by Gabrielle Pollack | Aug 19, 2019 | Articles |
Readers want to see determined heroes fight diabolical villains. When beloved characters battle their worst nightmares, we’re terrified alongside them, and the conflict pulls us in. However, if the villain is a pushover, winning won’t be a challenge for the hero....
by Gabrielle Pollack | Jul 29, 2019 | Articles |
We’ve all had heart-pounding experiences alongside fictional characters. We held our breath when Ethan Hunt made a last-ditch attempt to stop an explosion in Mission Impossible, pored over Pride and Prejudice for hours to discover one family’s future, and perched on...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Jul 8, 2019 | Articles |
Plot twists can be both the most marvelous and mysterious elements of a story. As readers, sudden reveals urge us to turn the page. As writers, we scratch our heads, unsure how to artfully conceal information to expose later. We foresee a thousand ways the plot twist...
by Gabrielle Pollack | May 31, 2019 | Articles |
A blank page unleashes an infinite amount of plots, scenes, and characters that beg us to outline their existence in ink. But, if we can’t channel our influx of ideas, the excitement of starting a new project will quickly dissipate. Instead, we’ll be...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Apr 29, 2019 | Articles |
Authors are notorious for inflicting pain upon their characters. In our defense, how else would we propel the plot if our characters didn’t brave the gauntlet? But if misfortune only serves to move the plot, we’re missing the big picture. Tragedy for the sake...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Apr 1, 2019 | Articles |
Books are meant to be read, but boring, skippable scenes defy this purpose. If readers are skimming pages like the advertisement section of a newspaper, the story isn’t fulfilling its design. Most writers agree that lazy scenes are unacceptable, but everyone...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Feb 18, 2019 | Articles |
Have you ever wished you could skip to publication? Waiting can be discouraging, especially when a dream is involved. Writers at all stages have felt that their stories would never appear in a bookstore. But being forced to let years pass between writing...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Jan 21, 2019 | Articles |
Sometimes characters come to us in pieces. A whisper of dialogue, a murmur of a dream, or even a feeling can ignite a glimmer of inspiration that demands to become a person. But a character is more than a rushed scribble inside our notebooks. Although voice is one of...
