In the dumps: A periodic Writes of Fiction brain dump

When the curation bucket gets too full, it's time to clean the pipes out. Settle in, Writes-ers—this is going deep.

Hey, y’all—

Ever wish someone would just serve up the good stuff when it comes to writing advice and resources? You know, the really dumbfoundingly useful tips and perspectives that could actually help make your book better? That's what Writes of Fiction is all about.

I’m an obsessive consumer of writing craft books and articles, always on the lookout for a fresh approach or a clearer take. It's my job, after all, to stay on top of what today's brightest writers, editors, and teachers are saying about writing.

The payoff? You get advice that combines the best of old- and new-school thinking—and when my curation bucket overflows, the runoff gushes right into your inbox.

Big breath, Writers. We’re going deep this week at The Writes of Fiction.

Recall a time you made an effort to get someone to like you. Did you try to get them to relate to you, or want to spend more time with you? It’s kind of the same way with the main character in your book. Readers finish books when they care about what happens to the protagonist. To accomplish this, you need to craft a sympathetic character.—Sympathetic Character: 10 writing techniques that make readers care.

More on character authenticity: Vocabulary and the way a character speaks are the outer layer of character voice—the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to build character voice from the outside in, get under the character’s skin by revealing how they experience and interpret the story world from the inside out.

Character voice bubbles up organically when every aspect of the story is seen through a character’s-eye view of priorities, perspectives, and agendas. It’s less like cobbling together a latticework of characters, setting, and events than it is establishing a running commentary on how the character views everything caught in that web.—Read the rest at The secret to authentic character voice.

To read the full linkstravaganza below, plus join this weekend’s Saturday Office Hours open coaching call, become a paying subscriber.