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Character motivations: 6 questions on what drives your characters
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: 1. What is their history or backstory? Backstory is your characte...
September 20th, 2018
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5 ways to subvert character clichés and archetypes
This guest contribution by the team at Reedsy explores ways to subvert character clichés for a less predictable story. Creating the next Harry Potter or Holden Caulfield is no easy feat! When writing secondary characters in particular, it’s easy to fall back on clichéd archetypes and stock ch...
September 6th, 2018
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Describing characters' first appearances: 6 tips
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:...
November 5th, 2018
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Character arc template: 5 steps to strong character arcs
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 With character arcs you also, of ...
November 12th, 2018
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Main character writing: 6 ideas for a strong key cast
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: What makes a main character? A main character is a person in a ...
January 10th, 2019
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Character development: 9 tips for arcs with depth
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 readers on a great character arc: How to take character development deeper: Plan characters' goals and motivation...
February 28th, 2019
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Indirect characterization: Revealing characters subtly
Indirect characterization is writing that paints in character detail by showing rather than telling. Rather than only tell readers about characters’ personalities and values, you can reveal them subtly through dialogue, actions and appearances. Read these tips and examples: 1. Use il...
April 10th, 2019
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How do you write good character description? 5 techniques
In classic stories, characters often step off the page from their first introduction, fully realized. How do you write good character description that reveals enough to hook readers? Try these 5 techniques: 1. Give character description via action Writer's who are still developing their cr...
March 4th, 2019
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Character tropes: 5 tips to avoid stock types
Character tropes (common stock characters) have their place in stories. Satires and spoofs, for example, use types such as the 'cool mom' or 'orphan who must save the world'. Yet character tropes quickly dull a story when characters read as too predictable. To avoid tropes: 1. Know your chara...
March 25th, 2019
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Character background: 7 tips to write better backstory
Learning how to write character background or compelling backstory requires balancing present and past narration. Read 7 tips to write better backstory: 7 character background story ideas: Brainstorm formative events that shape your characters Choose where to tell character backstory ...
August 22nd, 2019
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Creative points of view in character writing: 5 examples
The different points of view - first, second and third person POV - each offer creative ways to convey your characters' voices and personas. Read 5 tips with illustrative examples from novels: First: POV definitions Point of view, often abbreviated POV, is a crucial element of fiction writ...
July 4th, 2019
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Writing background characters: 5 uses
In a novel, film or stage play, not every character needs to take center stage. Some characters play a minor role. Some add passing humour, obstacles, important advice or information. Read 5 ideas for writing background characters: 1. Try writing background characters for habitation Often ...
July 1st, 2019
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