This is K.M. Wyland and you're listening to the 246th episode of the Helping Writers Become Authors Podcast.

So I get to make another fun announcement this week.

In the wake of structuring your novel winning a bronze IPE award. I learned last month that it has also won

the 2014 National Indie Excellence Award in the Writing and Publishing category.

And as if that weren't enough cake, they threw in some icing too.

Dreamlander was named one of five finalists in the fantasy category.

I'm hugely honored by Structuring's win, but I gotta admit there's something in me that's even more

tickled about Dreamlanders finally.

My fiction is my baby after all.

Over in my blog earlier this week, I featured a fun excerpt from my upcoming book Jane Eyre, The Writers Digest, Annotated Classic.

In Chapter 10, Bronte masterfully presents an insignificant minor character in a way that brings her to life without leading readers to believe she's more important to the story than she really is. So stop by my blog at

helping writers become authors.com to see how she pulls it off. And now I hope you

enjoyed this week's podcast entitled How to Write a Flat Character

Ark, Part 1, The First Act.

Next to the Positive Change Ark, the the flat character arc is the most popular storyline, also called the testing arc.

The flat arc is about a character who does not change.

He already has the truth figured out in the beginning of the story

and he uses that truth to help him overcome various external tests. The Flat Ark

protagonist will be confronted with tremendous opposition.

He well at times be shaken.

His commitment to the truth will be tested to the breaking point, but he will never

waver from it.

...