off