Monday, September 04, 2017

On the Road: Is Your Protagonist Too Lucky?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I'm visiting the Middle Grade Mafia today, asking the question, "Is Your Protagonist Too Lucky?" Come on over and say hello!

Here's a sneak peek:
Getting a plot to unfold just the way you want it to can be challenging. Sometimes we get so locked on how it should go, that we make it follow a certain path—even if there’s no reason for it to unfold that way at all. This can lead to lucky breaks for the protagonist that feel convenient at best, contrived at worst.

Contrived plots not only stretch plausibility, they also hurt an author’s credibility with readers. Readers trust us to tell them a solid tale, and they lose that faith if we cheat by forcing events to unfold in a way that allows our protagonists to win with no effort. (read the rest here)

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