You’ve settled on the idea for your novel. You’ve narrowed it to a sentence or two, and you’re ready to tackle what seems an insurmountable task—developing your lead character. If you’re an Outliner (one who outlines your novel first), it’s time for character development, an endeavor not for wimps. Spellbinding stories feature believable characters who […]
Read More“Write what you know” is one of the first pieces of advice many aspiring fiction writers hear when they embark on their journey to become an author. (And if you’re a nonfiction writer, stay with me.) On the one hand, the idea of writing what you know makes perfect sense. If you’ve ever read a […]
Read MoreWant Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Everybody loves a story in which the hero is the ultimate good guy and triumphs over evil — like Superman or Harry Potter. But beware. The #1 mistake you can make when developing characters is creating heroes that are perfect. What reader can identify with perfection? The […]
Read MoreYou’ve got a story idea you’re certain has the potential to impact lives. Where do you start? There’s enough writing advice on the internet to overwhelm you and make you want to quit before you even begin. So let’s simplify things. Writing a story is like building a house. You may have all the tools […]
Read MoreWant Jerry as Your Mentor? Learn More Redemption has always been a popular theme, especially in—though not limited to—the Inspirational market. However, redemption arcs can easily fall victim to cliché or become artificial constructs designed to put a character in a good light as your story wraps up. Done wrong, they come off planted, […]
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