You're Reading WHAT?!?

Here's what's in my reading stack this week:

-Void Moon, City of Bones, A Darkness More than Night, The Poet, and Trunk Music by Michael Connelly books (the Harry Bosch series)
-The Bourne Sanctum by Eric Van Lustbader
-Night Shift, Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher, and Danse Macabre by Stephen King
-Fantasy in Death by JD Robb

Normally, I don't read Stephen King. I LOVE his writing, but he scares me out of my daylights (words of wisdom from a four year old). However, I need to add an element of fear/mystery to my latest WIP, so I'm studying the master. How does King make something scary? How does he get my heart racing? What words does he use to make me turn on all the lights, lock the doors, and huddle under a comforter while I turn pages? I need to know, so I'm being brave--just this week--to study how it's done.

-Sonja

Flawed Heroes

I've been studying Donald Maass' book The Fire in Fiction and came across an exercise that I thought I'd share regarding the protagonist.

My protagonist should be someone strong, but that can't be enough. The exercise challenges me to find in him something conflicted, fallible, humbling, or human. (I like that last category!). It can't be fatal or overwhelming, but should be a personal problem, a bad habit, a hot button, or a blind spot.

Once I've discovered this flaw, I need to demonstrate that flaw within the first five pages of my story. The last comment on the exercise is the key: Be sure to soften the flaw with self-awareness or self-deprecating humor. This helps the protagonist from being overwhelmed by the flaw.

I found this helpful. Hope you do, too.

-Sonja