Category: Characters (Writing)

Why I Love the Best Friends-to-Lovers Trope

Why I Love the Best Friends-to-Lovers Trope

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

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”

Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines

Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines

When I wrote my series on crafting emotional resonance, I promised a future post on crafting effective dialogue. This is another element of your writing that will elevate your scenes and emphasize the emotions your characters are feeling. So let’s get into it.

Character

The most crucial piece of believable dialogue is to ensure that your characters talk like themselves. This comes down to Continue reading “Crafting Effective Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines”

Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 2 – Character Reactions

Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 2 – Character Reactions

Welcome back to the “crafting emotional resonance” series! This week’s topic is character reactions. How can the reactions of your characters to their surroundings, circumstances, and other characters really connect emotionally with your readers?

Dialogue

For many writers (myself included), dialogue is a character’s first response–especially Continue reading “Crafting Emotional Resonance: Part 2 – Character Reactions”

Underrated Character Relationships

Underrated Character Relationships

One of the things I love most about Calligraphy Guild is the variety of character relationships, so today I thought I’d highlight some of the relationships I enjoyed most and relationships I would love to see more of in fiction—including a couple that don’t appear in Calligraphy Guild (though I have plans to use all of these at some point. ;) )

Realistic Siblings

I’m the oldest of five siblings, so I love reading about Continue reading “Underrated Character Relationships”