fiction writing

We have all experienced those special moments in life either through being moved by a particular song, a beautiful sunset, or by having a profound connection with another being.  In Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia experiences this

The characters of a novel need to change throughout the novel.  This change or transformation is called the arc.  This change may be for the better or for the worse, but it must be.  And it must be manifested through the characters’

The quote above from J.R.R. Tolkien resonated so much with me because I felt that it really spoke of my own process for writing my novel. My novel began with a description of a single character that I subsequently incorporated into a short