This is KAM Wyland and you are listening to the 25th episode of the Wordplay

podcast.

It's gloomy and rainy here in Western Nebraska, typical November weather, and I'm more than happy to bury myself at my desk, riding my way into France at the dawn of the Great War, otherwise known as World War I.

I received a special pick-me-up from the cold-weather blues in the form of a brand-spanking new story idea.

I've had a lean-jawed fiery-eyed World War II pilot running around in my brain for the last week, and he finally deigned to give me a glimpse of his post-war story.

I have never had a story unfroso rapidly. Within hours I had a cast, a crisis, a character arc, and a title.

I'm still a little breathless thinking about it.

The bad news, of course, if you want to call it that,

is that it'll be quite a while before I'll get around to writing it.

Much as I'd like to sit down with this new story, I know that it's better, in the long run,

if I discipline myself to finish the one I'm working on now.

But seriously, don't you often feel as if there's too many stories to write and not enough time.

This week features the last stop on my blog tour for my medieval novel Behold The Dawn.

T. Ann Adams is hosting me on the 23rd with an interview, a review of behold, and a book giveaway.

Be sure to drop by and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing.

You can find the link in the left-hand column of my blog at Wordplay-K-M-Yland that's W-E-I-L-N-D dot blog spot.com.

Meanwhile enjoy this week's post. How to Kill a Character and Avoid the Hate Mail.

Some of the most powerful how to kill a character and avoid the hate mail.

Some of the most powerful stories in literature and cinema have a surprising common element, the death of a main character.

At first glance, this would seem to be an instant turn off.

Why hang with a character for 300 plus pages only to watch him get knocked off in the end?

But the truth is, when handled properly, the death of a character can add untold power and

...