Character Development

Most popular posts

An image of the painting by Muntz Lyall - Interesting Story - to make the authors reading this post feel that story structure is accessible, native, and important for readers of any gender or age to enjoy their work

Story Structure

Think of story structure as the skeleton of your tale. We all have different lives, different styles, different appearances. But...

A picture of a very small man atop a film camera for the featured image of the blog what is a short film

What is a Short Film?

Every screenwriter dreams to one day have their own feature length film on the big screen. Regardless of how grand...

A woman is being chased by a stork in a picture used to represent historical fiction and the many ways it creates powerful images for readers.

Historical Fiction

If you’ve found yourself enchanted by tales of a bygone era, you’re likely a fan of historical fiction.  In this...

Every writer wants to know how to write faster, a race car visualizes how you may speed up your process in time

How to Write Faster

Every writer at one time or another thinks: I need to write faster. The page is blank. The clock is...

Proofreading Marks

Proofreading marks are symbols used to denote corrections to a manuscript. Many editors today use “track changes” features on various...

Pacing in writing is difficult for all writers. Imaged here is a woman who looks stuck while the world moves quickly around her.

Pacing in Writing

Many writers struggle to get the pacing right in their stories. We adjust scenes: adding, trimming, and attempting to hike...

When great character name ideas are conceived, they want to be used. The characters will want to employ themselves into personage that will go stamp themselves in the world, as visualized by rocks in a river with people's names painted onto them.
Blog
Alan Watt

Character Name Ideas

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”– William Shakespeare, Romeo and

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A woman who is pensive and furtive, and her reflection beside her smiling, suggesting the dichotomy of an internal dialogue as perceived by a viewer
Blog
Alan Watt

Internal Dialogue

Internal dialogue does more than let you know what a character is thinking. It shows you what that character cannot bring themselves

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Featured image for Character vs. Society blog, a woman standing alone looking to withered brush that supersedes her hierarchically in the frame to suggest an antagonistic juxtaposition
Blog
Alan Watt

Character vs. Society

While each type of narrative conflict serves a purpose, Character vs. Society can be particularly interesting. Instead of a protagonist clashing with

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A woman set in foil and pins to her face to quickly visualize the concept of foil characters
Blog
Alan Watt

Writing a Foil Character

Unlock your protagonist’s depth using foil characters. Learn how to use contrast and dilemmas to highlight key traits and drive your story forward.

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flat wooden characters used to illustrate the point of a flat character
Blog
Alan Watt

The Purpose of Flat Characters

Flat characters are consistent, one-dimensional tools that provide stability and support the narrative without distracting from the main plot. By serving specific roles like providing exposition or highlighting a protagonist’s growth, they prevent “character traffic jams” and keep the story’s focus where it belongs.

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Recent posts

When great character name ideas are conceived, they want to be used. The characters will want to employ themselves into personage that will go stamp themselves in the world, as visualized by rocks in a river with people's names painted onto them.

Character Name Ideas

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”– William Shakespeare,...

A woman who is pensive and furtive, and her reflection beside her smiling, suggesting the dichotomy of an internal dialogue as perceived by a viewer

Internal Dialogue

Internal dialogue does more than let you know what a character is thinking. It shows you what that character cannot...

Featured image for Character vs. Society blog, a woman standing alone looking to withered brush that supersedes her hierarchically in the frame to suggest an antagonistic juxtaposition

Character vs. Society

While each type of narrative conflict serves a purpose, Character vs. Society can be particularly interesting. Instead of a protagonist...

A woman set in foil and pins to her face to quickly visualize the concept of foil characters

Writing a Foil Character

Unlock your protagonist's depth using foil characters. Learn how to use contrast and dilemmas to highlight key traits and drive...
Image used for character profile blog to visualize the overwhelming work of building a character profile

Your 6-Step Road to Character Profiles

Create a functional map of your character's psychology and goals to make stories feel authentic and make their change deeper...
flat wooden characters used to illustrate the point of a flat character

The Purpose of Flat Characters

Flat characters are consistent, one-dimensional tools that provide stability and support the narrative without distracting from the main plot. By...
character arc

Master Character Arcs for Compelling Storytelling

Do character arcs matter? Here’s an important lesson to remember: No matter how elaborate your plot is, if your reader...

round character

Round Characters: Techniques to Create Depth in Character Arcs

If you’ve ever fallen in love with a character who jumped off the page and felt so alive that you...

fridging

Fridging: When Trauma Replaces Character Development

The “fridging” trope was named after a specific incident in a Green Lantern comic (vol. 3 #54). The titular hero...

Jungian archetypes

Jungian Archetypes for Character Building

Stories that endure tend to tap into something deeply human. Philosophers, mythologists, psychologists, and more have theorized about different ways...

dark night of the soul

The Dark Night of the Soul: From Despair to Decision

The “dark night of the soul” is that moment in a story where all seems lost. It is the biggest...

tragic hero

The Tragic Hero Explained: Aristotle to Modern Fiction

Tragic heroes are like a falling star, burning, hurtling to their doom, but are a sight to behold all the...

antihero

The Antihero’s Dilemma: Emphasizing Moral Conflict

Stories are not always about morally spotless heroes, nor should they be. Truly compelling protagonists have flaws that affect their...

character flaws

The Importance of Character Flaws 

Without flaws, characters may be admirable, but they don’t feel real. Humans are complex and contradictory. We’re all naturally flawed...

antagonist

Writing Effective Antagonists: Craft Conflict that Matters

It may sound dry, but at the heart of every story is an argument. The theme (or dramatic question) is...

anti-villain

Mastering the Anti-Villain: How to Build Sympathetic, Relatable Antagonists 

In storytelling, we have heroes and villains, but where do anti-villains fit in? Who are they, and why have they...

Protagonist

What Makes a Protagonist? The Character at the Center of Your Story

When you think of your favorite movies or books, what’s the first thing you think of? Is it the setting,...

Unreliable Narrator

The Unreliable Narrator: All You Need to Know

Usually when you open a book and you’re embarking on a new adventure, you believe what the narrator tells you...