5 Ways To Write Better Characters

One thing that can easily make or break a novel is the quality of its characters. Are they relatable? Are they flawed? Find out more!

How To Kill Off Characters

Killing off characters is very subjective and will be very particular to each story, but if there’s one thing we can say before getting to the video, let it be this: do not kill off characters that are pointless to the story you’re writing. Instead of killing off those characters, go back and remove those unnecessary characters; they don’t need to be there. Check out this video for more great tips!

4 Character Development Exercises For Dynamic Writing

We’ve all seen those character charts to fill out when developing a new character. What’s their birthday? What is their favorite song/book/color? The list goes on and on. And while this can be helpful for those just starting out writing characters, what oftentimes happens is that you end up with a list of facts about a character, but you don’t really know them at all. Instead, Shaelin gives us 4 exercises that really give you a chance to spend time with your character and see how they would react in different situations. We promise these will help you see your character in a new light, and really get to know them on a whole new level. Get the exercises right here!

Troubleshooting: Why Readers Don’t Care About Your Characters

Every writer wants to write epic characters. Sometimes, however, in an attempt to make these characters “likable,” we make them too good and too pure of heart. That often comes across as unrelatable to the average reader. Sure, everyone likes to think they’re the type of person who would buy a hot meal for a homeless person, but how many of us actually do that on a regular basis? The point here is that people are complex. Instead of describing what a person is like, show your readers how your character acts in certain situations and let them draw their own conclusion about the righteousness of your character. So how do we write these complex, relatable, believable characters that are indeed still loved? Watch this video for some amazing practical writing advice from a publisher herself.