The Characters We Never Really Leave Behind
What makes a book unforgettable? It often isn’t the plot—it’s the people. The characters who quietly step onto the page, feel completely real, and stay with us long after we’ve finished the final chapter.
storytelling
There Are No Minor Characters
Some of the most memorable people in our lives were never the main characters. The same is true in fiction. If your supporting characters exist only to deliver information or move the plot along, your story misses an opportunity to create a richer, more believable world. Every character should feel like they have a life beyond the page.
The People Who Quietly Stay With Us
Years after finishing a novel, it’s rarely the plot we remember best. It’s the people. The quiet characters who felt real, who made us laugh, who gave the story its heart. Those are the ones who stay with us—and perhaps that’s true of the people we meet in life, too.
Why Good Writing Is Usually Rewriting
Most writers love writing but dread rewriting. Yet revision isn’t evidence the first draft failed—it’s where good stories become great ones. Like weeding a garden, editing isn’t about destroying what you’ve grown. It’s about giving the best parts room to flourish.
Gone With the Wind at Ninety: Why It Still Feels Modern
Gone With the Wind turns ninety on Monday, yet it still feels astonishingly modern. I first encountered the novel—not the famous film—as a teenager borrowing it from my high school library, and it has stayed with me ever since. Looking back at it through the eyes of a novelist, I think I’ve finally figured out why Margaret Mitchell’s epic continues to captivate readers after all these decades.
Why Serial Fiction Might Be Ready for a Comeback
Serial fiction may look old-fashioned, but today’s audiences consume serialized stories everywhere—from television and podcasts to newsletters and streaming platforms. As publishing tools evolve, serialization offers new ways for readers to discover stories, engage with characters over time, and become part of an ongoing reading experience.
What Serial Fiction Can Teach Writers
Most writers think of serial fiction as a publishing format. Mark Posey argues it is something even more valuable: a practical lesson in storytelling craft. Because every installment must earn a reader’s return, serial fiction exposes weaknesses in pacing, structure, and chapter endings that can hide inside a completed novel. The skills it teaches—curiosity, momentum, and reader engagement—strengthen every form of storytelling.
The Joy of Not Turning to the Last Page
What if waiting for the next chapter isn’t a flaw in storytelling, but one of its greatest pleasures?
In a world built around instant gratification, serial fiction offers something different: anticipation. Readers spend time with characters, speculate about what comes next, and let stories become part of the rhythm of their week. As The Summer Garden continues and Credible Threat: Season One joins it, Mark Posey reflects on why the joy of not turning to the last page may be more valuable than ever.
The Story Beneath the Story
Every story has a plot. A detective solves a murder. A spaceship crew saves a colony. A retired man plants tomatoes. But the stories readers remember long after the last page are rarely about those events alone. Beneath the plot lies a deeper story—the emotional truth, the question being explored, the reason the story resonates. As an editor, one of the most important questions I can ask is: What is this story really about?
The Things We Plant
Some of the most important things in life begin as something small and uncertain. A packet of seeds. A first chapter. A conversation. Standing in the garden this spring, watching green shoots push through the soil, reminded me that growth is often invisible until suddenly it isn’t—and that the things we plant today may become far more than we ever imagined.