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Creating Characters
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Creating Characters
Sometimes characters just walk onstage and announce themselves. Sometimes they're shy, and you have to coax them into existence. Here are a few tips.
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Characters Who Are Mary-Sues
Marg McAlister
Is your character a "Mary Sue"? Until recently, when someone wrote to me about it, I had never come across this term before. What on earth, I wondered, was a "Mary Sue"? Naturally, I Googled it, and landed on the Wikipedia page where I discovered that this is actually a wonderfully useful term! . . . keep reading
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What Does Your Character WANT?
Marg McAlister
"What does your character want?" It seems like a simple question - yet it is one that can cause untold problems for some writers. They fuss and fiddle about with all manner of MINOR things that the character wants, and totally miss the big one! . . . keep reading
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Creating Characters for a Young Adult Series
Doris Stutley interviewed by Marg McAlister
Doris Stutley has written and published three books of a planned 8-book crime fiction series for young adults. The first three books of the "Operation" series are Operation Foxtrot Five; Operation Delta Bravo, and Operation Alpha Papa (published by Lothian). Much of the success of the series can be attributed to the well-drawn characters, whose personalities and adventures hold great appeal for the young adult readership. . . . keep reading
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Dressing Your Characters
Marg McAlister
Readers can learn a lot about a character not only by WHAT your characters wear, but HOW they wear it. You can also guide readers to make assumptions about your characters by the way they look after their clothes. Now let's talk about how to go about dressing your characters... . . . keep reading
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Character and the Power of Observation
by Tracey L. R. Hawkins
"How do I begin to make my character/s real and believable?" you ask. It is important to understand the fundamentals of human behaviour. As a writer you must consider the interaction of your character/s from a variety of perspectives and appreciate the individual and societal factors that influence behaviour. You don't need to be a psychologist to see what makes a person. All you need is the power of observation. . . . keep reading
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Help Your Readers "See" Your Characters
Marg McAlister
When you go to see a movie, you instantly know what characters look like; one glance at the screen lets you absorb dozens of small details. Obviously, writers have a much harder task... . . . keep reading
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How Much Does Your Character Notice?
Marg McAlister
One thing that gives away an inexperienced writer is overuse of tags such as 'she noticed' or 'he saw'. WHY is this a problem? Because instead of allowing the reader to walk in sync with the character, and experience events through the character's thoughts, feelings and emotions, the writer is REPORTING what is happening. . . . keep reading
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Characters With Personality
Marg McAlister
Eighty per cent of the time, our enjoyment of a novel is based on our involvement with a character that draws us into the story. In fact, characters are so important to the success of a novel that I am sometimes amazed by the lack of thought writers give to (a) character creation and (b) the way they introduce those characters. . . . keep reading
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Why Your Main Character Should be Likeable
Marg McAlister
Let's make it clear from the start that I'm not saying that ALL your characters should be likeable. Of course not. We all need characters that we love to hate! But when it comes to the main character - think carefully before you present this person to your readers. . . . keep reading
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Unlikeable Characters
Marg McAlister
What's the one thing that is most likely to make a reader discard a book without finishing it? An unlikeable character. This was brought home to me forcibly last week... . . . keep reading
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Setting the Scene and Introducing the Main Character
Marg McAlister and Kate Pepper
Now, I don't really need to tell you how important it is to get the first chapter of your novel right... do I? You did realize that many first readers or editors don't even go beyond the first page if you haven't hooked their interest? . . . keep reading
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Police Procedure - The Female Protagonist
by Tracey Hawkins
In policing women are recruited and trained under exactly the same conditions as men and are expected to undertake the same tasks as men. During my training, I marched around the parade ground for hours and ran the specified distance in physical training sessions. . . . keep reading
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Ann Harth
