Imagine your story’s protagonist is a standup guy or gal. The main character, the one who stirs the cocktail. But you find that the protagonist is missing something, and getting plot points out there seems awkward. Her character is a bit flat. Could be, she needs a foil. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “foil,” when used in the writerly, literary sense, as “someone or something that serves as a contrast to another.” Simple and straightforward, that. Think Lou Costello to Bud … Read More »

Question: Why should your protagonist be special? Answer: Because that’s what will make your reader sit up and take notice! I find that engaging with the struggles of a sympathetic protagonist is key to enjoying the fiction reading experience. Perhaps it’s even one of a reader’s greatest pleasures. Why do little girls love the story of Cinderella? Why have versions of that tale about a vulnerable girl’s triumph over a cruel stepparent been around since ancient Egypt and maybe before? … Read More »

We’re all concerned about making our historical novels authentic. We research costumes, tools, and architecture. Yet all that effort can dissipate when the characters open their mouths, if their speech isn’t equally time-appropriate. But how can it be, when they are speaking Chinese or Medieval French or simply American English of the eighteenth century—rendered in “Modern”? Like Us Yet Not As we all know, dialogue can make or break a novel. It reveals the characters and their relationships; it can … Read More »

Whether we write fiction, poetry, history or news, we are creating a story. I began my writing career as a newspaper journalist and ended up writing history books. Some people have told me history is dull. With that in mind, I try to present information in a lively, insightful, and informative manner, while making the material relevant and easy to digest. While working in museums, I honed writing skills by preparing press releases, grant applications, handouts, craft instructions, job descriptions, … Read More »

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 »