Now NovelRead 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.
Character growth or change is integral to great stories. Giving characters bad as well as good character traits makes your characterization deeper. It also helps to spark ideas for multiple elements of backstory, for how the character acquired these dominant qualities in the first place. Read 7 useful character attributes, with examples from books.
In learning how to write character development, it’s helpful to think about how each element of storytelling contributes. What are the basic facts about your character the reader should know, going in? What does dialogue do to develop your character further? Action? Narration? Description? Their desires and fears?
The development of characters is a topic blog readers and Now Novel members often ask us about. Creating an interesting, dynamic character arc is easy when you’re aware of the many ways people change. Here are 6 interesting ways people change, plus tips to craft a compelling, engaging character arc:
Building a memorable narrator’s voice is challenging. Try these 5 methods to fill your narrator with personality:
Introducing and describing characters are key parts of the storytelling process. Read 6 tips for describing characters using direct characterization, with examples:
The heroic journey is a classic story format. We find heroic quests in all genres. The relentless detective quests for the truth in crime fiction. The fantasy hero quests for knowledge, healing or restored harmony. The plucky whistle-blower quests to bring a corrupt official to justice in a political thriller. Read 8 tips for crafting epic heroic arcs:
Remembering characters of personality such as extroversion and introversion will help you create characters who contrast with each other. Here are 7 ways to use concepts of personality to create a richer cast of players:
Growth and change are elements that make characters’ paths interesting. How do you write character growth into your story? Read seven approaches:
Learning how to write character background or backstory requires balancing present and past narration. Read 7 tips to write better backstory:
