Category Archives: Characters

“Things” as Characters

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

 A writer asks: “My favorite creative writing book is ‘Setting’ by Jack Bickham. Use of setting as primary with characters, plot, theme, mood, etc derived from it and interacting with it seems of particular value in science fiction. Where would … Continue reading →

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Choosing Your Main Character’s Resolve

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

The Main Character represents the audience’s position in the story. Therefore, whether he or she changes or not has a huge impact on the audience’s story experience and the message you are sending to it. Some Main Characters grow to … Continue reading →

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Writing Con Men, Shady Businessmen, and Seedy Politicians

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Characters, as with real people such as con men, shady businessmen, and seedy politicians, will often use statistics to paint a false, yet plausible, picture. For example, one such character might state that 12% of all high-school dropouts were beaten … Continue reading →

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Creating Characters from Plot

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Introduction If you already have a story idea, it is a simple matter to create a whole cast of characters that will grow out of your plot. In this lesson we’re going to lay out a method of developing characters … Continue reading →

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Creating Characters from Scratch

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

 Where Do Characters Come From? When we speak of characters from a structural standpoint, there are very specific guidelines that determine what is a character and what is not. But when we think of characters in every day life, they … Continue reading →

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Protagonist and Antagonist

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Protagonist drives the plot forward. Antagonist tries to stop him. The Protagonist is the Prime Mover of the effort to achieve the Story’s Goal. The Antagonist is the Chief Obstacle to that effort. In a sense, Protagonist is the irresistible … Continue reading →

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Fire Your Protagonist

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Many authors start with a Protagonist and then build a cast of characters around him or her. But as a story develops, it may turn out that one of the other characters becomes more suited for that role. Sticking with … Continue reading →

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The Main Character Element of the Hero Stereotype

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Of all four attributes of the hero, his role as the Main Character is perhaps the most intriguing. As described in an earlier writing tip, the Main Character represents the audience position in the story, and is the character with … Continue reading →

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Creating Characters: The Villain

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A villain is the dramatic antithesis of a hero, and therefore has the following four attributes: He is the Antagonist He is the Influence Character He is second in prominence to the Central Character He is a Bad Guy By … Continue reading →

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Creating Characters: “My Hero!”

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Melanie Anne Phillips

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the hero’s journey.” Much has been written about the steps in this journey and the nature of the hero himself. What is usually assumed is that the “hero” is an elemental character who possesses certain … Continue reading →

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