Character development gives fictional characters depth. Like us, characters grow, change, make mistakes and learn (or don’t). Read 9 ways to make your characters grow and take … Read More
Category: Character writing
Read Now Novel’s best character writing blog posts below. Learn how to create a cast for your story that is rich with bold personalities. The best stories make it easy for us to connect with characters and become invested in their story outcomes. Learn how to describe characters’ faces, postures, speech and more. You can also find helpful guides on creating conflict between characters, different kinds of relationships between members of the cast of your story and more.
The main character in a story is one of the most vital aspects. Knowing how to write an engaging main character is a vital skill for authors. Read on for definitions, examples and tips to make primary characters unforgettable:
Writing character profiles and brainstorming main characters’ arcs helps establish story direction. A good character arc template includes facts about your characters’ goals, high points and low points. Here are 5 steps to building a dynamic character journey:
Think back to the first time you met someone you now know well. Can you remember what you noticed about them first? Describing characters’ first appearances effectively is key to building characters who linger in the mind. Here are 6 tips on how to describe your characters at first introduction:
Fiction is full of villainous characters who readers love to hate (and, sometimes, hate to love). Learning how to write a villain that your readers can understand as a complex human being (as opposed to a cardboard cutout) can give your novel depth. How do you write a villain who feels human; real (though not necessarily sympathetic)? Here are 7 tips:
Character backstory – the past events and formative experiences that shape who your characters are – is key to creating characters of breadth and depth. Here are tips to weave backstory into your story believably:
Writing fiction, there are at least three ways we create character voices. The first is through viewpoint narration (narrative voice). The words a narrator uses create a distinct persona through elements such as style, subject matter and tone. The second way is written dialogue, showing the content and manner of characters’ speech. The third is via other characters’ viewpoints, when they describe a character’s voice. Read these tips for making a character’s voice memorable:
Realistic dialogue moves stories along. When you give each character an interesting voice and persona, it’s a joy to read their conversations. Varied, entertaining speech takes readers into the heart of your characters. Here are six ways to make characters’ speech colorful and interesting
Character motivations make characters’ paths credible. When a character’s behavior reveals their deeper drives, urges and impulses, they feel fully human. Read 6 questions that will help you work out characters’ motivations: