Alan Rinzler posted a great article about character development, using a technique from James Scott Bell’s The Art of War for Writers, called voice journaling. His article inspired me to practice with the characters I’m writing about. I figured that I would start off with the easiest character first, since I already know a lot [...] Read more »
How to Draw a Basic Mind Map of Your Characters
Knowing the Basics About My Characters Before I start writing my stories, I have to know the basic attributes of my characters: Who are they? Where did they come from? What event brought them into this story? What are their attitudes and why? How will they solve the problem in this story? Will they grow [...] Read more »
Character Backstories
If you’ve been writing for a while, then you know what these are. However, if you’re a complete newbie, then I’ll give you the straight-forward definition. Backstories are mini-biographies of your characters and your plot. Is it necessary to write backstories for your characters before you write a word of your novel? I’m torn by [...] Read more »
Creating the Voices Inside My Head
Drawing up characters is my favorite part of writing. I’ve tried using the various character charts and software on the market, which helps outline their likes and dislikes, traits, etc. But nothing beats having a “conversation” with them. Most of the time, these conversations will occur inside my head. Other times, I catch myself talking [...] Read more »
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