Since the whole point of a bad guy is that he’s bad, you’re first thought may be to make your antagonist as despicable as possible. But stop right there. Let me show you how to write a bad guy who’s all the more interesting for not going completely over the Dark Side How to Write a […]
February 24, 2010 by 35 Comments Characters3 Tips for How to Write a Bad Guy Who Transforms Your Story
February 17, 2010 by 37 Comments CharactersWhat Steve McQueen Can Teach You About How to Write Characters
One of the best ways to learn how to write characters that live and breathe in their own right is to study the great actors. How are they infusing life in their characters? What are they doing in their performances that transforms seemingly mundane roles into unforgettable personalities? The 1960 western The Magnificent Seven is […]
February 3, 2010 by 35 Comments CharactersThe Key to Writing Larger-Than-Life Characters
Because readers live vicariously through fictional characters, they like larger-than-life characters: people who are better and stronger and smarter than the average Joe. (Hence the current popularity of the superhero genre.) If you want readers to love your characters and the stories they populate, it only makes sense you should make your characters the best they can be at […]
January 6, 2010 by 47 Comments CharactersFree E-Book: Crafting Unforgettable Characters
Claim your copy of Crafting Unforgettable Characters: A Hands-On Introduction to Bringing Your Characters to Life. Featuring some of my most popular tips on character crafting, this e-book offers a firm foundation for understanding the basics of character building, as well as solid tips for troubleshooting. You’ll discover inspiring quotes from successful authors, writing prompts, and creativity […]
November 1, 2009 by 39 Comments Characters11 Dichotomous Characters–and Why You Should Be Copying Them
Fiction writing doesn’t offer many shortcuts or magic formulas. But today I am going to give you a secret ingredient in that coveted recipe for memorable and realistic characters. What is this ingredient? Dichotomy. If we expect our characters to jump off the page into three-dimensional living color, we have to give them multi-faceted personalities. […]
August 30, 2009 by 21 Comments CharactersLearn to Write Dynamic Characters Like Christopher Nolan
You know what they say, “If your character can be himself, he should always be himself. Otherwise, he should be Batman.” But, seriously, tongue-in-check aside, if you want to writing amazing, dynamic characters, there’s actually one very important lesson you need to learn from the Dark Knight. In the 2005 blockbuster hit Batman Begins, Bruce […]
August 16, 2009 by 36 Comments CharactersBackstory: The Importance of What Isn’t Told
When Ernest Hemingway spoke about the dignity of an iceberg being “due to only one-eighth of it being above water,” he was speaking about the importance of the part of the story that isn’t told. Those seven-eighths underwater are the ballast for the tiny bit that juts up to glisten in the sun. And, more […]
August 9, 2009 by 42 Comments CharactersYour Character’s Career: Why It May Be the Most Important Decision in Your Book
In the 1998 movie Ever After, the character Prince Henry (played by Dougray Scott) complains that “to be so defined by your position, to only be seen as what you are. You don’t know how insufferable that is!” To which Drew Barrymore’s character responds, “You might be surprised. A gypsy, for example, is rarely painted […]
June 28, 2009 by 43 Comments CharactersCharacters: Likability Is Overrated
Writers want readers to love their characters. We want them to connect with the men and women who inhabit our stories. We want them to empathize so strongly that they are moved to laughter and to tears right along with these imaginary people we’ve created. So, naturally, we want our characters to be as likable […]
November 6, 2008 by 69 Comments Characters5 Important Considerations for Naming Your Characters
My parents chose their children’s names according the meanings. They named me Kathryn in hopes its meaning, “pure,” would bear fruit in my life. (Of course, they also gave me a middle name that means “bitter,” so I’m still trying to figure out the ramifications of that… Pure bitter just doesn’t have quite the same […]
