Writing great character introductions is an important way to get our readers invested in our story and interested in our characters. We want to help readers see and love our characters as much as we do! Character introductions seem like they should be easy. Just tell people the character’s name and a couple of basic […]
Today I’m thrilled to be guest posting over at Fiction University. If you aren’t already reading the hugely helpful blog over at Fiction University then you are missing out! It’s a great resource for all things related to writing. My guest post is looking at the dos and don’ts of writing a good sidekick. Sidekicks […]
Character arc is the change a character makes throughout a story. Maybe they change for the better (we hope!) and overcome demons from their past. Maybe they refuse to succumb to temptations and grow stronger in their beliefs. Or maybe they instead change for the worst and become even more ruthless, selfish, cruel, evil, etc. […]
There are a handful of different character types that show up again and again in almost all stories. Just look and you’ll find them! They each have important roles to play and it’s worth the effort to learn what they are so we can use them effectively. A few major characters you may recognize popping […]
I’m thrilled and honored to be guest posting over at Fiction University this week talking about 5 Reasons Our Characters Need to Fail. I hope you’ll hop on over and check it out! (And be on the lookout for a meme featuring Uncle Iroh! He’s one of my favs.) Fiction University is a huge treasure […]
I recently guest posted over at DIY MFA about what makes characters truly compelling. As writers, we want to create complex and engaging characters that our readers will love, hate, and connect with. Today we’re looking at lists of characters from books that stand out as great among the millions of stories out there. Hopefully […]
Today I am thrilled to be guest posting about character development over at DIY MFA. DIY MFA is all about helping writers “Write with focus, Read with purpose, and Build your community.” The site is an amazing place for writers to find high-quality resources and information, as well as an encouraging community. My guest post, […]
Regardless of how we identify ourselves, we should all be writing diverse stories. And not just because it’s a buzzword or because we want to be politically correct. Diversity is important to recognize because we are not all the same. We come in different shapes, colors, sizes, ages, beliefs, genders, sexualities, abilities, backgrounds, mental health, […]
Why worry about character motivation? Our characters are critical to bringing our story to life and in keeping readers engaged. Which means we need characters that are real, that entertain, and that aren’t shallow. We don’t want our characters to just be pretty good, we want great. To create great characters we need to dig […]
Each month I take a moment to pause and share a few things I’ve found to be helpful and fun along the journey as a busy writer. I hope you find them to be enlightening and encouraging! Article Roundup: Villains No story would be complete without its villain! In fact, the strength of a story’s […]