Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

GETTING THE READER IN THE CAR

Major characters deserve an entrance, not just for the reader’s benefit, but so that you (the author) can establish their stake in the story, how their motives will interact with those of the other characters.

As E. M. Forster reminds us, in Aspects of the Novel, certain characters are intentionally one-dimensional. Still others serve a functional role in our stories. But the characters we are meant to care about must be round: complex, contradictory, capable of evolving, and thus surprising the reader in a convincing way. This standard applies not just

MEET YOUR GREATEST GIFT TO READERS, THE NARRATOR

the people I’m reading about (I don’t really think of them as characters) are behaving precisely as their motives dictate. Even the ones who act cruel and destructive have constructed a worldview in which their actions are justified, even heroic. The author’s job isn’t to absolve any of her major characters, but to reveal them in sufficient depth t

A SURVEY OF BRILLIANT OPENING PARAGRAPHS AND SCATTERED THOUGHTS THEREON

HOW TO MANAGE CHRONOLOGY

THAT’S HOW IT WORKS with strong characterization: the character’s actions register as the inevitable outgrowth of their core identity. It’s important to emphasize the word actions here, because (as Aristotle reminds us) it is action that determines fate.

alienation is not a natural human resting state; it’s a response to thwarted desire. Our duty as writers is not to erect lovely monuments to the lesser defense mechanisms but to dismantle them. Our characters must yearn and act upon their yearnings.