My mini-blog series of character development has come to its last post. Here are all the previous factors if you’ve missed out.
In the last post of character development, I will be discussing how to capture your character’s appearance.
characters
How to Create Your Characters Goals and Motivations
For the past few weeks, I have been doing a mini-blog series of character development – here are the links Backstory and Flashbacks, Character’s Voice and Dialogue, How To Build On Your Characters Values and Beliefs
In the first post of the series, I mention there are five important factors to consider building your character and a well-rounded character. These are (not in ascending importance level):
- Back-story and flashbacks
- Voice and Dialogue
- Beliefs and values
- Goals and motivations; and
- Physical traits.
In the second last post of my mini-series, I will be looking at your characters goals and motivations. (more…)
How To Build On Your Characters Values and Beliefs
Over the past few blogs, before my honeymoon, I have been doing a mini-blog series of character development – here are the links Backstory and Flashbacks, Character’s Voice and Dialogue.
In the first post of the series, I mention there are five important factors to consider building your character and a well-rounded character. These are (not in ascending importance level):
- Back-story and flashbacks
- Voice and Dialogue
- Beliefs and values
- Physical traits; and
- Goals and motivations.
In this post, I will be looking at how to build on your character’s values and beliefs in your novel.
Five Ways To Improve Your Character’s Voice and Dialogue
If you haven’t been following my blog, a few posts ago I mentioned my blog series focusing on character development for your novel.
If you missed the previous posts, you can find click on them here –
Backstory and Motivations
Below is the next post for my blog series on character development, ‘FiveWays to Improve your Character’s Voice and Dialogue.‘
How to Properly Weave Backstory and Flashbacks Into Your Novel
In my last blog post, Five Qualities Every Character In Your Novel Needs To Possess, I mentioned I want to emphasize on character development for your novel.
In the last post, I skimmed over some important factors to consider building your character and mentioned there are five things to make a well-rounded character. These are:
- Voice
- Beliefs and values
- Physical traits
- Back-story and flashbacks (I added the flashbacks because it seemed to be a reoccurring device for character development); and
- Goals and motivations.
In this post, I will be interrogating the back story for your character/s. Below are things to consider before weaving your character/s back story and flashbacks into your plot.
Five Qualities Every Character In Your Novel Needs To Possess
Over the next few blog posts, I want to emphasize character development.
A well-rounded character consists of voice, beliefs and values, physical traits, back-story, and; goals and motivations.
For this post, I am going to skim over some important factors to consider building your character.
To create a well-rounded character, it can at times become a self-indulgent exercise. I have spent inordinate amounts of time determining small details that will never show up in the story. It’s not that these small details don’t matter but beware because it can delay the writing process.
Below are Five Qualities Characters Need to Possess in your Novel to make them a rememberable character.
Five Ways to Master The Character Arc
What is a character arc?
“A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person, and during the story, things happen which gradually transforms him or her into a different sort of person.”
As I close the third round of editing for my novel, A Time of Stones, I realize the importance of character arcs and how they drive the reader through the story and finishing the novel.
Here are five ways that will help you help you master your character’s arc.
How to Flesh Out the Antagonist
As I continue to add depth, magic, sparkle, flow, atmosphere, to my novel, A Time of Stones. I also work hard at eliminating the hackneyed, lazy forms of expression and concentrate on the settings and making my characters float up from the page.
At the moment, I am concentrating on: the antagonist.
Every protagonist needs a worthy opponent. When it comes to crafting the antagonist, it’s important to put just as much work into his backstory and motivations as you did for your hero.
Your protagonist needs a true challenge, and to be challenged, he/she needs an equal.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing the antagonist.
Eight Ways To Create Your Characters Dialogue Distinctive
The last couple of posts have been revolved around supporting characters.
How to Create Supporting Characters
Five Rules for Writing a Large Cast of Characters
Whether it is a supporting or the main character, you need them to sound distinctive so the reader doesn’t get confused and know who is talking.
In an earlier post about dialogue, I pointed out that if your characters each have a distinct voice, you can get away with fewer dialogue tags. But how do you make them sound different from one another?
Here are eight things to consider when crafting distinctive dialogue.
How to Create Supporting Characters
I have uploaded many posts on how writers and authors should create a well rounded protagonist but I have done little focus on the supporting characters.
I believe supporting characters make a novel feel like real life. In life, we have that crazy friend, or we see strange and interesting passersby. Nobody is exactly the same. Everyone has a story. Even if we only interact with someone for a short time, that person is unique. Supporting characters should function similarly in a novel. However, unlike real life, in a novel, any character you introduce should play a distinct role.
Here are my best tips for writing supporting characters.
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