On the ‘Jane Friedman’ blog, Justin Attas wrote a guest post about three common pitfalls and how to avoid them. I find this an energetic, educational and interesting blog post which I thought I needed to share.
Today’s guest post is by novelist Justin Attas (@justinattas).
Writers always seek to produce a unique story, hoping readers will choose their book from the increasing pool of what’s available. But this can lead to creating a character or story that is “different” sheerly for the sake of, well, being different.
I’ve found three dangerous pitfalls for writers struggling to stand out:
- “Strong” female characters
- enemies-to-lovers storylines
- Leading characters who are damaging, not damaged
Luckily for anyone struggling with one of these tempting story blackholes, there are ways out of all three.
Continue reading here
Writer's Treasure Chest 