read to learn

Protagonists can’t start with a complete understanding of themselves or their world, or there would be no story to tell. Most novels include a reveal, where the main character (and the reader) make a discovery. The desire to learn the hidden mystery is often what keeps readers turning pages. I’ve been thinking about the role… Read more »

In Kate DiCamillo’s Louisiana’s Way Home, Louisiana, has a way of characterizing people in a few sentences. About her grandmother, Louisiana says, “If you have to choose between smiling and not smiling, choose smiling. It fools people for a short time. It gives you an advantage. According to Granny.” At that point, I started to… Read more »

Tells, unconscious movements that telegraph a person’s emotions, are beloved by novelists and gamblers. A character may rub his neck when he lies. Another character might pick at her split ends when she’s bored. Eyebrows frequently rise. Jaws are forever dropping. But sometimes a character has such a unique and memorable tell that it jumps… Read more »

The appropriate pacing for a novel depends on the audience, genre and plot type. A literary novel aimed at educated women will likely be slower paced than a midgrade novel targeted at elementary school boys. If the pacing is too slow for its audience, the reader may wonder if anything will ever happen. If the… Read more »

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue By Mackenzi Lee Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017   Mackenzi Lee creates a wonderful example of the domino effect in plotting in this adventure story. The protagonist, Henry “Monty” Montague, is a likable rogue who is taking a tour of Europe before settling down… Read more »