Tag: characterization

How to Exorcise Inner Demons

We’ve been talking about the most critical flaw in most new manuscripts, and that is the lack of the CORE STORY PROBLEM. In order to make things simpler, I came up with the concept of the BBT (Big Boss Troublemaker) because the core antagonist is not always a villain. He/She/It merely has a goal that …

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Want a Page-Turner? You Need Deep POV

Deep POV is the magic sauce that can make our books so all-consuming that readers miss their subway stops, consider calling in sick for work, and burn the casserole.

Getting in Character—Deep POV Part Two

When we know our characters, who they are, how they came to be, the formative experiences, we can then crawl in that skin and become that person. By us becoming that character, we then have the power to transport our reader into the skins we have fashioned.

Flawed Characters vs. Too Dumb to Live—What's the Difference?

Great stories are filled with characters making bad decisions, and when this is done well, we often don’t really notice it beyond the winding tension in our stomach, the clenching that can only be remedied by pressing forward and seeing if it works out okay.

Deep P.O.V. Part One—What IS It? How Do We DO It?

Everyone wants it. Readers love it. Uh, but what IS it? How do I do it? Can I order some on-line?