Questions tagged [character-development]
Anything pertaining to developing the details associated with characters in your writing.
136
questions
16
votes
6
answers
4k
views
What is the term for an accessible character that knows nothing?
In a lot of books, movies, or TV shows, there will be a character that knows little to nothing about the subject at hand. Most cop shows and medical shows will have someone who doesn't know very ...
15
votes
6
answers
1k
views
How to find authenticity in a character of color
I am working on a book. I am aware that, being a white guy, I always perceive characters as white men. I want to push myself into building a character that is black.
My problem is that most of the ...
31
votes
14
answers
18k
views
Is my story "too diverse"?
(Edit: I feel like I should clarify, these are the only LGBT characters in the story, and the only characters whose sexualities are even touched on, and they are part of a larger group of people, ...
24
votes
13
answers
51k
views
Software for developing and organizing characters
I'm looking for a software that helps me develop and organize the characters for my novel.
What I want:
something like a filesystem, with a file for each character
it should have or allow me to ...
18
votes
8
answers
7k
views
How do I better handle my nameless main character when trying to retain mystery?
I have written a short story, and the main character is referred to as "he" right the way through - the idea being that this character is very guarded and mysterious.
My plan was to not ...
16
votes
8
answers
7k
views
How do I make an ESL character sound realistic?
I have to write an assignment in which there's an English character talking with a English as a Second Language (ESL) character. It is turning out really, really badly. I have a general idea of what ...
8
votes
6
answers
8k
views
How do you write a story about a team?
There just isn't information about this on the internet (at least that I could find), so I'm here.
A few specific questions: how many team members should there be? Should they all be main characters, ...
43
votes
7
answers
5k
views
How does one write a character smarter than oneself?
How does one write a "genius" character? I don't mean a scientific genius, or someone who is a prodigious talent in math or chess or something like that. I mean the following scenario (or an ...
36
votes
10
answers
13k
views
How to write female characters with agency?
I'm attempting to write a novel, an historical fiction with a small fantasy component (time travel through a portal). The travelers (main characters) are a young couple from the late 23rd Century who ...
11
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Should my readers be able to identify with the bad guy?
I'm in the process of defining the characters for a novel. It is a crime fiction, with a really strong focus on the characters. I hope to construct really rich, complex and clearly defined characters.
...
7
votes
8
answers
7k
views
First Person vs. Third Person: Advantages and Disadvantages?
My name is Alex and I'm writing a fantasy novel. I don't know if I should use first or third person narration.
First person writing is good for protagonists and important characters, but third ...
41
votes
7
answers
4k
views
Getting Inside Someone Else's Head
A common problem for novice fiction writers, and one that I feel that I myself haven't quite graduated from, is always writing characters who are like the author. Each character is merely some facet ...
26
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How to avoid hearing "that's me!" from your friends when they read your characters, and that wasn't your intent?
I recently asked about getting inside of someone else's head for writing good characters who are noticeably different from myself and received some great answers. One answer suggested that you should ...
13
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Ways for main character to influence world following their death
The main character of a story dies before the story itself ends. Nothing new here, you can keep a story interesting following their death. But I have an additional requirement: The dead main character ...
12
votes
3
answers
840
views
How to give characters a unique voice
When writing dialogue all the characters sound the same. I'm not sure I even know what giving a character a voice means, but my dialogue sucks so any advice will be greatly appreciated.