Write-minded: Weekly Inspiration for Writers
Arts:Books
This week's guest Ben Purkert, author of the newly released novel, The Men Can’t Be Saved, gives us some insight into the art of writing complex characters, including the downright unlikeable ones. Atrocious acts and bad behavior are at the center of storytelling, and when constructed well, supposedly unlikeable characters are often more gripping and memorable than likable ones. We’re titillated and drawn forth by a character’s conflict, bad behavior, and perhaps even downfall. A good author challenges their readers to be interested in their unlikeable characters—even through their flaws.
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Craft-minded series: How or Whether to Evolve Your Aesthetic or Style, featuring Lan Samantha Chang
Craft-minded series: Reflection as a Way to Make Meaning in Memoir, featuring Prince Shakur
Craft-minded series: Placing Yourself in Broader Historical Contexts, featuring Danyel Smith
Craft-minded series: Writing "Imaginative Fiction," featuring Jeff VanderMeer
Craft-minded series: Craft as Shaper of Story, featuring Morgan Talty
Craft-minded series: Characterization, featuring A.M. Homes
How to Have an Opinion in Memoir, featuring Mychal Denzel Smith
On Writing and Selling Trauma, featuring Stephanie Foo
How to Follow Your Passions When the Creative Expression Feels Elusive, featuring Charlie Jane Anders and Azar Nafisi
Emotional Expression Is as Scary and Important as You Think It Is, featuring Erica Jong and Lilly Dancyger
Using Subtext and Omission to Achieve More by Writing Less, featuring EJ Koh and Charmaine Wilkerson
For the Love of Fantasy, featuring Kwame Mbalia and Namina Forna
Writing Intimate Truths, featuring Ashley C. Ford and Melissa Febos
The Collaborative Force of Anthologies, featuring Stephanie Raffelock
Straddling Lusciousness and Social Consciousness in Romance, featuring Angelina Lopez
Executing Funny in Memoir with One of the Most Celebrated Cartoonists of Our Time, featuring David Sipress
Genre-Blending and Bending, featuring Barbara Graham
Making and Finding Meaning, featuring Kathryn Schulz
The Power of Omission, featuring Charmaine Wilkerson
Changing Your Life Story, featuring Linda Holmes
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