A flawed character becomes likable when audiences trust the character’s honesty more than they judge the character’s mistakes. Memorable characters come in many shades—everything from Heathcliff’s murderous manipulation to Steve Rogers’s aw-shucks idealism. Sometimes, the not-so-likable characters end up being all the more interesting and enduring for their inner darkness. But, generally speaking, most authors […]

Note From KMW: Whenever I’m browsing a new book in a bookstore or reading a sample online, I’m always aware of how little I can actually know at the start. I can’t yet see if the plot will hold together or if the structure will land. I don’t know how the Climactic Moment will pay […]

I began the year thinking I knew where I was headed and ended it realizing how my writing career evolved into something I couldn’t have predicted—almost as if something beneath the surface had been quietly rearranging itself all along. The year unfolded as a threshold. It was one of those liminal spaces where the old […]

Note from KMW: I’m taking a short break this week to hang out with my brand-new niece! While I’m off getting cuddles, here’s a quick post you can read in just a couple of minutes. No podcast today, just a bite-sized look at an important storytelling choice. One of the biggest questions novelists face is […]