Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 133

Crossing the line

Stephen King says, “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.” Should an author be concerned about the impact of their stories on the reader? Is there a point where you believe that truthful is too truthful? Have you ever cut something from your book for fear of offending somebody?

by Dietrich

I sometimes think yes, what I’ve written could be seen as crossing a line, and it might offend somebody. But, at the same time, I’m writing crime ...

Mea Culpa

This week we are writing about craft, in particular about telling the truth: Stephen King says, “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.”Should I, as an author be concerned about the impact of my stories on the reader? Is there a point where I believe that truthful is too truthful? Have I ever cut something from my book for fear of offending somebody?
What a timely topic. This morning I received an email from a fan who thought I misha...

Telling It Like It Is?

Stephen King says, “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.” Should an author be concerned about the impact of their stories on the reader? Is there a point where you believe that truthful is too truthful? Have you ever cut something from your book for fear of offending somebody?
Brenda Chapman here.
This question is not as easy to answer as one might think and I'm keen to hear what my fellow bloggers write on this topic as this week p...

Sympathy for the Devil

Do characters need to be sympathetic? Why? Why not? Does it make a difference in different genres?

by Paul D. Marks


...get rid of my flaws and there would be no one left.
                                                           ―Sarah Vowell, Take the Cannoli

No. Definitely not. But if you want readers to go along with you they should probably have at least some redeeming qualities. The anti-heroes in many film noirs aren’t good guys, but they have something that puts us on their side anyway. Nor ...

On Muppets and Munters, by Catriona

Craft: Do characters need to be sympathetic? Why? Why not? Does it make a difference in different genres?
Frank made a good point yesterday - about the hero of a romance needing to be attractive to the reader - and Susan did the same on Monday - regarding heroes and villains both being more attractive to a reader of thrillers if they've got some light and shade. A moustache-twirling rotter and a suave Superman are hard to care about throughout a book. 
(I'm writing on Tuesday, by the way. It's not...

Of Muppets and Munters, by Catriona

Craft: Do characters need to be sympathetic? Why? Why not? Does it make a difference in different genres?
Frank made a good point yesterday - about the hero of a romance needing to be attractive to the reader - and Susan did the same on Monday - regarding heroes and villains both being attractive to reader of thrillers if they've got some light and shade. A moustache-twirling rotter and a suave Superman are hard to care about throughout a book. 
(I'm writing on Tuesday, by the way. It's not that C...

Tea and sympathy? Not for me... by Cathy Ace

Craft: Do characters need to be sympathetic? Why? Why not? Does it make a difference in different genres?

The 9th Cait Morgan Mystery was published on June 29th, so this is my first chance – here – to shout about it. If you follow me in other ways maybe, by now, you’ve grown a bit tired of seeing reviews, blog posts, interviews and profiles of the book, myself, and my characters. I hope not. But it’s a difficult balancing job…trying to make sure as many people know about a new book as possible, ...

Should You Care?

Craft: Do characters need to be sympathetic? Why? Why not? Does it make a difference in different genres?

From Frank

Short answer?

No, they do not have to be sympathetic. But they have to at least be someone the reader can understand.

Longer answer?

My speciality.

If you make a character sympathetic, that's the easiest path. And it may be the one that pays off the most for the reader, I believe. It's a great approach, and I think one that most of us strive to achieve. But there are degrees, right?

Full...

Othello, Iago, and the complexity of character

Q: Do characters need to be sympathetic? Why? Why not? Does it make a difference in different genres?
-from Susan
I sure hope not. Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment? Tom Ripley in Patricia Highsmith’s crime novels? Sometimes the lead character is also the villain and we have to like him or her in order to finish the book - a neat trick. I just read a book I think is very good in which I disliked the protagonist from page one – and he wasn’t the villain!

But I'm choosing to focus on villains. Of c...

Read All About It

How do you decide what to read? Word of mouth? Reviews? Browsing in bookstores? Etc. And what’s the most important factor in your decision?

By Abir

 

Happy Friday everyone! I’m in a good mood this week. I sent off the first draft of my new book to my editor a few days ago and while it’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast, I’m sure she’ll come up with ways of making it better. She is, after all, a miracle worker.

 

Right! So on to today’s topic. How do I decide what to read?

 

My reading decisions can be summed...