Where Do Characters Come From?
Author Mitch Silver discusses how he and other thriller masters came up with the characters who have led their greatest story ideas—and how you can create great characters too.
Handwriting Anatomy
Consider your handwriting, or a character's handwriting. What significance does it have, and what does it say about the type of person you/they are?
How to Use Acting Techniques When Writing a Character’s Emotional Journey
You may have the most intriguing story ever printed on a page, but ultimately we will care about the story because we care about the players in it and their journeys. In order to do that, you the writer must first create that emotional journey for each character.
Writing Characters From the Opposite Gender’s Point of View
Richard Alther wrote his latest novel from the perspective of a woman. Here, he shares his observations on writing from the opposite gender's point of view.
Rethinking Protagonists and Antagonists: Parallel and Perpendicular Character Perspectives in Star Wars
We like to think and talk a great deal about protagonists and antagonists, and that’s not a bad way to look at things, exactly. But it’s vital to realize that those two terms are purely a matter of perspective.
4 Ways to Write a Compelling Character
Where do fictional characters come from, and, more important, how do you build one from scratch? For some writers, characters whisper in their ears or appear in their dreams; for others, building a character requires as much effort and forethought as constructing a house. Though the method will vary for every...
In Defense of the Flibbertigibbet: The Questions That Made Me a Writer
BY MEGAN KRUSE I was eighteen when I met my friend Katie at a summer camp in Washington. I must have been doing some work then, but even now it seems that my main occupation was trying to romance the other counselors, to grow friends and loves like wildflowers around me....
Writing the Unlikable Character (and Why You Should)
We talk a lot about the importance of writing characters that readers like or can relate to—and by “we” I mean anyone who feels strongly about books, regardless of profession. It’s nice to know when the good guy is good and when the bad guy is bad. That’s what you expect...
Series Author Roundtable: Setting As Character
What are real secrets to writing successful series novels? We brought together four bestsellers across a spectrum of genres to find out. The idea of writing a series is tempting. After all, it seems as though half the bestsellers on today’s bookshelves are new installments in popular series—books that are all...