5 Easy Character Development Tips

[@rachelthompson9324]

Larry Brooks in his book Story Engineering, breaks character down into three levels. First dimension is the surface, what the MC shows the world such as how they represent themselves. Second is just below the surface, how they first react and feel--the habitual default. Third level goes deep down. What they are really made of when the chips are down.

[@rezagilaky9451]

I am Iranian and I like your videos. I wish to be a writer like Sadegh Hedayat. I always watch your videos with enthusiasm.

[@tomlewis4748]

All righty then. 2 through 5, nailed it. But now I have to think about Number 1. My characters have quirks, but how many are 'just quirks'? This has inspired me, and I've already made one good fix since seeing this. Thanks for the guidance. Love your thought processes.

[@leolightfellow]

Good advice again. :)

[@SevenUnwokenDreams]

Can you go more in depth about weaving the internal and external conflicts? I feel like I need an example.

[@76kilosofshade81]

Agreed!

[@karmachameleon326]

Ronald is a preacher, and the son of a preacher. He has led many sermons, and baptized dozens. But lately, he’s started to feel hollow. He hasn’t felt the joy of his Lord coursing through him as he leads the worship services, hasn’t felt the calm of certainty as he led prayers. He’s starting to wonder if there was ever anything real there at all. Meanwhile his father, living in a different state, has been struck down with cancer, and his mother has been calling him to come lead group prayers to help “heal” the father as he goes through chemo - but he’s been giving excuses. He wonders how he can lead others when feeling doubt himself. Are the prayers just a hollow gesture? Does he have to find his faith again, in order to help his father? Will his father see through his veneer of faithfulness to the doubts that plague him? And the longer he delays going to his father, the more it hurts his relationship with his mother, which is another level of conflict.

[@cjpreach]

Shaelin - Well done. This is some good stuff. Now I wonder how many of us will write a character with wallets, keys, cell phones, hair brushes chained to their waist belts. hehehe I see a lot of possibilities with this character quirk. And it came from your head without any prior thought! We are all a lot more creative than we give ourselves credit for.

[@EeeEee-bm5gx]

Editor's whisper: waist belts

[@cjpreach]

@@EeeEee-bm5gx AH! I do that a lot! Bobbles rather than baubles, etc.

[@cjpreach]

Fixed. Thank you. I need a good editor.

[@ouroboros6125]

Main character being clumsy is a trait I loved writing in. But it's difficult to not overdo it to the point it becomes unintentional comic relief. She avoided death by stumbling on a root in the ground, falling into a ditch so the lynch mob thought she had used magic to disappear. She also slipped, dropping an alchemical vial filled with flesh eating fungus, straight on top of the head of a character that was going to betray her. So now she struggles with guilt over having killed an "innocent person" (an actual assassin hired to kill her, but she doesn't know that). Minor accidents too, just to subtly infer that she is clumsy. I found it frustratingly difficult to balance. If you have any tips on that.

[@bineshr4361]

Great ❤

[@dhruvpaliwal3719]

Sir in your site login error is going on when ever we try to login error 403 forbidden comes

[@ryushogun9890]

Is it bad if I'm trying to create their social circles first? Is there a structure to just not overthink?

[@Murderface666]

Number 6: Create a list of instrumental music that represents you character if they were a soundtrack.

[@lakeshagadson357]

should go to my counselor about this stuff 😊

[@asherbrunnert3121]

First