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Character Development
Five Traps and Tips for Character Development - video
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by C.S. Marks
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Five Traps and Tips for Character Development - video
We all have the same goal as fiction writers: to transport our readers inside the pages so that they feel like a part of the story. Characters are an extremely important part of making that happen. And characters don’t just transport the readers—they drive the story. In this interview, author and professor C.S. Marks teaches you five traps and five tips for character development. First, she discusses the five potential traps that can lead to ineffective characters: creating characters that are one dimensional, stereotypical, too perfect, inconsistent, or dull. Marks provides tips on how to avoid these common mistakes in character development. Next, you'll learn five tips to make your characters even better. First, the devil is in the details. When you first introduce characters, you should include a few details, but the rest of their personalities, motivations, and back stories should be revealed gradually through their actions. Second, consider basing characters on real people. Third, remember that every character should have a history. Fourth, don’t neglect your secondary characters. Finally, devote plenty of attention to the villain of the piece. Whether you write good characters or poor ones will determine whether your readers stay with you to the end of the story. If the characters fail, the story fails. Hopefully these character development tips will help you avoid that.
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Barbara Raue
Thanks Dr. Marks. Great tips to use in my own writing.
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Catia Merritt
I enjoyed that! cheers
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Bonnie Lewis
Thank you very much for your tips --- very helpfull michella.wyshengrad@gmail.com
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Barbara Long
I took notes on every word because or your enthusiasm and "make sense" presentation. Thanks a bunch! Barbara Long "And One More Makes Five"
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Former Member
Hi Barb -- it would be interesting to ask the folks who liked her WHY they liked her. What is it in the villain that they related to? That will help you know if you should edit to give her more sympathetic traits. If your reader said they liked her because they felt like she was a monster but also human at the same time or that they understand why she did what she did... then that means you did imbue her with something they can sympathize with.
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