character development
all our free writing craft resources on creating three-dimensional characters
How to Hold Reader Attention Using Character Flaws
As much as we think we do, we don’t actually read action scenes for the action. We don’t read romance for the kissing scenes. We’re not sucked into stories because we want [...]
How to Build A Magic System
I love magic. When magic is well-designed, I feel it, picturing myself as a user, unleashing its power through my fingertips alongside the characters. To me, reading a well put-together magic system [...]
How Scene Choices Determine Successful Character Arcs
While reading, we become active participants in a point-of-view character’s journey (seriously, our brains become the character). This means that when characters undergo a deep journey of change, we do too. Character [...]
How to Plan a Magical Revision
You finished your first draft! That is a huge accomplishment. Do you know how many people in the world wish they could say that? Do you know how many unfinished [...]
The Power of Redemption
Readers love characters who are complicated, passionate, and flawed—just like we are. We enjoy seeking as they seek, learning as they learn. As writers, we want to provide this experience for [...]
March Book Reviews
March #WritersRead Book Club Chat: Thursday, March 26th @ 7pm EST Join on Twitter! Details on how to join here This month we all read 'Children’s and middle [...]
5 Tricks to Write Great Dialogue
Good dialogue often goes unnoticed. When it’s crafted well, a story continues to flow forward, uninterrupted, as you learn more about the characters and the conflict at hand. Bad [...]
How to Write Backstory
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What is ‘Character Agency’?
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How to Shape a Character Arc Using Pivot Points
Stories are about journeys of change. Readers want to see how your flawed main character will fight for what they want, how their weaknesses will hold them back, and how they’ll overcome [...]
How to Pick the Perfect Protagonist
Stories are about change—specifically, they are about how characters change. Characters are the heart and soul of any story, which means that we should develop the story around them—starting with your protagonist. [...]
How Plot + Character Intersect
As readers, we’re engaged in a story’s plot because we know what the main character wants and why—and we’re dying to find out how far they’ll go to get it. We’re not [...]
The Antagonist Fuels Your Story
Stories are about change. Specifically, stories are about how characters change. We love stories so much because we are able to see ourselves in the main character, and we learn as they [...]
Trusting Your Gut Instinct
As writers, we have to make choices constantly. From the big picture planning of what to include in a plot or character arc, to [...]
Healing From Burnout
Burnout sucks. It’s an unrelenting exhaustion that has you feeling completely zapped of energy. Your creativity, which has [...]
The Magic of Character Arcs
We've all heard about "character arcs." We know they're important. We know they have to do with [...]
