In a well-crafted novel, every character and every scene has to serve the master players: plot, theme or setting. Best if they serve more than one.
Ellipse. . . How I Loved. . . Thee. . .
You would think I would have learned after book four, when I mentioned with admiration a celebrity who turned out to be a double murderer, that pop culture references are usually not essential to my kind of storytelling.
It’s About Passion – “Julie and Julia” Movie
Julie Powell’s modern experiment and Julia Child’s journey to Mastering the Art of French Cooking are both about the pursuit of joy through passion.
Thinking for a Living – and Thankful
I can blow an entire year’s worth of interesting thoughts in one chapter of a book, which could literally be one day in a character’s life. That means I have to sponge up other people’s interesting thoughts. Fortunately, there are lots of other people. Some of them are even friends.
That Pivotal Moment in Every Love Story
in every romance novel the characters must finally choose love, but all the interim steps toward the essential trust and respect the reader must believe exists are all up to the writer.