Kate Flournoy

For me, I believe the line would be drawn between what is right and wrong in war as soon as any act departed from self defense. Taking spoil is a necessary part of war if you are in a foreign country and desperately in need of supplies, but I would not defend it if it was simply for the sake of gathering ‘stuff’ that you could grow rich on or…[Read more]

One way to do this is to introduce a gossipy character who has profound interest in all types of background information, and introduce a curious stranger who will then ask this gossipy person questions. One thing you have to remember though if you take this approach is that gossipy people often get the narrative slightly wrong or exaggerate the…[Read more]

Okay, no problem. I know what it’s like to have weird, troublesome computers and bad connection!

Yes, that’s how I was leaning when I read and typed out the passage, but I wanted to post it just in case I was missing something.
That being said, I do not agree that it is wrong to lie in war. Let’s think about it for a moment. Lying in war is not lying for your own personal gain or even on a personal level in any way. Yes, it is lying, but war…[Read more]

Daeus, you asked for other instances of lying in the Bible. I found one that you missed, and maybe it will shed some light on this. 2 Kings 10: 18-30. I do not pretend to have all the answers or even understand this perfectly myself, but I am seeking truth, and I believe one of the best ways to do so would be discussion. Here is the passage for…[Read more]

Wow. Thanks— that will be so helpful. Is there anything you guys don’t think of?

The only outward signs of such conversations I ever seem to exhibit come in the form of wide, silly grins plastered all over my face whenever one of my characters says something particularly witty or unexpected. My family calls it to my attention all the time, but so far, I don’t think any have actually caught me in the act of speaking aloud. But…[Read more]

Good idea, Daniel!
You’ve got a point there. Just give them something that will make them stand out immediately, and they will be more memorable. Of course, this wouldn’t work for every character— imagine giving an evil baron an allergy to broccoli. Somewhat… incongruous. But a very good idea just the same.

Do that often enough, Daeus, and you’ll eventually get to the point where you can tap them on the shoulder and say ‘hey, I want to talk to you— got a minute?’ and they’ll stop whatever they’re doing, turn around, look you full in the face, and talk to you— with very little effort on your part. I know this sounds crazy, but I never said I was…[Read more]

Excellent! Go for it!

And I generally try to avoid giving the kind of dares you referenced, since I myself would never take one. 🙂

Amidst all these formulas and rules and technical stuff, I just wanted to say something really simple but really important for writing any character, minor or not. You have to know them. You have to not just be acquainted with them, but actually know them— what drives them, what their motives are, why they are like they are, why they are where…[Read more]

Yes, absolutely— wonderful point about the innkeeper needing to serve the plot instead of just filling up a place in society that will have to be filled anyway for the sake of reality. Every character should be in some way essential to the plot of a story, even if it’s just to bring out some facet of a major character’s personality. Even if the…[Read more]

Yes I certainly do! I also have been a great listener to Audiomachine, and one of my favorite albums of theirs is ‘Tree of Life’. You’re right— good war music. I’ve been struggling to find more peaceful or dramatic music for the more peaceful or dramatic scenes, though. I listened to so much classical music a few years ago that now it has to be…[Read more]

Er… yes, I think so. I’ll let you know if I still can’t figure it out. Thanks!

Wow, that might indeed be too complicated to set down rules for… but I’ll give it a try.
If I’m understanding your question correctly, you would be referring to the odd character the main character meets in the street, or some other place, and who is not really consequential to the playing out of the plot except to get it started or completely…[Read more]

Okay, apparently I have no idea how this works. I’ve never been on Facebook a day in my life. Would someone please explain how this works, basically? I got the posting on a topic thing right off— that was easy, but how on earth do I request a friend or accept a request from someone else? And what does ‘updating my status’ mean? Any information…[Read more]

All the characters I referenced in my last post are from Bleak House (don’t let the dreary name deter you) 🙂 and yes I would definitely recommend that you read that one. It is the only Dickens I’ve read narrated by the main character, and thus it is a little different than most Dickens, but it’s a really great story. I haven’t read as much…[Read more]

Yes, you got it fixed— it works now. Thanks!