An Armchair Traveler’s Tips on Writing a Gripping Adventure Tale

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting story about "An Armchair Traveler’s Tips on Writing a Gripping Adventure Tale." The story includes "fail-safe strategies" about narrative and prose.

Here's one example from the article:

3. Think about the great explorers and expeditioners throughout history: Sir Ernest Shackleton or Thor Heyerdahl and his rangy crew on the Kon Tiki, and on down the line from Hillary to Roosevelt. These were larger-than-life figures with outsize charisma and drive. Of the two main explorers in the book, Bill Stone is described as a narcissistic overachiever who continually placed the expedition before the safety of his team and Klimchouk was almost thrown into the narrative as an afterthought. Stone’s monomania — his entire life and seemingly every thought revolves around caving — is a professional asset but not much help to the reader.