I Love Secrets

Author, April Henry, whose blog is all kinds of awesome and smart and funny, shared this on her blog yesterday....


"In the planning stage, I make sure that all my characters have secrets that will be revealed gradually during the course of the novel. Such secrets will motivate all sorts of unexpected action and furnish the surprise element that I'm trying for. Before I ever get to the writing, I examine my characters for those secrets they may be hiding, and I plan ways in which such secrets may affect the lives of other characters in the story." 


- Phyllis Whitney, Guide to Fiction Writing


What a brilliant quote. It has me thinking about the delicious and wonderful secrets my characters are hiding and how this will add drama, problems and trouble to the plot. Oooooh, I do love a good secret.

So, what about you?

Do your characters have something they're trying to hide?

Is it a fear? Maybe something they did wrong? A mistake they made? Something they're ashamed of? Is it a secret wish or dream? A betrayal? Is it their family? Or friends? Is their secret who they love? Or who they hate? Maybe their secret has to do with one of their flaws? Or what if their secret is something they know about someone else? What if it's actually someone else's secret?

*Whatever it is, make it good and juicy!

Happy Love Day everyone!

Hopefully your day is full of sweet secrets and surprises!

*Go check out this great post about one Extra Good and Juicy secret by Kevin Hiatt.