Tag Archives: development

Revisit: What Do You Look For in a Third Book of a Series?

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted December 3, 2013.  Couldn’t resist putting this one after the one about a sequel.  This post had more meat to it since I was promoting Allure of the Gypsies for it’s debut.) So, here I am sitting around … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Does Romance End an Adventure?

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

I’ve run into this opinion before: “Romance does not belong in any genres other than romance.” This goes double for when it’s added to an adventure-based fantasy.  Some people hate if there’s even a hint at anything more than characters … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

7 Tips to Character’s Making Uncharacteristic Decisions

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

The above question does come up when you see a character acting in a way that they really shouldn’t.  For some authors, this could be growth in that a risk is being taken.  Yet, that doesn’t always come off correctly.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Benefit of Teenage Protagonists

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

The Young Adult market is pretty bad.  One of its staples is having a teenage protagonist, which gets some interesting responses.  Most people seem to relate to these characters on some levels, but you have the occasional audience member judging … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Biographies and Character Evolution: A Head Start?

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Charles Yallowitz

A goal of writing is to evolve our characters.  If they are the same at the end of their adventure as they were at the beginning then we missed something.  Even if they go back home, there needs to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

7 Tips to Outlining in Some Fashion

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

I’m really surprised that I never did a post like this in all the years that I’ve been blogging about writing.  If I did then WordPress isn’t letting me find it.  Now, not everyone takes the route of planning their … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Fate of the Self-Righteous

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Much of the self-righteous character depends on the landing.  You can have them be a jerk for the entire story and then redeem them with a good ending.  I don’t mean good as in happy, but a well-written one.  There … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Guest Post by John W. Howell: The Untrained Thriller Hero

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Charles Yallowitz

Thank you to John W. Howell for writing an insightful post! Last week Charles asked me a question, and I took some time to think it over. His question was a request. Here is the quote, “tips to making a … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Blogging, Spotlight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Kira Grasdon: The Conflicted Chameleon

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Charles Yallowitz

Kira Grasdon is a difficult character for me and she seems to be creating the biggest amount of debate.  That’s not the point of this though.  Her themes make her a complicated supporting cast member.  With her physical absence in … Continue reading →

Posted in Character & Book Themes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

What Do You Think of Minor Powers in Books?

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Charles Yallowitz

Now, I’m not talking about wielding great magic or superheroes with an array of abilities because those are rather heavy.  I’m talking about this minor abilities that some heroes in fiction have.  Maybe it’s an enhanced sense or the natural … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments