character development
all our free writing craft resources on creating three-dimensional characters
The TRUE Function of Secondary Characters
Building secondary characters is incredibly fun. Who doesn’t love dreaming up a romantic interest? Brainstorming unique characteristics for a mentor? Crafting the sass of the sidekick and best friend? We love [...]
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 [...]
Where to Start Your Story
You’ve built out your characters and their backgrounds. You know the major plot points of your story. You’re ready to start drafting the [...]
Writing Dialogue That Feels Natural
Writers often strive to make dialogue sound real. But the truth is that realistic dialogue (aka, dialogue you [...]
Top 5 Reasons Stories Fall Flat (+ how to fix them!)
When stories fall flat, it’s often because readers are missing something. Even if they don’t consciously recognize it, [...]
