Category Archives: Building Characters

Creating Characters from Scratch

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Sheldon

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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Creating Characters from Plot

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Sheldon

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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Characters – The Attributes of Age

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Sheldon

Introduction Writers tend to create characters that are more or less the same age as themselves. On the one hand, this follows the old adage that one should write about what one knows. But in real life, we encounter people … Continue reading →

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Character Development and the 28 “Magic” Scenes

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A Dramatica user recently asked a couple of questions about developing characters other than the Main and Impact (Obstacle) and also about Dramatica’s reference to “28 magic scenes” in one place and 24 scenes in another.   Here’s my reply … Continue reading →

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al Awlaki, the “Uncanny Valley” and Writing Empathetic Characters

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Recently, al Awlaki (the infamous “American” Al Qaeda) was killed by American forces. He was viewed as a great threat because of his ability to speak to the domestic population of the United States in their own language and culture … Continue reading →

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More Questions from Alice

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A response and further questions from the Dramatica user who was answered in my last post: Can Two Characters Share the Same Traits? Hi Melanie Okay, that is understood, and makes sense, and I like the logic, but this makes … Continue reading →

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Can Two Characters Share the Same Traits?

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A Dramatica user recently wrote:   Hello Melanie   I need help, I’m trying to assign characteristics to my characters, I have a multitude of characters, and many share the same characteristics but the software seems to only allow one … Continue reading →

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