5 Short Exercises to Develop Character

Novels, Prompts, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
Character is for many writers the driving force of their fiction. Knowing your characters thoroughly is just as important as knowing your plot. Sometimes, it's even more important. When character comes second to plot, characters often seem stereotypical and dialogue becomes wooden. In order to make your fiction come to life you must bring your characters, especially your main character, come to life for the character. I've compiled a list of exercises to help you develop your characters. You can do one of them or all of them for any and all of your characters. How much work you do to prepare for Nanowrimo is really up to you, but it's good to have a basic grasp of your characters, setting and plot before you begin. It helps to make…
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And Now For Something Completely Different

Journalling, Prompts, Short Fiction, Workshops, Writing, Writing: The Process
Today, or sometime this weekend, I would like you to do something completely different--something I'm trying for the first time, too--and write two Dear Diary entries. The interesting part? One will be the character whose diary you've already been working on this month, and the other will be a character of your choosing. It doesn't have to be somebody who will be in the main story you're working on. It might be more beneficial to you if it can be, because you'll get more used to their voice as well, but if it's not plausible at the time you're writing in, don't force it. On this particular day in your character's life, they've met somebody new and intriguing. Have them describe in as much detail as they usually would the…
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