Build stronger relationships between characters.Write faster, because you’re not working from scratch.If you’ve never written one, you may find this tool helpful in jumpstarting your own creativity. Many great novelists and colleagues of mine swear by them and wouldn’t dream of developing a character any other way. Those who espouse building character profiles naturally advise that your protagonist, antagonist, and each of the more important orbital characters in your story get their own separate profile. It’s an in-depth life history of a fictional character. If that’s you, let me walk you through the various elements of a character profile and what questions to answer. Then I’ll leave you with a Character Profile Template I developed to help simplify the process. You may find yourself thinking, as I frequently do, Aah, so that’s why he’s the way he is.īut if you’re a novice writer, or you’d classify yourself as an Outliner rather than a Pantser, you might rather create a character profile before you begin writing your novel. Part of the high wire act of writing as a Pantser, often the character surprises you and you must do some back hoeing to make it work. Some master novelists make this look easy, but it’s a skill that takes time to refine.Īs a Pantser (one who writes by by the seat of his pants as a process of discovery), I follow Stephen King’s practice of “putting interesting characters in difficult situations and writing to find out what happens.” Regardless the genre, your characters must behave like real people in real-life situations who make mistakes, have regrets, and grow emotionally or spiritually throughout the story. List your favorite novels, those you can count on one hand, and I’ll bet they have one major thing in common - an unforgettable hero. Need help creating your characters? Click here to download my character arc worksheet.
0 kommentar(er)
