In fiction/memoir, our characters carry the story, and writers must understand their strengths and weaknesses. Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips for your character development: Shallow v. Deep In forming characters for your novel, memoir or story, you’ll give each one personality traits that make up the bedrock of your story. You want […]
Tag Archives: character traits
Writing Characters with Empathy
Empathy is a trait where you not only sympathize with another person’s situation, but you share feelings with that person. You walk a mile in their moccasins. How can writing utilize empathy for more effective fiction? Writing Tip for Today: Let’s look at the ways in which empathy can improve fiction: Empathy, Three Ways Psychology […]
Writing Characters, Inside and Out
Writing fictional characters that are also unforgettable takes a delicate combination of inner and outer knowledge, motivation, actions and decisions. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s take a look at some simple ways to deepen your fictional characters: Where the Stakes Are Before your story can take off for readers, the lead character must need/want/be desperate […]
Raising the Novel’s Stakes
I signed up for a free download from a well-known author who teaches novel writing. It was supposed to show me stakes-raising techniques for the novel. Alas, no free (or otherwise) download appeared, so I’ll venture a few ideas of my own. Writing Tip for Today: High stakes are crucial to the novel, because high […]
Character Studies: The Thanksgiving Table
Writers put a lot of effort into their characters. And why not? A story succeeds or fails based upon these characters. While many of you are away from the keyboard during this holiday weekend, as you gather with your loved ones, keep your eyes and ears open and your notebook handy.Writing Tip for Today: Holidays […]
Building Characters
The accepted view on characters is that you must know them in some detail. Yet many novelists approach their characters in too-lifelike a manner. They don’t understand why no one cares much for this lifelike character.Writing Tip for Today: You need characters who are believable, not true-to-life. Here’s why: Too Good to be True. Readers […]
Tricks for Creating Compelling Characters
Thanks to those who have been waiting for this post. I evidently forgot I was still doing the compelling characters theme. But never fear!Writing Tip for Today: Tricks might not be the best way to describe creation of a character. It’s mostly trial and error and a lot of writing and exploring. But there are […]
Compelling Characters, Part II
Some writers seem to have a built-in knack for creating characters that readers can’t help but follow. For the rest of us, it’s a learning process.Writing Tip for Today: In that learning process, we often start out with less-than compelling characters. This shortcoming is critical. Story IS character. Character IS story. Here are a few […]
Creating Compelling Characters
In fiction, creative nonfiction and memoir, one of a writer’s most important tasks is to create a narrator who readers are compelled to follow. I remember not quite getting the idea of compelling early in my writing life. I finally understood compelling to mean a character who I may or may not exactly like but […]
The Complex Character
I heard a lot from readers who don’t want to read a too-perfect (sympathetic) character. Maybe the words “sympathetic” and “likable” need defining for fiction.Writing Tip for Today: In fiction, a sympathetic character only means this person is someone whom readers can identify with. Likability may not be as important, but memorability is essential. Here are […]