The Goldilocks Principle…

You’ve probably heard me speak of it. Like that famous intruder into the three bears’ lives, this principle describes “getting it just right.” In writing, it means looking for balance in your prose. Zen is looking for a metaphysical balance, but many things in our lives need balance. In particular, even if readers don’t actually look for it, they’ll sense that something’s amiss if it’s not there.

Of course, that perception of unbalance in a novel is subjective for both reader and writer. One...