Professional Writers of Prescott - Book Review

When writing fiction, don't forget the MICE. That advice comes from the highly successful author, Orson Scott Card. He writes historical novels, plays and science fiction, not to mention a weekly newspaper column plus running workshops several times a year.

Characters & Viewpoint is a solid work of advice to the beginning writer. His philosophy can be summed up by this quote from Chapter I: "By the time they finish your story, readers want to know your characters better than any human being ever knows any other human being."

He focuses on ways to develop characters and plot and mistakes to avoid. The MICE refer to the importance of knowing what type of story you are writing. In his view, all novels fall into one of four categories and that is what MICE stands for. M=Milieu. I=Idea. C=Character. E=Event. Learning to recognize which category your novel falls into will help in knowing what the arc of the story and character development should be. This is a way of looking at your work that can be helpful in avoiding mistakes.

All in all, this book provides a useful set of tools for the writer.

Marian Powell has served as PWP Membership Chair since 2004. A versatile writer, she has published online book reviews, "Days Past" features in the Prescott Daily Courier and on the Sharlot Hall Museum website, and short sci-fi in anthologies. Her most recent story, Categorical Imperative, appears in Sci-Fi Waxes Philosophical (ZC Books, 2008, edited by Ahmed Khan.)