Posts about characterization
#2MinWritingTip – The Secret Lives of Characters
I attended a workshop last year with a writer who is an excellent instructor and a brilliant marketer. I nodded along enthusiastically until he said, “Characters aren’t real people. They’re vehicles for conflict.” While I understand what he was saying, one of the biggest mistakes that writers–especially beginning writers–can make...
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#2MinWritingTip – Character Secrets
When crafting multi-dimensional characters, it’s temping to think that if you know every detail of your character’s backstory, your work is complete. However, the relationship between that backstory, their behavior, and how much of that history they reveal to others is just as crucial to creating a fascinating, authentic-feeling character....
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#2MinWritingTip – Fix A Flat Character
This tip may sound like a cheat for character development, but it’s really not. When you have a character who feels flat or one-dimensional, it’s usually because you’re playing him or her too close to an archetype. The gruff, hard-boiled detective, the dumb blonde supermodel. You’re relying on your readers’...
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