Breaking up is hard to do, even with a story. Have you ever watched a movie and two-thirds of the way through wonder how in the world they’re going to end this story? Or read a novel and asked the same question? Let’s face it. Endings are hazardous terrain filled with landmines. Finishing with a flourish means avoiding unforeseen crevasses or loose gravel and leading our readers into a final landscape where the story ends well. So, the question—what makes … Read More »

I’ve heard of readers becoming upset when a character they like dies in a story. In a tragedy, characters will die and oftentimes suffer, too. I’m glad Shakespeare didn’t hesitate to let his characters kill each other. Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich made a deep impression on me years ago, and I still remember it. Ivan kind of had to die for that to be true. Tragic stories are serious, and often intense, and frequently end in the death … Read More »

Almost from the time we can hold a pencil (or hit a key these days), we are taught the “rules” of writing. Punctuation. The grammar forms of Standard English. Beginning. Middle. End. When we learn to write for the masses, we start hearing the word “craft” bandied about. Learning “craft” is related to the specifics for different forms of writing: journalism versus script-writing vs short story vs novel vs memoir vs creative non-fiction. Craft is the tools and techniques we … Read More »

Well, there’s no such thing and there shouldn’t be. A protagonist should always be imperfect. Here’s why I think that’s true. Perfection is fine in a saint. But most people aren’t saints and don’t want to read about them. They want heroes and heroines they can relate to, identify with, worry about, root for. That doesn’t mean your protagonist must be irredeemably inadequate. In fact, I think a good protagonist needs a special skill. My most recent hero is a … Read More »

I’m fully immersed in my story. I’m in “the zone,” typing madly, but this story is practically writing itself. Then one of my characters hands another a cup of tea (insert sound of screeching brakes). Wait! Did they have tea in 13th century Scotland? Turns out they didn’t. Change tea to honeyed milk. As my writing brain is fully engulfed in the story, the researcher lobe is pulled from standby to high alert. I engage the “find and replace” function … Read More »

Agency is “the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power . . .” Agency is something adults have, usually. Some level of authority, capability, assertion, action, or overt influence. Traditionally, it has been male fictional characters who just naturally have agency. They make decisions that affect the plot and the lives of the other characters. They take independent action and accept the consequences. The writing world is in the process of normalizing agency in female characters. The traditional … Read More »