In a post on Killzone, PJ Parrish shares what she learned from her recent beach reads. “The best thing about vacationing in a foreign country is not being able to understand what’s on television,” she says. “So I got to read. A lot.”
Without naming names (you can read the post for that), here’s what Parrish learned from some of the novels she read:
- “Trust in your ability to be original,” Parrish says. “Don’t be a pale copy of someone else. Take chances.”
- Keep your focus on your protagonist and break the status quo early.
- “An unlikeable character can carry a story,” Parrish says. “But you must, give your hero a sturdy and believable arc, allowing the plot and other characters to affect his development.”
- “You can indeed whiplash readers through time but only when you’ve got the firmest grasp of your craft,” Parrish writes. From a different novel by the same author, Parrish learned, “Don’t set up some juicy plot tease and then not follow through.” You win some, you lose some.
