Tag: Character Development

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”

Building an Authentic Character Voice

Building an Authentic Character Voice

Characters are possibly the most important part of a book; the characters are who your reader will connect with. If your readers connect with your characters, they’ll willingly follow them through your story. But you have to make sure they connect, and character voice is a big part of accomplishing that. Your character’s voice involves all of their background and quirks, all of the personal behaviors and ways they speak that your readers will relate to. So let’s get into how to build a strong character voice.

Cultural Background

It’s important to consider Continue reading “Building an Authentic Character Voice”

Preptober Prompts Day 1 – 2020

Preptober Prompts Day 1 – 2020

Happy October! Brisk weather, changing leaves, pumpkin and apple everything, extra excuse to wear flannel (and boots!)… And, of course, Preptober Prompts! If you’re unfamiliar with how this works, check out this year’s announcement post.

Because of how this month is laid out, I decided to do “Reader’s Choice” prompts for these first three days of October instead of at the end, and I asked for prompts from members of one of my writing groups. I didn’t get a whole lot of submissions, so these first two happen to be from this year’s Flash Fiction co-host, Maple! She’s an awesome blogger and author, and she has something up her own sleeve for Preptober that I’m super curious about, so go give her a follow! (Plus, you don’t want to miss her flash fiction prompts later this month. ;) )

But without further ado… this year’s first prompt!

What change does your main character need to make to become a healthier them?

I’m working on Continue reading “Preptober Prompts Day 1 – 2020”

5 Traits of Realistic Characters

5 Traits of Realistic Characters

As a character-driven author whose stories almost always come into being due to a cool character who took up residence in my brain, characters are something I often create by a subconscious process rather than by consciously fleshing them out. That’s why, for so long, roleplaying was a huge part of my character development process. Over the past few months, however, my character-building process has become more conscious and I’ve been able to identify some details that help make more engaging, realistic characters. Here are five details to think about when creating your characters. Continue reading “5 Traits of Realistic Characters”

Character Profiles – Help or Waste?

Character Profiles – Help or Waste?

When creating characters, you’re often told to use character profiles. But do they really help you flesh out your characters or are they just laundry lists of useless facts you’ll never use? I think they usually tend to be a combination, and it depends on the profile. There are some character profiles with more hard-hitting questions and there are some with more shallow questions, and how much you get out of a profile depends somewhat on what the balance is.

Character profiles are also more or less helpful for each writer, since every writer is different. I tend to like them because they give me things to think about regarding the character that I won’t necessarily think of on my own, and then a place to write them down, but others just find them time-consuming and would rather learn about their characters through writing. Neither of these is wrong, and I’ve used both methods in the past.

So what should you look for or put on a character profile? Continue reading “Character Profiles – Help or Waste?”