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I’m a little late to the party, but better late than never right? 😛

Looking forward to participating more in the forums!

How does Chris Fabry show what the story is about so thoroughly right from the start? How can we learn from this?

Maybe I’m slow, or out of practice reading this genre, but I wasn’t entirely certain what the story was about until the second chapter. I had a vague idea of some components after Chapter 1 (old girlfriend/almost-was-something more-than-friend wants to marry another guy, Matt’s struggles with his faith, family trouble), but it wasn’t until I read the last couple of sentences of Chapter 2 that something clicked:

“I paused at the end of the driveway and looked left and right, the road stretching out in both directions. I turned left, making the choice that would forever change me.” (Faby, 21)

I gotta say, I’m loving the last sentences of all the chapters thus far. They’re great clinchers, and build suspense.

Is Chris Fabry showing or telling? How explicit should authors be in indicating the psychological makeup of their characters and what drives, consumes, and motivates them?

I found it was more showing than telling, especially in the first chapter or so; there were lots of character-quirk actions with no immediate explanations, and hints about the past through familiar dialogue and partial remembrance rather than outright explanation.

The memories of the past were a mix of showing and telling, with others’ actions/suspicions being shown first, then the MC explaining them (perhaps erroneously. Not sure why, but I don’t trust Matt to be a faithful narrator.)

Do you suffer more from being “on the nose” or leaving readers in the dark as to what core obsession drives your characters and the logic behind their actions and emotions?

It depends on the story, and the role of the character. If they’re meant to be mysterious/have something to hide, I try to hide it/not show what they’re thinking. I’ve been told this is annoying, because I tend to favor writing in close third, and a handful of beta-readers I’ve had could tell when info was purposely being held back.

I’m getting better at being “on the nose” about the motives of the MC in my short stories, though anything longer than that needs several drafts before I get it right. With the SCs, obscuring their motives or having the MC misinterpret SCs’ actions seems to be the best way to go.

Do you do a good job at getting right to the point of what your story is about, or does it take you several chapters to flesh out what’s at stake in the character’s soul?

This depends on what draft I’m on. 😛

Getting right to the point is what I favor, usually to the detrimental point of having convenient domino events befall the MC, with a moralizing speech by a mentor character. But, again, this depends on  what kind of story I’m writing. If it’s meant to be MG/light YA, convenient domino events that keep the character on-plot are the best way for me to avoid way-siding the MC with Disney-esque parental loss. (‘^.^)