by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 10, 2023 | Character Development, First Draft, How to write a novel, Planning your book, Plot development, writing craft
Who is one of your favorite fictional characters? [I’ll give you a minute to think.] Once you’ve named one, I’d like you to take a minute and think of three ways you would describe the character. Try to only use one of them as a physical descriptor. And…go! (I’ll...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Feb 1, 2023 | Accountability, Character Development, First Draft, Planning your book, Plot development, writing craft
I know what it feels like to be at the beginning of writing a novel. It’s thrilling. And also… 😱 overwhelming. 😱 confusing. 😱 full of self-doubt. Writing a novel is a big job, and we often think we have to have all of the pieces in place first. 🤔 We think we should...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Sep 13, 2022 | Audience, Character Development, Planning your book, writing craft
Who is your main character? More importantly, why are they making the decisions they’re making in the story? If you want your reader to care about what happens next, the best way is to answer these three essential questions about your protagonist. You can’t guarantee...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Jul 5, 2022 | Audience, Character Development, First Draft, Planning your book, Revision
Your protagonist is not just bouncing from one event to another. They are changing as a result of those events. In this episode, we dig into your protagonist’s arc of emotional change, both why it matters and how to establish it. Text version: Hello writers! Here is...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 3, 2022 | Character Development, First Draft, Planning your book, writing craft, Writing middle grade, Writing schedule, Writing YA
While secondary characters might seem less important than your protagonist, they actually serve a very important purpose. They drive the story forward and give the protagonist context, relationships, roadblocks, relief, and more. In this episode, we look at the role...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Apr 19, 2022 | Character Development, First Draft, Planning your book, Uncategorized
How do we create primary characters that are nuanced and complex without being stereotypical, flat, or strange caricatures of themselves? The key is to know them. Like, really know them. And it’s more than knowing things like their favorite sandwich or where they grew...
