by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 19, 2018 | Writing
On the premise we can learn about an author’s audience from reading book reviews, I studied reviews for a Christian contemporary romance I had read. I became more intrigued by the relationship between reviewers’ issues and their star-ratings than the author’s...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 5, 2018 | Writing
We authors have a few tricks at our disposal to tell characters’ feelings. These techniques are fast and easy. They get the job done … or do they? The question is what job gets done and for whom? Job done for author. The author can approach his deadline quicker, keep...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Mar 29, 2018 | Writing
All characters should have flaws. Only some will be inherently mean. How mean should a criminal character be? I met young men in an eight-year prison ministry. Inmates, called cadets and incarcerated at a juvenile correctional center, attended our church’s monthly...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Mar 8, 2018 | Writing
The hero in my next romance is a cattle farmer in Southwestern Virginia. I pass cattle farms often. I see muddy areas where the cows have been brought in from the pasture, the tabs stapled to their ears, the machinery, and the farmhouses. These offer little about what...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Mar 1, 2018 | Writing
A Writer’s Digest article* suggested a devastating choice will hook readers and show much about your character. This intrigued me. Although the writer discussed how to develop the story before and after the choice, I approached the idea from a different angle. How...
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