From KMW: One of the juiciest tension points in a character’s arc is the question: What is your character’s greatest fear? This question isn’t (explicitly) about what characters say they want or what stands in their way externally. Rather, the answer we’re hunting for is the deeper fear lurking underneath. Very often, that fear is […]
May 29, 2023 by 28 Comments Characters5 Ways to Use Your Character’s Shadows to Power Your Story
Complex characters mirror real-life humans in their contradictions of inner light and dark. As writers, it is our job to create these contrasts in ways that become cohesive and thematically meaningful. One of the simplest—and most effective—ways to do this is to explore shadow theory. In last week’s post, we talked about the concept of […]
June 16, 2017 by 72 Comments Characters5 Ways to Use Myers-Briggs for Characters
I must now put my foot in my mouth. Once upon a time, I rather publicly said a big fat “NO” to the idea of personality-typing, particularly when it came to using Myers-Briggs for characters. Some of you may even remember this gem from my book Outlining Your Novel: In general, I’m not a fan […]
December 19, 2016 by 44 Comments Plotting Your NovelThe #1 Way to Write Intense Story Conflict
One of the main pursuits of any writer is story conflict. The old saw tells us, “no conflict, no story,” so we’re always chasing after this little friction-causing engine. But as with so many things in writing, sometimes concentrating on the thing itself ends with us missing the forest for the trees. Story conflict is […]
October 31, 2016 by 43 Comments Outlining Your Novel4 Ways to Write Backstory That Matters (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 5)
There are two equally vital parts to any story: the part you see and the part you don’t. The context and subtext. The story and the backstory. Whether you’re trying to figure out how to outline for NaNoWriMo (only one day away!) or just needing a game plan for your next work-in-progress, one of the most […]
May 31, 2013 by 43 Comments Characters4 Ways to Make Your Antihero Deliciously Irresistible
Antiheroes . . . those conflicted souls who pawned their moral compass to buy their next bottle of vodka. There’s nothing heroic about them and for the most part they only care about themselves. So why do we love them so much? Antiheroes are far from perfect, a trait which makes them very real and very human. We […]
May 8, 2013 by 11 Comments Characters3 Tips for When Your Characters Make Bad Decisions
Sooner or later, you can bank on it, your characters are going to make a humdinger or two of a bad decision. And that’s a good thing! If characters always make the right decisions, then they’re probably Mary Poppins in disguise—and thus don’t have any need to change over the course of the story. All […]
June 3, 2012 by 9 Comments CharactersThe Two Conflict-Creating Needs of Every Character
In Frank Oz’s comedy What About Bob?, Bill Murray’s neurotic character sobs to his psychiatrist (who’s trying desperately to get rid of him), “Gimme, gimme, gimme! I need, I need, I need!” To some extent this is what every one of our characters should be internally screaming. We’re all familiar with the idea that the […]
August 28, 2011 by 5 Comments Characters7 Ways to Make Sure Your Protagonist and Antagonist Are Stuck Together
When you think of the relationship between your protagonist and antagonist, the first thing to pop to mind usually isn’t their being bonded at the hip. They’re different from one another. They don’t want to stick together. They want to get as far away from one another as possible. That’s what creates the conflict! True […]
October 17, 2010 by 23 Comments CharactersWhy Writers Can’t Afford to Judge Their Characters
Every once in a while, a reader will ask which of my characters is my favorite. Usually, I come up with an answer based on the whim of the moment. But really, no matter what I say, it’s a lie. I don’t have a favorite character. As an author, I can’t afford to. If you’re […]
