by Josiah DeGraaf | Jan 30, 2017 | Articles, Theme
First chapters are hard to pull off. You need to introduce your protagonist, your story’s setting, and the beginning of your plot in an engaging way that entices people to keep reading. This last point gets hammered on again and again by editors and agents, which can...by kingdompen | Jan 9, 2017 | Articles, Characters
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a writer is to allow all your protagonists to get along with each other. Many of us are inclined to do this because we love our characters. The protagonists are all working together toward the same goal, right? So why...by Josiah DeGraaf | Dec 9, 2016 | Book Recommendations, Writing
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. According to Writer’s Digest, K.M. Weiland runs one of the top one hundred writing sites, and she spends a lot of time on her blog giving advice to writers. Since I’ve followed her blog...by kingdompen | Dec 5, 2016 | Articles, Characters, Style
A week ago, I talked about why the portrayal of a character’s internal thoughts and emotions is inherent to the novel, and how excluding that component can hinder the potential of your story. However, crafting a distinct, compelling POV (point-of-view) isn’t as simple...by Josiah DeGraaf | Dec 2, 2016 | Book Recommendations, Fiction
[Spoiler Warning: Since this book is a classic and a couple centuries old, the ending will be discussed in this review.] After two long years, Hester Prynne’s husband returns to America to find his wife charged with adultery for having a child while he was...