I beta read a lot, and am involved in writing communities of various kinds, and I briefly taught English way back in the day, and I consume much storytelling media in general - and one of my biggest pet peeves is sexual assault backstories. While I think this is improving, it’s still annoying to me … Continue reading Backstories for girls and women in stories that *don’t* involve sexual assault.
Tag: character development
“Every fear contains a wish”
I didn't come up with this particular aphorism. I got this from author Steve Almond (who has a new book out on the writing process called Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow which everyone should absolutely read). He recently came to the writing program I'm in to push us on how to make … Continue reading “Every fear contains a wish”
Re/action
In my wanders as a writer, beta reader and editor of fiction, I've recently come across several drafts of stories with the same major issue: Unrealistic emotional reactions from characters. This is a common early draft issue, so no need to beat yourself up if your first passes through character reactions don't sit well with … Continue reading Re/action
A message is not a story
As an independent editor/beta reader, I see a lot of writers fall into the message trap - they have something they want to say, something they feel is important, and they're very passionate about it. There's nothing inherently wrong with this - in fact, even if you're a pantser (vs a plotter), you should be … Continue reading A message is not a story
Mental Wanderings: Art, Nature, Life 