The Chopping Blog

The episodic structure of The Call of the Wild is a feature common in coming-of-age stories. This approach works when the protagonist has significant room for growth.

One common misstep I see in novel openings, chapter openings, and even new mid-chapter scenes is the tendency to zoom in too tightly, too soon.

Eighty-four days without a catch was also the essence of Hemingway’s professional situation. He hadn’t had a successful book in over a decade. Critics thought he was done.

This book is a tour de force, the sort of novel you can come back to again and again and find more things to admire in it—which is the definition of timelessness.

Power, in all its forms, is a crucial source of tension and conflict. Power can corrupt, but it can also liberate.

Even historical fiction authors must consider linguistic influences, especially as they impact worldview and personal values.

Understanding your world’s history and current events is crucial. They affect the political landscape, societal norms, and your characters' motivations.

The beauty of Giovanni’s Room lies in its simplicity.

Understanding your world’s religion and belief systems is crucial—they affect your characters' values, motivations, and interactions.

Understanding the daily life and customs of your world is crucial. They affect characters' behaviors, traditions, and interactions.

Your story world’s economy and trade affect the wealth distribution, power dynamics, and daily lives of your characters.

High praise surrounds Gustave Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary. It has been called “perfect” by many great authors, a novel that approaches poetry, and “the best novel ever written.”