Protagonists are at the center of a story. Their conflicts are the motivation driving things. No matter if you're writing in third-person or first-person , in past tense or in present , your readers will be alongside them for the journey, so it's important to foster a connection between them. This has plenty to do with likeability. Readers want characters they can root for. We want to celebrate their wins and lament their losses just as they do. Even when they are far from

Narration is something I have almost always struggled with. Up until fairly recently, my stories were stiff. Stodgy. Hard to engage with...