Category: Characters (Writing)

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Portraying Characters When Your Worldviews Clash

Portraying Characters When Your Worldviews Clash

Posted on by R.M. Archer

As authors, we want our stories to reflect the values that we believe in. We want to write with integrity, discouraging those things we believe to be wrong and championing those things we believe to be right. But our characters don’t always believe the same things we do (nor should they; we write stories, not sermons!), which can lead to a tricky balancing act: being true to the characters and their stories without compromising what we believe or endorsing behavior we believe to be wrong. How do you handle that tension? Here are some tips.

This question was originally brought up by an email subscriber. Thanks to Joshua for the question!

There are two things I try to show in my writing when characters are Continue reading “Portraying Characters When Your Worldviews Clash” →

How to Replace a Character in Your Cast (Without Irritating Readers)

How to Replace a Character in Your Cast (Without Irritating Readers)

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Have you ever watched a show or read a series in which a character ends up replaced–whether the original character dies or goes off on their own adventure, and their place is taken by someone new–and the transition leaves you with a strong distaste for the new character? “What do you mean this is who’s replacing so-and-so?” Yeah, me too. But I recently saw a transition like this done well in Leverage (this post will include some season 2 spoilers), so I decided to analyze what made this cast replacement work when so many others simply leave viewers or readers irritated. Here’s what I came away with.

Know What Purpose and Role Your Character Serves

Before you can effectively replace a character, you need to know what it really is you’re replacing. Every character should have Continue reading “How to Replace a Character in Your Cast (Without Irritating Readers)” →

How to Write an Effective Character Death

How to Write an Effective Character Death

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Most of us have a character death or two that we can point to as having effected us as readers, whether or not we can identify why exactly that particular death struck us so powerfully. In this post, I’m analyzing some of the character deaths that I’ve found most impactful–both as a reader/viewer, and from the storytelling perspective as an author.

Note: Due to the nature of the topic, this post does include spoilers for Warehouse 13, Arcane, and The Maze Runner trilogy.

The Crux of the Matter: Character Deaths Should Have an Impact

You probably already know this–on an instinctual level as a reader if not from an authorial perspective–but character deaths must have an impact on the story in order to feel meaningful to the reader. There must be some sort of impact on the story and/or the characters left behind, or else Continue reading “How to Write an Effective Character Death” →

Why I Love the Best Friends-to-Lovers Trope

Why I Love the Best Friends-to-Lovers Trope

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Hello, and Happy Valentine’s Day a little early! Today’s post is part of a week-long collaboration, where each author talks about a relationship trope they enjoy. Laura kicked us off yesterday with a post on the “marriage of convenience” trope, and today I’m picking up with the best friends-to-lovers trope. Stick around to the end to be sure to follow the authors who will be contributing the rest of the week!

The best friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites–which especially shows Continue reading “Why I Love the Best Friends-to-Lovers Trope” →

5 Tips for Developing Character Quirks

5 Tips for Developing Character Quirks

Posted on by R.M. Archer
This post was adapted from an Instagram post I made all the way back in 2022. I find myself pointing people to it over and over, so I thought it was high time to adapt it into a blog post for easier reference–and expand it for the new format!

One of my most popular blog posts is about five details that help bring characters to life. The first item on that list is character quirks, which I wasn’t very good at when I first wrote that post. While I’m still not a character quirk expert, I have learned a lot over my past couple of WIPs. Hopefully some of these tips and tricks I’ve learned will help you too!

First, let me define Continue reading “5 Tips for Developing Character Quirks” →