They are young and brooding—they wear a lot of black. Seriously, are you telling me that it shocked you when this guy got a following? I have a theory that this archetype is actually a desirable element in your fiction.
Does A YA Protagonist Have To Be A Teen? Are there exceptions? What about the immortal protagonist? I’ve mentioned this topic in passing in other posts—but it’s the current thorn under my skin so I figured it deserves its own article to mull over. One of the key attributes of …
Once upon a time adults didn’t read children’s books—well, except to their children, of course, when the children were small and you hoped for them to become readers one day. My mother read me children’s books- The Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie, A Girl of the Limberlost. She …
Violet Glass Was Originally Named Lillah Grey As a protagonist name, Lillah Grey fit all the criteria—short, straightforward, but interesting and nicely thematic, with no problematic strings attached. That is, until 50 Shades of Grey became popular. That changed things. So Lillah’s last name had to change as …
Its late at night and I want something to read. Eyes scanning my library shelves, I see many familiar titles—books worthy of precious shelf space. Any voracious reader knows the high bar of shelf space. That inch is paid for with reading pleasure. My displeasure, my distaste, and you molder …
Today is a weird happenstance that won’t happen again for 11 years. It’s Easter—it’s also April Fool’s Day. We’re looking for surprises—pranks or Easter Eggs, we’re on the lookout, on the hunt. But so are our readers, and it’s not a one-day-a-year thing for them. Surprise in Fiction Readers like …
My significant other in real life noticed a trend in the men I write—the male protagonists and love interests tend to be rather undersized. They’re not physically intimidating. Here are my current scrawny love interests/protagonists: Solaris— Undersized, scarred with burns from attacks of other Fire clan children and from the …
Wish fulfillment is treated like a dirty phrase by critics, writers, and even many readers. But Reading is About Wish Fulfillment Each story is a wish of the writer, the protagonist, the reader. We immerse ourselves in dreams. We spend months or years breathing life into them, till they breathe …
