When I was writing my first book, a romance with suspenseful elements, I was shocked when my beta readers told me what I’d actually written was an inspirational romance. By having my characters pray, lean on their faith, and talk with God, I was writing “inspirational”? I asked myself, “Don’t most people do that? Doesn’t everyone pray for the sick and cry out to God when in anguish? That’s normal, right?” So how did my book fall into a … Read More »

Unforgettable characters—they live our heads. But can we convey wheat they mean to us effectively onto the page? Of course! To connect readers to your characters, your primary, secondary, and tertiary characters have to do their jobs effectively. They must have purpose and add something to your story. Over time, with a story or series, they may even develop or require a character arc. A good rule to follow is if you name them, they need a character bio worksheet. … Read More »

So far, we’ve tackled shaping your main character and developing powerhouse secondary characters that help your MC along their journey.  Next comes those background characters—the hair stylist who knows everything about everyone, the delivery driver who leaves behind a clue, the newsboy on the corner who overhears things he shouldn’t, the Good Samaritan who stops to help, and the psychologist who drives Uber shifts to give free advice. Like your primary and secondary characters, tertiary characters should be three-dimensional and … Read More »

Now that you know who your main characters are inside  and out, you’re ready to round out your cast! Every main character needs a sidekick, BFF, mentor, assistant, rival, antagonistic villain, etc.—someone who challenges or supports who the MC is and helps to move the story along through action, dialogue, and conflict. Like your main character(s), it’s important to develop your supporting roles fully. A three-dimensional secondary character should be fully fleshed out and serve a role that is memorable. … Read More »

Part one focused on getting to know the WHO of your character. Now that you know who your character is, it’s time to focus on WHY your character behaves the way they do. Your protagonist needs to be the strongest, most developed character in your story. How do you do that? Let’s start with the backside of the worksheet from the first post in this series. You can find it here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/10VGR9cS_HI0s9cHduwB8lKH41CNx-kW3/edit?filetype=msword You should fill out as much as needed … Read More »

There are certain characters in literature and movies we’ll never forget. Characters who we connect with on deep levels. Characters who make us laugh, cry, cheer on, love, hate, and want to exist in real life so we can be a part of their story forever, for reals. Characters who we want as friends. And every character you love was written by an author just like you. In this 5-part series, I’ll be walking you through the process of fully … Read More »