: Re: I want to explore the psychology of a ruthless, macho killer. What mistakes should I avoid? This is a follow-up to another question. I asked "Should my readers be able to identify with the

It's important to remember that the reader is a "willing participant" in the process of storytelling. A certain amount of willing suspension of disbelief is something the author
can reasonably expect his reader to supply.

In practice what that means is you don't have to provide every last detail about the background, personality, motivation, etc., of every character. Concentrate on the interesting elements, and only provide details in other contexts where it's necessary because the reader might otherwise have trouble convincing himself it's all "plausible".

In short, decide what the real story is that you're trying to tell. As a rule that story shouldn't be a "towering saga" trying to create a whole new universe with every detail spelt out. Give the reader some credit and assume he wants you to "skip the details" so long as you don't insult his intelligence (by expecting him to accept that the bad guy is actually a really nice chap who happens to be a psychopath every third Tuesday of the month for no particular reason, for example).

TL;DR: Don't try to cover too much ground. If the details aren't central to the story, omit them unless you think the reader won't be able to imagine either what you were thinking of, or a plausible alternative. Help the reader to become actively involved, by giving him scope to "flesh out the tale" (but keep him on a reasonably tight leash, obviously!)

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: It's just a matter of style whether you want your "profile" to look as if it's written by you, or by someone else. Follow your own inclination unless you're doing it in a context where

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: Where to look for ESL writers and copyeditors? I often work on lessons for ESL students - texts, dialogues, etc. I'm not a native speaker and I don't have any friends abroad. I often need

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: What is the name for the literary technique where the author writes him/herself into a book? In a number of novels by Clive Cussler, the characters are sometimes offered help by a person whose

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: Can Articy Draft be used to write a book? I recently bought Articy Draft to catalog my writing endeavours. It seems good for writing scripts, but what about writing a book? Reference: http://www.nevigo.com/en/articydraft/ove

: Re: I want to explore the psychology of a ruthless, macho killer. What mistakes should I avoid? This is a follow-up to another question. I asked "Should my readers be able to identify with the

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: It's just a matter of style whether you want your "profile" to look as if it's written by you, or by someone else. Follow your own inclination unless you're doing it in a context where

: Where to look for ESL writers and copyeditors? I often work on lessons for ESL students - texts, dialogues, etc. I'm not a native speaker and I don't have any friends abroad. I often need

: What is the name for the literary technique where the author writes him/herself into a book? In a number of novels by Clive Cussler, the characters are sometimes offered help by a person whose

: Can Articy Draft be used to write a book? I recently bought Articy Draft to catalog my writing endeavours. It seems good for writing scripts, but what about writing a book? Reference: http://www.nevigo.com/en/articydraft/ove

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