Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different

by Chuck Palahniuk

Among the easiest ways to gain the reader’s trust is to get something wrong. To my way of thinking, there are two forms of authority. The first I call “head authority,” where the writer demonstrates a wisdom or knowledge beyond the reader’s. This can be something basic and earthy, like the passages in The Grapes of Wrath where characters use thin brass wire to compress piston rings while reassembling an engine. Or something less savory, like the mother in my book Choke who switches the largely identical bottles between boxes of hair dye, knowing the buyers will get hair some color they never expected. Head authority is based on knowledge, used for evil or otherwise. The second type of authority is “heart authority,” gained when a character tells an emotional truth or commits an act that shows great vulnerability. The character shows an emotional wisdom and bravery despite enormous pain. Often it involves killing an animal, such as the scene in my book Rant where a character must kill his pug dog when it manifests full rabies. Or