By Marissa Dunham //
Last month we delved deeper into craft books on plot. This month, we’re looking at character.
Character and plot are a dynamic duo in craft talk. Character is especially important in this relationship because it’s how your readers will access your writing. Without a character who experiences and acts in response to some kind of trouble or conflict, you’ll find your story loses momentum rather quickly and loses your reader in the same unfortunate way. The art is to get your character in action and to stay moving until the end.
The books today will explore a little bit about plot, and a whole lot more on character.
We’ve hit 100 writing craft books reviewed in this series! Thank you all for reading. It is my hope that you’ve found a few new interesting titles to help you learn and grow as a writer along the way.
Today’s column will be the last for Marissa’s Take On. I’ll be working on a mentorship for my novel, and other projects. If you’d like to follow my author journey, you can find updates at marissadunham.com.
CHARACTER FACTS
Character fears and desires (i.e., their unconscious) are what drive plot.
Here are the five!
- Writing the Other: A Practical Approach by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward
Developed from a workshop to address how to sensitively and truthfully write characters who identify differently from the author, this book looks at gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and age as points of difference between the author and the character. You will work through practice exercises, read book excerpts as examples, and come away with a few basic techniques for character development on a topic that may resonate with the concerns of writers today. The book is short at about 126 pages. - Write Characters Your Readers Won’t Forget by Stant Litore
This is a book for fiction writers that provides good advice on how to develop characters that drive the narrative. Litore provides exercises, examples, and easy-to-digest explanations for writers on how to build out your characters from first impressions to final scene. It’s written with humor and love for the writing process. This book also has a short page count coming in at around 105 pages. - The Heroine’s Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture by Gail Carriger
This roughly 322-page book by steampunk and urban fantasy writer Gail Carriger expands the talk on character and the hero’s journey story structure, focusing on books with leading ladies. Her take is a fresh and contemporary look supported by popular culture examples that is an excellent study on female main characters. At the end of the day, what keeps readers reading are characters with well-defined goals and conflicts, and Carriger gives us that and more in her book on the heroine’s journey. - The Story of My Life: If A Story Is In You, It Has to Come Out
Journaling is a good way to learn about your characters. In this nearly 204-page, lined journal, you are given prompts to help you explore your character’s background. Think of it like character sheets but in journal form. Depending on your genre, you may have to tweak some of the questions – like education background or references to technology, but I think you’ll find this book to be a good, free-flowing activity to learn more about your character’s desires and fears. Use this blue covered journal manufactured by Piccadilly for warm-ups, early drafting, and character study. - Build Better Characters: The Psychology of Backstory & How to Use It in Your Writing to Hook Readers by Eileen Cook
Cook’s approach is gentle and practical. Often in our industry, we lean to the critical side while analyzing craft, needing to suppress the inner editor when it comes time to actually doing that thing called writing. With Cook, she teaches from a place of empathy that already gives you the leg up for coming at characters without criticism. The book discusses emotional intelligence, why backstory is important for your book, psychology and the Myers-Briggs personality indicator, and the driving force behind why change needs to take place in a character’s arc. It’s a wonderful read on character at about 312 pages that is sure to please the fans of psychology and writing.
Marissa’s Take Practice Exercise: Character Warm-Up
Write for ten minutes about your character’s favorite day with their best friend. Be as detailed as possible when describing the best friend.
It has been a pleasure reading and writing with you.
MARISSA DUNHAM is a writer and freelance editor. She spent the early part of her career in educational publishing, but now spends most of her time editing literary fiction, magical realism, and middle grade fiction. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys bringing new life into the world by planting tomatoes and flowers in the garden. You can find updates at marissadunham.com.