Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito

Last month I had the privilege of working with author Nancy Polette on her latest book, The Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall. I had not previously known the story of Virginia Hall. I learned a lot about the Resistance effort in World War II and this extraordinary woman who helped change the course of history. It got me thinking about heroes. All good stories have some sort of hero. Writers spend endless hours developing believable protagonists. There are lists throughout the Internet extolling the virtues of a good protagonist. Writer Jeff Goins says a hero is unexpected,…

My friend Meagan embarked on a new journey about a year ago—to become a full-time writer. Her first book, Choosing to Grow: Through Marriage, was released last spring. The back cover copy begins: “There is an ‘I’ in marriage. I am the wife.” When Meagan’s marriage was in trouble, she began looking for answers anywhere she could find them, including interviewing hundreds of other women over the course of eight years of researching and writing her book. What she found, after all of that searching, was that the answers to a better marriage start and end with herself. I’m inspired by her accountability.…

Sometimes we need a change, a fresh start, a new beginning. I went to the hairdresser today. I sat in the chair and said, “I need something different.” She cut off several inches, gave it a new shape. Voilà, fresh. This has been one of those weeks... filled with lost data, misunderstandings, and the like. I know you’ve had those times when you recognize God’s sense of humor--like you needed just one more thing to go wrong to top it off. Sometimes we’re forced to start new. Like years ago when my brother’s house burned down and he was left…

Characters need flaws. Blind spots. Stubbornness. Room to grow. We know a conversation can’t be productive when a man’s pride is in the room. A person can’t mature without a fear to overcome, an attitude to get her in trouble, or a dream that’s just beyond his capabilities. As writers, we work hard to create and point out our characters’ shortcomings because that’s part of what makes the story more interesting. In the course of writing, we can allow our characters to overcome their flaws--or not. As writers, we learn to be patient. Our characters need to fail. Their flaws…