I created the Reading for Writers 101 series because I believe reading critically is an essential component of learning writing craft. Plus the series gives me an outlet to not only express my frustration when I’m disappointed with books (which I never name because, you know, niceness), but to learn from them. And if I’m impressed with a book, I can shout it from the hilltops and share the brilliance! So, without further ado, here are the lessons so far…
(Click on titles below to read the full posts on Writeonsisters.com)
What Book Jackets Teach About a Story’s “Hook”
- When book jackets lead me to expect something and then do not deliver, I learn the importance of correctly identifying one’s story hook.
Books I Did Not Finish… 3+ Reasons Why
- I pinpoint the three main reasons I stop reading and make a checklist to ensure I don’t make the same mistakes in my own novel.
Character Change, part 1
- I examine why character change makes a story worth reading.
Character Change, part 2
- I outline the three steps of creating character change so it evolves naturally and doesn’t appear out of nowhere.
Is Your Story Ending ‘Right’?
- It’s hard to get an ending just right, but I’ve come up with three steps to help.
Unreliable Narrators
- Can unreliable narrators work when written in 1st person tense? It’s tough but doable, so I study two novels that did it well.
Character Motivation
- I examine two common situations where heroes lack motivation, then offer solutions.