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 12, 2018 | Writing
I’ve heard readers dislike weak female characters. Recently, I published, “Show Your Character’s Wounds?” Together, these ideas may confuse writers. They may ask: Can wounded heroines be strong female characters? Strong Female Character First, I’ve compiled a...
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 22, 2018 | Writing
Many writers think they’re bona fide authors when they’ve published a book. Today, anyone can publish books through CreateSpace, or the like. Others think accumulating thousands of fans shows they’ve arrived. But what about authors who have smaller followings of...