https://lithub.com/from-dud-to-delicious-deesha-philyaw-on-raising-the-stakes-in-fiction/
30 candidatos extraídos · 0 já revisados · 30 pendentes · 1.3% de cobertura de vocabulário
“She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction.”
“Lit Hub Daily October 8, 2026 Daisy Alioto and Kate Zambreno discuss property, privilege, and “the ick of the art monster.” Why Bret Stephens is wrong about the National Book Awards Editors keep receiving pitches from AI agents More News Tom Ryan on Nostalgia, Audiences, and Writing Coming-of-Age Crime Capers October 9, 2026 by John B.”
“I’m aware that I’m writing this as if someone else wrote that dry-ass draft.”
“I want to see that marriage.” I did not want to see that marriage.”
“___________________________________ The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw is available via Mariner Books.”
“Basically me, at that time, except that unlike mine, Rebecca’s ex was a pastor.”
“My decision to make Rebecca’s husband the pastor of a megachurch also influenced the story and its stakes.”
“Co-parenting and dating each have the potential for high drama, but not a novel’s worth, not in and of themselves.”
“She had nothing to lose.”
“No angels, no demons Give your “good” characters some edge, some flaws.”
“Enter the First Lady USA pageant.”
“Schar wanted nothing more than to be embraced by the other first ladies.”
“Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week From Dud to Delicious: Deesha Philyaw on Raising the Stakes in Fiction Queer Recognition, Estrangement, and the Great Grey Area in Between Literary Hub Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature Masthead About Sign Up For Our Newsletters How to Pitch Lit Hub Advertisers: Contact Us Privacy Policy Support Lit Hub - Become A Member If you buy books linked on our site, Lit Hub may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.”
“Whether I’ve completed an underwhelming first draft or am still in the process of writing one, here are a few strategies I use to move my characters and their stories from dud to delicious: Give them something to want, something to lose I took my friend’s advice and moved Rebecca back into her marriage.”
“Another tip for raising stakes: Keep making things worse.”
“No shade to Rebeccas, but the one in the draft was giving Sunnybrook Farm.”
“Worst of all, nothing was at stake for Rebecca.”
“So she set her sights on winning the pageant, winning over her fellow contestants along the way, and becoming the ultimate first lady.”
“Literary Hub » From Dud to Delicious: Deesha Philyaw on Raising the Stakes in Fiction Literary Hub Craft and Criticism Literary Criticism Craft and Advice In Conversation On Translation Fiction and Poetry Short Story From the Novel Poem News and Culture History Science Politics Biography Memoir Food Technology Bookstores and Libraries Film and TV Travel Music Art and Photography The Hub Style Design Sports Become A Member Lit Hub Radio The Lit Hub Podcast Awakeners Fiction/Non/Fiction The Critic and Her Publics Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast Memoir Nation Beyond the Page First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing Thresholds The Cosmic Library Culture Schlock Reading Lists Book Marks Best Reviewed Books CrimeReads True Crime The Daily Thrill Log In Craft and Criticism Fiction and Poetry News and Culture Lit Hub Radio Reading Lists Book Marks CrimeReads Log In From Dud to Delicious: Deesha Philyaw on Raising the Stakes in Fiction “If a character has already gotten everything they want, give them something else to want.” Via The Craft of Writing Deesha Philyaw October 9, 2026 This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter— sign up here .”
“Valeri The Best True Crime of the Month: October 2026 October 9, 2026 by CrimeReads Amy Bloom on the Imperfect Protagonist and the Wabi-Sabi of Us All October 9, 2026 by Amy Bloom The Best Reviewed Books of the Week "The plot here like the plots in the previous three Mandel novels I've read is…" The Latest March 5, 1933: The Election That Destroyed German Democracy What Should You Read Next?”
“She’d gotten everything she’d wanted by marrying “up,” but she was still unhappy.”
“There wasn’t much going on in Rebecca’s world, as I had written it.”