Excellent post. The challenge for me is that if a change occurs in a character because of an internal process/ maturation it has to occur organically and believably for the reader. If she’s in a car accident or gets slapped by a nun, then it’s easier to believe that she now fears cars and hates the clergy.
Loved this one! Interestingly, as a big fan of your work I realize only in retrospect that often it's the characters of yours that DON'T change which I find myself most drawn too. The loneliness more felt in my bones, perhaps. I guess not every great hero's journey has to end with you as The One. Learning a ton from these 🙏
The older I get, the more change I tend to put in my stories.
Thanks for the helpful and thoughtful reply, Junot. Roger that!
paul, i woke up this morning and, realizing that i wasn't clear enough, reworked some of my response. you dont need to re-read it but just FYI.
Feel like I'm enrolled in MIT! Thanks so much for the extra clarity. It's super helpful.
Excellent post. The challenge for me is that if a change occurs in a character because of an internal process/ maturation it has to occur organically and believably for the reader. If she’s in a car accident or gets slapped by a nun, then it’s easier to believe that she now fears cars and hates the clergy.
Loved this one! Interestingly, as a big fan of your work I realize only in retrospect that often it's the characters of yours that DON'T change which I find myself most drawn too. The loneliness more felt in my bones, perhaps. I guess not every great hero's journey has to end with you as The One. Learning a ton from these 🙏
great essay! This gives me something to think about in my reading for today.