Category Archives: Practical Tips

Writing from a Character’s Point of View

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Sheldon

Perhaps the best way to instill real feelings in a character is to stand in his or her shoes and write from the character’s point of view. Unfortunately, this method also holds the greatest danger of undermining the meaning of … Continue reading →

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Love Interests and the Dramatic Triangle

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Sheldon

A lot of books about writing describe the importance of a “Love Interest.” Other books see a Love Interest as unnecessary and cliché. What does Dramatica Say? As with most dramatic concepts, Dramatica pulls away the storytelling to take a … Continue reading →

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Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Sheldon

Perhaps the most fundamental error made by authors, whether novice or experienced, is that all their characters, male and female, tend to reflect the gender of the author. This is hardly surprising, since recent research finally proves that men and … Continue reading →

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Character Development Tricks!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Sheldon

As trite as it might seem, ask yourself “What would a story be without characters?” The answer can help you get a grip on exactly what characters really do in a story, and therefore how to build them effectively. Although … Continue reading →

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Fire Your Protagonist

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Sheldon

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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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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