I recently finished Twelve Months, the latest Dresden Files novel, and it got me thinking about a piece of advice Jim Butcher often gives: don’t go easy on your characters. Their conflict drives the story forward.
I translate this to mean: stop being so nice to your characters.
In describing his series, Jim Butcher has said most of the books cover Harry’s worst weekend of the year. In Twelve Months, you get to see his worst year…and if you’ve been keeping up with the series, you’ll understand why.
The best stories make you feel something. You laugh, cry, hate the villain, and love the hero—and none of that happens if your protagonist breezes through the story unchallenged or unscathed. This is important for authors to keep in mind as they write stories and doubly important as they revise them.
For those familiar with the Dresden Files, you’ll remember that Harry Dresden is funny, loyal, and stubbornly heroic, but he’s also been beaten, burned, betrayed, and pushed to the edge of his sanity—sometimes all in the same book. Butcher strips away every safety net the character has, then asks him to keep fighting. Every time Harry loses something, the stakes climb, and the victories that follow feel earned because we watched him pay dearly for them.
In Mechhaven, I took a similar approach with Angel. He gets beaten, outwitted, and often taken down a notch by friends and foes alike. He also learns that though he may be powerful, those around him may not be, so that adds a layer of responsibility to the burden he must bear. Those challenges aren’t just there for the action—they’re there because watching a character get knocked down and choose to stand back up makes us care.
I’m taking this even further with The Willstone Legacy. My main character, Landros, is cursed. Every month, the curse rips him away from everything he’s built—relationships, progress, stability—and forces him to start over. It’s not just a physical challenge. It’s an emotional one. Imagine finally finding people you trust, a place that feels like home, and then having it all yanked away. Again. And again. That’s the kind of suffering that makes a character’s journey worth following, because the reader is rooting for them to find a way to break the cycle.
Robin Hobb understood this. FitzChivalry Farseer, the main character across her Realm of the Elderlings novels, endures loss after loss—isolation, betrayal, and sacrifices that cost him pieces of himself he never gets back. Hobb lets Fitz suffer the full weight of his choices and circumstances, and that’s why readers are so fiercely devoted to him. You don’t just read about Fitz. You ache for him.
So the next time you’re reading a book and the author does something devastating to a character you love, try not to throw it across the room. That sting you’re feeling? That’s proof the story is working.
Novel Notices
- I’m 85,000 words into Birthright, which puts me about 65% done. I’m heading into the homestretch of writing Act II, but there are still a few battles to write and some really poignant moments in-between.
- I’ve recently come up with some new ideas to enhance Act II and raise the stakes, but I’ll need to wait until the revision phase to fully implement those. They’re going to make the sequences even more dangerous and fun!
- Spring promotions are coming! The Mechhaven series will be on sale from March 25th through March 31st. If you’ve been waiting to pick up the next book, or know anyone who is, this will be a great time! Watch your email for notification of when the sale officially begins.
- If you’d like to meet me in-person and purchase a signed book, be sure to check out my appearance schedule below:
Here are my upcoming appearances:
- I’m always looking for other opportunities which I’ll post here as soon as I can confirm. So far I have some exciting possibilities shaping up for this autumn.
Featured Authors
I have one featured author for you this month. Please take a look and support them if you can!
Return to the Galaxy – The multi-award-winning series that hit #1 Best Seller in seven Amazon categories
The Expanse meets Old Man’s War. A SAS veteran reborn. A galaxy on the brink
The Humans Are Coming. The Galaxy Better Be Ready.
The astonishing truth? The human race didn’t evolve on Earth.
Ewan Scott was a dying SAS veteran, until a 300-year-old alien AI Avatar offered him a second chance: rebirth in a bio-engineered body, fitter, stronger, movie-star handsome. His mission? Reunite humanity with its parent civilization, the Saret Federation, before merciless enemies erase all life on Earth.
Frigate Captain Velal is haunted by her past and bound by impossible orders. As worlds fall to alien invasion and nuclear fire, the ancient monsters she dreads are closing in on Earth.
An ancient empire fractures under betrayal. A merciless enemy closes in. Earth stands defenseless.
Its last hope? A flawed hero reborn with the power to change humanirty’s fate, and a woman who will fight until the stars go dark.
Join Ewan, Velal, and wise-cracking Jera in an epic, fast-paced space opera packed with:
– Savage interstellar war
– Planetary colonization
– Special Forces combat
– Found alien tech
– The secrets of a dying empire
Winner of the London Book Festival 2025 (Science Fiction)
Perfect for fans of John Scalzi and Craig Alanson, with the epic scope of The Expanse and the fleet warfare of David Weber.
Group Promotions
I have three promotions for you this month. These authors cross-promote each other’s books. Please take and look, you may find your next favorite author.
Free Science Fiction / Fantasy Stories – March 2026
KINDLE UNLIMITED Must Read Sci-Fi and Fantasy for March 2026
Sci-fi & Fantasy in Kindle Unlimited
That’s it for now…have fun and read a lot of books!
Greg Sorber