Creating Great Characters: Why you need to develop ALL of your characters
Today marks the beginning of my new column, Creating Great Characters. As one might expect, these articles will explore different ways to develop characters. I've structured the column like a very informal class, so every article will include an exercise designed to develop a character. But first, I'd like to explain how to make the most of this column. You see, I know how the writer brain works. I know you want to write that darn book, and you want to do it quickly so you ca
Professional Interaction for Authors: Let's talk about how we treat our teenage fans
A couple months ago it came to my attention that several teenage book bloggers felt uncomfortable in the YA community. Some complained about authors making offhanded ageist remarks. Others complained about outright harassment. Some had been mocked by authors, who essentially said they were too immature to give proper reviews. As a result, this post is mostly focused on YA authors, but I hope adult authors will take this advice to heart as well—teenagers shouldn't be restricte