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...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Dec 28, 2018 | Articles |
Somewhere along the road, every fiction writer will be asked to participate in a critique. It’s practically a guarantee. Whether we’re new to critiquing or are already teamed up with an epic partner (who should probably read this article too), we should aim to...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Dec 7, 2018 | Stories |
Arron didn’t believe in panicking. The threat of imminent loss brought fear, but few would dare steal from him or his team. But there were some. And that knowledge, combined with the fact that his brother hadn’t yet returned, made his stomach coil. Arron...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Nov 26, 2018 | Articles |
Short stories remained cloaked in mystery for years. I hadn’t the slightest idea how to write one, let alone imbue theme into it. I stumbled in the dark, creating tales and hoping themes would magically appear. Shocker: that didn’t happen. But working on themes...
by Gabrielle Pollack | Nov 9, 2018 | Articles |
Characters with tragic backstories are as common as parentless Disney protagonists. Depressing pasts are widespread in the fantasy genre. Want to give a main character a rough edge and make readers feel sorry for her? Slap on some traumatic memories. Tragic...
