“Places are never just places in a piece of writing. If they are, the author has failed. Setting is not inert. It is activated by point of view.”
― In the Dream House
― In the Dream House
“That’s why in every scene you write, the protagonist must react in a way the reader can see and understand in the moment. This reaction must be specific, personal, and have an effect on whether the protagonist achieves her goal. What it can’t be is dispassionate objective commentary.”
― Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
― Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
“the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
“You must learn how to become a deeply disciplined half-ass.”
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
“They had mistaken the story for what happens in it. But as we’ve learned, the real story is how what happens affects the protagonist, and what she does as a result.”
― Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
― Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
Kelsey’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Kelsey’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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