What are they willing to lose to keep their family together? 2. The Atmospheric Setting
Your protagonists must choose between two "evils." In Sullivan’s book, the Martels have to decide whether to live under Stalin’s regime or follow the retreating Nazis to the West.
Sullivan’s stories often place "ordinary" people in "extraordinary" historical horrors.
Use sensory details of the trek—the biting cold, the smell of woodsmoke, the sound of distant artillery, and the physical toll of migration. 3. The "Unstoppable Hope" Arc
Sullivan uses the environment as a character. Whether it's the frozen plains of Ukraine or the dangerous mountain passes of the Alps, the "Green Valley" represents a lost Eden or a promised land.
Create a "North Star" for your characters. For Adeline and Emil Martel, it was the dream of a land where they could farm in peace. Every chapter of your draft should test this hope but never quite extinguish it. 4. A Sample "Story Starter" in this Style:
What are they willing to lose to keep their family together? 2. The Atmospheric Setting
Your protagonists must choose between two "evils." In Sullivan’s book, the Martels have to decide whether to live under Stalin’s regime or follow the retreating Nazis to the West.
Sullivan’s stories often place "ordinary" people in "extraordinary" historical horrors.
Use sensory details of the trek—the biting cold, the smell of woodsmoke, the sound of distant artillery, and the physical toll of migration. 3. The "Unstoppable Hope" Arc
Sullivan uses the environment as a character. Whether it's the frozen plains of Ukraine or the dangerous mountain passes of the Alps, the "Green Valley" represents a lost Eden or a promised land.
Create a "North Star" for your characters. For Adeline and Emil Martel, it was the dream of a land where they could farm in peace. Every chapter of your draft should test this hope but never quite extinguish it. 4. A Sample "Story Starter" in this Style: