A great post! As someone who just a finished a (very messy) first draft of the first novel I’ve ever attempted to write, I’m mentally checking my story against these and saving the post to revisit when I start my revision. Thank you!
I had the feeling of walking through this post while you were writing it. It felt spontaneous, but thought-provoking. I plan to take a look at my projects with these steps in mind!
I like these suggestions a lot. I'm tempted to try them in a short story to see how it goes. I imagine they could fit very nicely as well as in a novel. Thanks.
What Deborah said: I’ve read my share of bestsellers and then thought ‘um, what did I just read?’ Although plenty of bestsellers I’ve read-read because they’re that amazing. But I’ve also read a lot of small press unknowns that I wonder why they aren’t bestsellers.
I just read A Big Hit thriller and argh grr argh. It was all plot with Big Twist and then Bigger Twist. And while, all admiration to those who can plot and twist, the actual *book* was so bad. I was flipping several pages at a time with no discernible loss, no confusion. Flat characters, flat prose, flat flat flat. But I bet it was one hell of a pitch--and apparently, the writer has other books that were similarly Big Hits. None of which I will read. I mean, we're not talking Dan Brown levels of bad, but...sheesh.
Thank you for sharing. But my first takeaway was that we can put gifs in posts. Thank you 🙏🏾
A great post! As someone who just a finished a (very messy) first draft of the first novel I’ve ever attempted to write, I’m mentally checking my story against these and saving the post to revisit when I start my revision. Thank you!
Such a helpful blog, as always! I actually quoted you in a recent interview about my own books. Thank you so much for all you do! Can't wait to read your book. https://splashmags.com/index.php/2025/05/finding-inspiration-with-rennie-dyball/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKbRk9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFHSmNZWkZ4U0JSdlRlbms2AR5y9kbWBRR-5ZIBEwT87-TfFudIC97YYXnzBsElIAT8gn4LNUXENawMa28-eA_aem_lzoNo7AiCiiWYVFQZI_nkg
I had the feeling of walking through this post while you were writing it. It felt spontaneous, but thought-provoking. I plan to take a look at my projects with these steps in mind!
First congrats on your book! Now I will have to dust off my Octopus detectives that roam the deep pacific ...
Yes, stock characters (cliches) are bad. There are no surprises. Stock characters are there to fulfill expectations and reinforce prejudices. Yawn.
Love the idea of backing up quirks with the reason why our character engage in them. Fabulous!
So what you’re saying is, if my main character is a unicycling octopus with deep abandonment issues, I’ve nailed it?
Haha!
"A unicycle cannot carry the emotional weight of a story. That’s why quirk for quirk’s sake falls flat." I love this a lot.
I like these suggestions a lot. I'm tempted to try them in a short story to see how it goes. I imagine they could fit very nicely as well as in a novel. Thanks.
Ohhhh good idea!
What Deborah said: I’ve read my share of bestsellers and then thought ‘um, what did I just read?’ Although plenty of bestsellers I’ve read-read because they’re that amazing. But I’ve also read a lot of small press unknowns that I wonder why they aren’t bestsellers.
This is a great list; I’ll keep it in mind
I just read A Big Hit thriller and argh grr argh. It was all plot with Big Twist and then Bigger Twist. And while, all admiration to those who can plot and twist, the actual *book* was so bad. I was flipping several pages at a time with no discernible loss, no confusion. Flat characters, flat prose, flat flat flat. But I bet it was one hell of a pitch--and apparently, the writer has other books that were similarly Big Hits. None of which I will read. I mean, we're not talking Dan Brown levels of bad, but...sheesh.