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Character Traits

Positive Traits Can Have Drawbacks, and Flaws Aren’t All Bad

June 27, 2023

Positive Traits Can Have Drawbacks, and Flaws Aren’t All Bad

June 27, 2023

I was watching Gone with the Wind the other night—because, you know, it was on TV and I had four hours to kill. As a teen, this was the first “grown-up” book…

What Are Your Protagonist’s Flaws?

April 13, 2023

What Are Your Protagonist’s Flaws?

April 13, 2023

The most relatable characters are ones who mirror real people, meaning they are complex individuals with a blend of strengths, failings, attributes, and flaws. Of these four, flaws are often…

Introducing…The Character Type & Trope Thesaurus!

April 1, 2023

Introducing…The Character Type & Trope Thesaurus!

April 1, 2023

Character building is hard work, and when we see certain types of characters appear again, and again in fiction and film, we wonder if there’s a way to start with…

How to Uncover Your Character’s Deepest Fear

March 28, 2023

How to Uncover Your Character’s Deepest Fear

March 28, 2023

Fear is a disruptive force, even though its job is to keep us safe. When there’s a perceived physical or psychological threat, our brain blasts us with a shot of…

Writing Antagonists Readers Can’t Help But Like

December 1, 2022

Writing Antagonists Readers Can’t Help But Like

December 1, 2022

There’s a dirty little secret among many of us readers: well-written antagonists get our blood pumping. When a scene come along with them in it, well, we lean closer. Grin…

Use Conflict to Target a Character’s Soft Spots

August 25, 2022

Use Conflict to Target a Character’s Soft Spots

August 25, 2022

Conflict is a key story ingredient, one we need a lot of, but this doesn’t mean quantity is better than quality. Fiction isn’t a video game; waves of bad guys…

How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices

November 23, 2021

How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices

November 23, 2021

Quick, what’s one thing you need in every scene? This question can have a lot of answers – tension, conflict, stakes, emotion, action…on and on it goes. But I would…

Does Your Story Need More Conflict? Tap this Powerful Source

September 2, 2021

Does Your Story Need More Conflict? Tap this Powerful Source

September 2, 2021

Conflict is such a versatile storytelling element. Not only will obstacles, adversaries, and stressors keep tension high and readers focused, they also provide characters with valuable opportunities to prove themselves,…

Describing a Character’s Emotions: Problems and Solutions

August 14, 2021

Describing a Character’s Emotions: Problems and Solutions

August 14, 2021

Characters are the heart of a story, but what really draws readers in is their emotions. Only…showing them isn’t always easy, is it? Like us in the real world, characters…

Balancing Your Cast of Characters

May 4, 2021

Balancing Your Cast of Characters

May 4, 2021

It’s no secret that side characters can be amazing in their own right. Great side characters feel like real people–even if the focus isn’t on them. They have lives that…