The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

characters

3 Simple Steps to Create Unforgettable Characters Workshop

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This live interactive workshop happens Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at 1:00 Central time.

3 Simple Steps to Create Unforgettable Characters

Characters that captivate the reader are essential to all good novels. This workshop discusses a 3-step method to build your characters as well as utilizing elements outside the norm such as cultural communication differences and temperament devices like Myers-Briggs and Keirsey. Then putting it all together into a character profile as a guiding document while writing.

Invest in yourself and grow your writing skills.

Register today.

A Guide to Creating a Unique Character Voice

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creating a unique character voice

Originally published Aug. 11, 2015 as “Can you recognize your character’s voice?” UPDATED June 3, 2024.

My last blog talked about point of view (POV), so it seems appropriate today to discuss creating a unique character voice for each of your book’s main characters.

Our voice is as much a part of who we are as is the shape of our face. It’s an aspect of our physical being that people come to recognize about us as they get to know us.

Just as we—as writers and as individuals—have a recognizable voice, the characters in our novels have voices, too. And they shouldn’t sound like you or like every other character in your novel.

Though the reader doesn’t hear voice in the usual sense, the reader can recognize it through the character’s personality, how he or she speaks, and the words that character uses. This is character voice and is as apparent in the narrative of your POV character as it is in the dialog of your characters.

[Read more…] about A Guide to Creating a Unique Character Voice

Dialog: Make It Work for Your Story

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smiley balloon thm
Our voices are as unique as our physical appearance.
Photo by GregRon Photography

(updated Jan. 31, 2023)

In a recent reader survey, several readers mentioned struggling with dialog, so today I’m pulling from the archive and updating it.

Dialog must accomplish 1 or more of 9 tasks, according to award-winning author Cecil Murphey. Perhaps that’s why it can be so difficult to write.

In real life we learn to recognize the voices of our friends and family.

But how do you recognize the voice of a story character when you never hear that voice?

Too often character dialog reads the same. But it’s important to give each a distinctive voice. But how?

[Read more…] about Dialog: Make It Work for Your Story

How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 3: Moving from Scene to Sequel

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Moving from scene to sequel is easier than trying to jump a ditch.

Updated October 12, 2020

Last time we looked at scenes and how to build them.

Most writers don’t have trouble writing scenes, and moving from scene to scene can be accomplished with as simple a statement as “Later that day…” However, there are times when you want to provide your reader with more. The sequel is your answer.

Moving from scene to sequel is much easier than jumping that ditch above. But first let’s define what a sequel is because I’m not talking about book 2 of a series.

[Read more…] about How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 3: Moving from Scene to Sequel

How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 2

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Updated September 14, 2020.

Working with scenes, defeat in the boxing ring

In my last post we looked at plot. Today we’ll look at working with scenes.

What goes into a scene? All the same things that go into plot.

Think of a scene like a mini plot. The character(s) has a goal, which represents a small step in achieving the story goal. In each scene the character meets with conflict and setbacks.

The key to remember about scenes is that they occur now. It’s moment-by-moment action playing out on the page.

Example:


“Here’s today’s mail, Miss Clark.”
Startled by the voice, I jerked in my chair. “Joey, one of these days I’m going to end up with coffee in my lap.” I turned from the computer and reached for the letters. “Do you sneak in here on purpose?”
“No, ma’am, I’d never intentionally try to scare you.”

This example shows the action playing out moment by moment.

[Read more…] about How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 2

How do Plot and Scene Work Together? Part 1

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Updated August 2020

Many fiction writers struggle with what plot is and how to develop it, including me. We envision the end product and wonder how we’re going to get there.

Some writers develop their plot through first writing outlines (called plotters); some write by the seat of their pants (called pantsers). But much like a chef, our work has basic elements. The chef has meat, veggies, fruit, dairy, and spices. He combines these to create a delectable, unforgettable dish.

The writer has characters, goals, conflict, and setbacks, and blends them to create a riveting (best-selling, we hope) novel.

At its very basic, plot is characters attempting to reach goals, but who meet with conflict and setbacks along the way. Whether you are a writer who works with or without an outline, if these elements are missing from your manuscript, you do not have a story. So let’s look at how these elements fit together to build a plot.

[Read more…] about How do Plot and Scene Work Together? Part 1

Removing the Cliché from Your Characters

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Guest Posting today is Jennifer Slattery

Author Jennifer SlatteryEvery first draft I write seems to be crammed with cliché characters. The Sunday school teacher with silver hair pulled back in a bun. The buff and burly loan shark. The alcoholic husband who burps and slurps and does all sorts of other crude things unfit to share in a blog post.

With four novels in print and two manuscripts in waiting, I’ve learned how to create strong yet unique characters—in drafts two through eight. This includes allowing ugly into the first draft, swapping the expected for the unexpected, and delving deeper into the human psyche. [Read more…] about Removing the Cliché from Your Characters

How to Review Your Story Scenes for Conflict

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horses jumping hurdles
Are the hurdles in your story growing harder?

As discussed in “6 Steps to Story Development,” a story needs conflict. In fact, without it you have no story. So let’s take a closer look and see how you can make sure you’re developing the conflict in your story.

James Scott Bell, in his book Conflict & Suspense, defines conflict this way: “a clash between at least two incompatible sides. One of those sides must be personal, that is, having the ability to exercise conscious will.”

At the heart of conflict are your character’s passion and goals. In review, here are 3 questions I posited in “Story Development”: [Read more…] about How to Review Your Story Scenes for Conflict