Creating Characters is a valuable field guide to making impactful and memorable characters within any form of fiction writing, and it focuses almost entirely on creating a diverse cast with imperfections, realism, and empathy. In each chapter are examples of excellent character writing across various genres and media forms, anywhere from classic literature to modern-day cinema.

Like any good teacher, Dewey gives everyone a chance to shine, even the roadies, the groupies, and ‘Fancy Pants’ Billy, the band’s flamboyant stylist. The messages are wholesome for the kids, too, emphasizing the importance of teachers like Dewey. He doesn’t realize until the end that he’s a great teacher and just needed to teach something he was passionate about but may never have succeeded by himself. As he says in the movie, “Those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach gym.”

When I was twenty-three, everything felt like the end of the world. Thank God for frontal lobe development; it has truly saved my life. Even when the harsh realities of life crash down on me, when I’ve spent months in an up-and-down spiral, or when my stress feels inescapable, these minor inconveniences feel just like that: an inconvenience. A slight bump in the road. I’ve lived through 9/11, COVID, and Hurricane Helene. The world has ended thrice, but I wake up every day to find the world still spinning.

Nevertheless, I will not lie, I am still absolutely exhausted. But, aren’t we all?

Blog Description:

This post dives into the highs and lows of job hunting, grappling with dashed hopes, and the weight of unfulfilled dreams. I reflect on how chasing a "backup plan" led me to trade ambition for security and the toll it’s taken on my identity as a writer. From the dream of a New York loft to the reality of teaching in the Appalachia, I explore the struggle to reclaim passion and purpose in a world that often values practicality over creativity. Writing isn’t just a skill—it’s the way I live, and it’s time to reconnect with that truth.

The Secret History is a story about Bunny Corcoran, told through the eyes of Richard whatever-his-last-name-was, who became the passive observer of two murders because of his incompetence. Tartt’s talent lies in her ability to craft a brilliant and enduring world that draws her readers in, even as her infuriating characters push them out.

Would I recommend reading The Secret History? Yes, absolutely. Tartt’s influence is prevalent in all other books of the dark-academia genre. Reading The Secret History in the subsequent books is unavoidable; Tartt laid the groundwork. Would I reread it? Well, I just did. It’ll probably be a while before I pick this one up again.