The Chopping Blog

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.”

Your story world’s government and political systems affect the power dynamics, conflicts, and daily lives of your characters. 

Your story world’s geography and environment affect the culture, economy, and daily lives of your characters. 

"Tragic climaxes typically end in catastrophe—the final consequence of the protagonist’s fatal flaw."

In real life, people have many internal conflicts, which means that a protagonist should too. Everything bouncing around inside a character’s head contributes to their complexity and, therefore, their authenticity.

A great novel is honed, not hatched. And to hone your novel, you need feedback.