Harry Potter and the Power of the Heptalogy

JK Rowling's Harry Potter books claim 7 of the slots in the top 10 bestselling books of all times. That's a stupefying statistic if I've ever heard one! Rowling's writing is enchanting by its own right. If she had stopped at Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the book still would have fared well with children. If she had wrapped Harry's …

A Prayer for Owen Meanie: Purrfect Characterization

Today I'm sharing a passage from a book that I admire but don't particularly like (do any of you all have those books?) John Irving is definitely among the highest echelons of lifelike-character craftsmen. While I don't particularly like any of his characters, I feel as confident in their existence, while I am reading his …

Put Your Characters to the Test

Throughout my life, I can think of a number of topics over which I have supremely geeked out. Personality tests are definitely one of my pet geekouts. I think the fascination began when I was a bored middle school student, with a binder full of paper tucked under my arm at all times. Middle school + boredom …

Peter Pan: Cold Medicine, Beastly Stuff

I recently moved into an apartment with a friend of mine who, equally to my detriment and delight, has excellent taste in literature. She has a bookshelf full of books, many of which I haven't read, in the hallway. I have caught a cold, and I think that lack of sleep due to reading until …