Anne Tyler’s Tips on Writing Strong (yet Flawed) Characters Anne Tyler belongs to a disappearing generation of writers, those who came into their own in an era when it was more than enough to—well, to simply write. Intensely protective of her craft, she hasn’t given an in-person interview or participated in a book tour since 1977. In an age where writers are expected to lead double lives as self-promoters to enjoy any semblance of commercial success, Tyler carries on just as she always has, remaining steadfast in her singular devotion to her writing process. And she can get away with it, too, because she’s Anne Tyler—and she’s just that indisputably good. If Tyler’s writing career sounds like a luxury, a lofty dream come to life—penning a well-received book every few years in the quiet of her home in Baltimore, eschewing the media in favor of the companionship of her characters—it’s one she’s earned. Her books are about families, and the complications therein—marital discourse, sibling rivalry, resentment and, underneath it all, love.
25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters - StumbleUpon As storyteller, you are god. And to be frank, you’re not a particularly nice god — at least, not if you want your story to resonate with readers. A good storyteller is a crass and callous deity who treats the characters under his watchful eye like a series of troubled butt-puppets. From this essential conflict — storyteller versus character — a story is born. Put differently, as a storyteller it’s your job to be a dick. It’s your job to fuck endlessly with the characters twisting beneath your thumb. And here’s 25 ways for you to do just that. 1. Gods have avatars, mortal or semi-mortal beings that exist on earth to embody the deity’s agenda. 2. The audience and the character must know the stakes on the table — “If you don’t win this poker game, your grandmother will lose her beloved pet orangutan, Orange Julius.” 3. Impossible odds are a powerful way to fuck with a character. 4. Drop the character smack dab between two diametrically opposed choices. 5. 6. This one? 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Character Traits How to Create Good Personalities for Your Characters Edit Article Sample Character DescriptionsCreating Personalities for Your Own Characters Edited by Secretive, Julia Maureen, Flickety, Ben Rubenstein and 19 others You're on a plane to a distant country to visit some weird old relatives you are somehow related to. Ad Steps Sample Character Descriptions Creating Personalities for Your Own Characters 1Start with a simple profile including these categories: Name, Age, Gender, and Occupation. 6Continue developing characters until your story is finished. Tips Keep the characters true to themselves. Warnings Don't copy off other characters in different, already well known books, such as Harry Potter. Dark fantasy Character Trait Chart Character Trait Chart and Personality Components It can sometimes be helpful to make a Trait Chart for each character. This is especially helpful during the early stages of character development, before the character becomes as real to you as your mother. There are several charts of this sort available, some extremely detailed and some containing only facts and figures. I've tried to make one that includes the most important traits to help you visualize your character, both physically and emotionally. To use this chart, print it out and make a copy for each of your characters. Full name - a character's name is very important. Besides the character's official name, we also need to know what he is called (and, perhaps, what he prefers to be called). Date of Birth/Age - we should carefully consider assigning our character a birthday. Height - this doesn't need to be specific. Hair - keep in mind the character's ethnic background in assigning hair and eye color. Smell - everyone has a smell.
Savvy Authors | Writing Paranormal When I first informed people I was writing a paranormal, I inevitably got one of two responses. One response was from non-writers and the other was always from those more savvy in the publishing field. The first and foremost was, “Paranormal is so hot right now! You’re going to be a millionaire!” The other was, “The paranormal market is so saturated right now. It’s going to be a hard sell.” I am not, what I call, a “what’s hot right now” writer. Secondly, and most importantly, I write what I love. So, you ask, how did you break into an overcrowded field? The other thing that I did was read, read, read. I also really listened when people talked about their favorite books. So, I had a goal I wanted to reach. In the end I believe I achieved my goals, and written something that readers would connect with. J. Evie Shepard’s nightmare begins when she finds herself buried alive, with no idea how she got that way. Somehow she has come back…And she wants revenge.
Top 10 Tricks to Make your Villain Stand Out Welcome back to the column that breaks down gaming into what’s really important, ten things at a time! Any story arc needs a good villain. The best big bads are more than just another devil or vampire or dragon. 1. Why do people follow this villain? 2. The villain should have a single overriding goal that drives all his or her actions. 3. Along with the goal, place concrete steps the villain needs to take to reach the goal. 4. The villain should be making progress if nobody is stopping him or her. 5. Give your villain a weakness the adventurers can figure out and exploit. 6. Avoid faceless or generic threats. 7. Make the villain’s presence known in every corner of the campaign. 8. One of the best ways to make the villain’s presence known is by reusing symbols and calling cards. 9. Take note every time the adventurers fail to stop the villain, or let a part of its plan succeed. 10. Your villain will be more well-rounded if there are some things he or she won’t do. Written by loganbonner
15 Interesting Motivations for Villains and Heroes I provide advice about how to write novels, comic books and graphic novels. Most of my content applies to fiction-writing in general, but I also provide articles specifically about superhero stories. 1. Romance. Villains frequently have ulterior motives (like marrying Aunt May to steal the nuclear power plant she inherited?) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Could I recommend against a stereotypically heroic goal for the heroes or a stereotypically villainous goal for the villains? 14. 15. Feel free to mix and match!
How to Create a Character | How To's by Holly Lisle All Rights Reserved No matter what sort of fiction you’re writing, you’re going to have to populate your story with characters, and a lot of them, if not all of them, you’re going to have to create from scratch. Unfortunately — or maybe fortunately — there is no Betty Crocker Instant Character-In-A-Can that you can mix with water and pop into the oven for twenty minutes. Don’t start your character off with a name or a physical description. I know this doesn’t seem logical at first glance — after all, you name a baby before you get to know him very well. There are a couple of reasons. In the same way, maybe your heart has been broken twice by redheads, or the gorgeous surfer you dated briefly who stole your credit card, did drugs in the back seat of your car and got your twin sister pregnant before dumping you and vanishing from your life forever. Do start developing your character by giving him a problem, a dramatic need, a compulsion. What does the character want?
Writing...How To Write Paranormal Romance- 7 Tips To Remember A trend that I am happy to see growing is the stronger female lead, often just as skilled as the hero with talents that compliment his. The strong female lead doesn’t have to a ball busting werewolf, to be a strong character. She can be anything from a high school student to shy store keeper, but to be a strong feminine lead, she needs to be able to challenge the hero, to surprise him and possibly be the one who saves him in the end. The paranormal romance gives our heroine a little bit more room to move then other genres, it is for example more acceptable for your strong female character to act more aggressively (werewolf or not) she can be cunning and downright ruthless, as long as it’s for a good cause. (Protecting a loved one, hunting down a killer etc.) Strong doesn’t always mean physically buff, it can be her personality, her talents her choices in hard situations, how she deals with the conflict around her. Tips for writing a strong female character 1. 2. 3.
50 Questions to Ask Your Characters It's time for another PEP rally by our guestblogger Sam. Just as a reminder, PEP stands for Productivity, Ego, and Procrastination, the three most important things to a writer after their computer or favorite pen. Even though the Rally was created to start a week off right, it can help combat the dreaded writers block any day of the week. These tips and activities will get you moving towards that word count in no time. Well, maybe not the last one, but who said you have to be all work? Productivity One of my most difficult challenges when writing is trying to get into the mindset of my characters. Today’s productivity task is an interview to help you get a better grasp of your characterization. Name and age? Nickname? What is most noticeable about your character’s appearance/physical presence? Describe his or her voice, verbal ticks, pet phrases etc. Describe a gesture your character makes. Where does he or she now live? Has s/he lived elsewhere? What part of her home is her favourite?