Helping Writers Become Authors

At first glance, it makes sense that the likability factor would be the single most important consideration a reader has in, well, liking a character. But I'm going to posit that likability is overrated.

It's a sad fact that modern society is no longer as literate as it once was—and most authors don't seem to be doing a lot to raise the bar.

Emotional responses, like all of fiction, are subjective. Due to our distinctive psychological makeups and the varied influencing factors of our individual lives, we each react differently to emotional stimuli. We can never expect to tap into the tears of every single person who reads our fiction. But if you can figure out what it is that makes one person—yourself—emotionally responsive, you can likely tap into a universal reaction.

If generality is the death of the novel, then specificity, including the specificity of brand names, must bring it life. But that doesn't negate the pitfalls of branding in fiction. Discover the two of the biggest reasons I decided it was often better to avoid specifying common and popular consumer names.